MOBO Awards 2024: Central Cee, RAYE and Little Simz take home top honours

Central Cee clinched top honours at the 2024 Mobo awards with consecutive wins for Best Male and Best Song alongside Dave for their chart-topping hit "Sprinter" - Copyright Credit: AP Photo

By Theo Farrant

Published on 08/02/2024 - 12:13

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The 26th edition of the MOBO Awards, a celebration of Black musical talent in the UK and beyond, took place at the Utility Arena Sheffield.

Central Cee emerged as the standout winner of this year's MOBO Awards, clinching the honours for best male for the second consecutive year and securing the best song prize for 'Sprinter'.

The catchy track, a collaboration with Dave, dominated the UK charts, making history as the first UK rap single to maintain its No. 1 spot for an impressive ten weeks.

Singer-songwriter Raye, fresh from earning a record-breaking seven Brit Award nominations in a single year, deservedly took home the award for best female act, seeing off competition from dance music sensation PinkPantheress and Mahalia.

The win marks a remarkable career turnaround for the pop R&B artist, who topped the charts at the beginning of 2023 with her hit 'Escapism' after a lengthy career battle with her former label, Polydor.

Her debut album 'My 21st Century Blues' made our Best Albums of 2023 list.

Other winners

Despite facing strong competition from the likes of Stormzy, Little Simz, J Hus, and Mercury Prize winning jazz virtuosos Ezra Collective, the album of the year award went to rapper Potter Payper for his debut album "Real Back in Style".

Hailing from East London with Irish-Algerian heritage, Payper's album made an impressive debut at number two on the charts upon its release during the summer, despite his concurrent two-month incarceration.

Within the rap categories, Little Simz secured the title of best hip-hop act, while K-Trap clinched the best drill act award for the second consecutive year, and Manchester rapper Tunde beat nine other nominees to take home the best newcomer prize.

The enigmatic producer extraordinaire, Inflo, was honoured with the best producer award, while his equally mysterious collective, Sault, claimed victory in the best R&B/soul act category.

Elsewhere, it came as no surprise when Ezra Collective clinched the title for best jazz act, while Drake and 21 Savage jointly secured best international act.

Throughout the evening, viewers were treated to performances by the Sugababes, recipients of the Mobo Impact Award, and Soul II Soul, who were celebrated with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

Here's the full list of winners:

Best male act: Central Cee

Best female act: Raye

Album of the year: Potter Payper - Real Back In Style

Song of the year: Central Cee & Dave - Sprinter

Best newcomer: Tunde

Video of the year: Stormzy - Mel Made Me Do It

Best RnB/ soul act: Sault

Best hip-hop act: Little Simz

Best grime act: Bugzy Malone

Best drill act: K-Trap

Best international act: Drake & 21 Savage