The Mercury Prize is one of the UK’s most prestigious music awards, given out each year to “celebrate and promote the best of UK music” (which includes Ireland). This year’s winner is Skepta’s album Konnichiwa, which, uh SHUT DOWN the ceremony. BBC, which aired the awards, noted the album’s role in “putting Grime on the map.”
Past winners of the award include PJ Harvey, Portishead, the xx, and James Blake. The only other time a grime artist has taken home the award was Dizzee Rascal in 2003. This year’s other finalists included David Bowie’s Blackstar, Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool, Laura Mvula’s The Dreaming Room, The 1975’s I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It, and Michael Kiwanuka’s Love & Hate.
Videos by VICE
Watch a video of Skepta taking the stage to accept the award here.
Congratulations to Skepta and Boy Better Know in what is a landmark win for not just the artist and his label but grime culture at large.
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