‘It’s beautiful to be acknowledged’: Jae5 crowned Best Producer at resurgent MOBO Awards

Jae5, known for his production work with UK star J Hus, was crowned Best Producer at last night’s (December 9) 2020 MOBO Awards, as the event made its return after a three-year hiatus.

Hosted by Maya Jama and Chunkz and making its first outing since 2017, the revamped MOBOs returned with a raft of new categories, including Best Producer. Live streamed via YouTube, the Best Producer category was among the most fiercely contested, with a list of nominees comprising, alongside Jae5, 808 Melo, Sir Spyro, TSB, Steel Banglez and M1 On The Beat. 

On receiving his awards, Jae5 said: “It’s amazing to win the first producer award. We always get in on the back of other artists winning Best Song or Best Album, so it’s amazing to be acknowledged for your work. It’s beautiful to be acknowledged and to win an award that promotes what I am.”

Other big winners on the night included London rapper Nines (Album of the Year and Best Hip Hop Act), Nottingham duo Young T & Bugsey (Song of the Year for ‘Don’t Rush’), Mahalia (Best Female Act and Best R&B/Soul), Headie One (Best Male Act), Manchester rapper Aitch (Best Newcomer) and Nigerian star Burna Boy (Best International Act).

“I feel very proud about this year’s show which will go down in history because of its unique commentary and set of circumstances,” said MOBO founder Kanya King. “We will archive it for future generations to watch and learn about the times we are currently in. I want to thank the BBC and YouTube for working together, all for the greater good. This wasn’t just an Awards show, this is an empowering show with a purpose that represents opportunity over inequality, that represents pride for an audience that often feels marginalised, that represents achievement against all odds. There will be new artists watching the show and because of it, and their lives and those of their families may be forever changed. Roll on our 25th anniversary next year – let’s get ready to mobilise!”

See below for the full list of winners.

BEST MALE ACT
HEADIE ONE

BEST FEMALE ACT (IN ASSOCIATION WITH ISAWITFIRST)
MAHALIA

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
NINES – ‘CRABS IN A BUCKET’

SONG OF THE YEAR [PUBLIC VOTED]
YOUNG T & BUGSEY FEAT. HEADIE ONE – ‘DON’T RUSH’

BEST NEWCOMER (IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND) [PUBLIC VOTED]
AITCH

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
NSG – ‘LUPITA’ (DIRECTED BY KEVIN HUDSON)

BEST R&B/SOUL ACT
MAHALIA

BEST HIP HOP ACT
NINES

BEST GRIME ACT [PUBLIC VOTED]
JME

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT [PUBLIC VOTED]\
BURNA BOY

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV SHOW/FILM [PUBLIC VOTED]
MICHEAL WARD AS MARCO – ‘BLUE STORY’

BEST MEDIA PERSONALITY [PUBLIC VOTED]
CHUNKZ

BEST ALBUM (2017 – 2019)
This is a one-off additional category just for this year’s MOBO Awards to highlight the best albums released from 1st September 2017 – 31st August 2019.
ELLA MAI – ‘ELLA MAI’

BEST AFRICAN ACT (IN ASSOCIATION WITH AFROZONS) [PUBLIC VOTED]
WIZKID 

BEST REGGAE ACT
BUJU BANTON

BEST GOSPEL ACT (IN ASSOCIATION WITH PREMIER GOSPEL)
CALLEDOUT MUSIC 

BEST JAZZ ACT (IN ASSOCIATION WITH BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC)
EGO ELLA MAY 

BEST PRODUCER
JAE 5

INSPIRATION AWARD
STEVE MCQUEEN