The London-born grime artist scoops the award for his fourth studio album, Konnichiwa, beating the likes of David Bowie, Bat For Lashes, and Radiohead.
Skepta has been the named this year’s Mercury Prize winner, beating a host of artists including Radiohead, David Bowie, Savages, Jamie Woon, Anohni and The 1975. Skepta — real name Joseph Junior Adenuga — is the 25th artist to the win the award.
He beat the bookies’ favourite, David Bowie, who would have become the first posthumous winner of the prize for his album Blackstar. On winning the award, he said:
“For everyone who knows what it takes to put an album together it’s so much more than making the music, everyone who was there for me when I was going through depressed times… We just did this for us, but the love is very appreciated”
He continued “I wouldn’t say it’s a grime revolution – this is a really good time for grime but I think this is a revolution for freedom.”
Full list of nominees:
Anohni – Hopelessness
Bat For Lashes – The Bride
David Bowie – Blackstar
Jamie Woon – Making Time
Kano – Made in the Manor
Laura Mvula – The Dreaming Room
Michael Kiwanuka – Love & Hate
Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
Savages – Adore Life
Skepta – Konnichiwa
The 1975 – I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it
The Comet Is Coming – Channel the Spirits
You can listen to ‘Man’, taken from Konnichiwa, below.