Artist: Blur; Gorillaz; the Good, the Bad and the Queen
Label executive: co-founder, Honest Jon's
Far from the knowing, ambitious rock frontman he was in the early days of Blur, Albarn has revealed himself to be one of British music's most invigorating renaissance men. As well as his involvement in Gorillaz and the Good, the Bad and the Queen, the Honest Jon's label he co-founded has brought African, Caribbean and obscure black American music to young, hip audiences, and his experiments in opera are helping dismantle the barriers between "high" and "low" art.