At the 2024 Mobo Awards, Central Cee took home the most awards due to the success of his hit song "Sprinter".

Central Cee was named the top winner at the 2024 Mobo awards, taking home the award for best male for the second consecutive year. He also won best song for his collaboration with Dave, “Sprinter,” which held the No. 1 spot for 10 weeks during the summer.

In other places, the accolades were given out to recognize black music talent in the UK and around the world. The awards were distributed evenly among a variety of musical genres, with no single artist being the standout.

Raye, who just received the most Brit nominations in one year, was awarded best female artist for her first album My 21st Century Blues. This album was released on her own after being stuck at a big record label for a while.

She was also included in a competitive category for album of the year, which included notable names like Stormzy, Little Simz, J Hus, and Mercury prize winners Ezra Collective. However, the award ultimately went to Potter Payper for his debut album Real Back in Style (following six highly acclaimed mixtapes).

The person from east London, who has Irish-Algerian background, finally gets to celebrate their victory after having to mark the album’s initial ranking at number 2 while spending two months in jail, which was their 15th incarceration.

Following his release, he shared with the Guardian: “I am aware that I have made missteps throughout my life, and it has been detrimental. Without becoming too sentimental, I regretfully missed a significant opportunity,” in regards to the success on the charts.

Tunde, a rapper from Manchester, emerged as the winner for best newcomer among nine other nominees. He also had an encounter with the authorities.

In August, he was acquitted of the charge of conspiring to possess a firearm with the intent to endanger life. He had been accused of planning a shooting in 2020. During the trial, prosecutors referenced his song lyrics in an attempt to prove his guilt, a technique that has raised concerns among artists and advocates of free speech in recent times.

Little Simz, who won the best album award in 2022 alongside Knucks, also took home the best hip-hop act award just a few days before her EP Drop 7 was released. K-Trap, a newcomer to the Brit awards this year, received the best drill act award for the second consecutive time.

The grime artist Bugzy Malone, who has expanded his career to include acting, received recognition for his role in Guy Ritchie’s action comedy Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. He was awarded best grime act. While Stormzy did not win in the major categories, he did take home the award for best video for Mel Made Me Do It, which was directed by Klvdr.

Inflo received the award for best producer, and Sault, his neo-soul group, won best R&B/soul act for their highly praised live performance at a warehouse in Tottenham. In the jazz category, Ezra Collective came out on top, while international artists Drake, 21 Savage, Asake, Valiant, and Limoblaze each won in their own categories.

Best hip-hop act winner Little Simz performs at the North Sea jazz festival in July.

In the year 2022, the Mobos expanded to include categories for alternative and electronic/dance music. The winners were reggae-metallers Skindred and versatile singer Shygirl. However, in the year 2023, there were no awards given out as the organizers decided to hold the ceremony alongside other early-year award shows such as the Grammys and Brits.

In 2024, Sheffield hosted the Mobo ceremony for the first time, with hosts Indiyah Polack and Babatunde Aléshé. The event featured live performances by Ghetts, Sugababes, DJ Spoony, Cristale, Byron Messia, King Promise, Camidoh, and Soul II Soul, who received a lifetime achievement award.

The Sugababes, who were also honored with an Impact award for their significant contribution to music, stated to the Guardian that their success in the industry was attributed to their genuine and authentic approach.

Keisha Buchanan, a member of the band, expressed her excitement, saying, “It’s like a dream come true to see our music still being appreciated after all these years.”

The Sugababes (from left: Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan) with their award.

Siobhán Donaghy stated that there were numerous differing opinions in the music industry about how the band should function.

She expressed the importance of staying true to oneself, mentioning that it is now easier for artists to gain recognition but social class remains a barrier for those from working-class backgrounds.

“I came across a statistic indicating the low representation of working-class individuals in the music industry. Therefore, I believe the Sugababes have been remarkably exceptional,” she expressed.

Throughout the career of the Sugababes, there have been both successes and challenges. Despite achieving a lot of success, there has also been some negativity directed towards the group.

Mutya Buena stated that they have successfully broken down barriers in that manner.