North London grime artist Skepta beats Bowie to Mercury Prize

Fiona Simpson16 September 2016

North London grime artist Skepta has won the prestigious Mercury music prize.

The songwriter and record producer, from Tottenham, beat music legend David Bowie, who died from cancer in January, to the award with his fourth album Konnichiwa.

During his performance of hit song Shutdown, the 33-year-old self-proclaimed king of grime, said: "Kano, we did it bro".

A reference to his and Kano's nominations and the resurgence the genre has seen since it was last recognised by the Mercury Prize in 2003 when Dizzee Rascal won for his album Boy In da Corner.

If bookies’ favourite Bowie had won the £25,000 award for his final album Blackstar he would have been the first artist to have done so posthumously.

Announcing the winner, Jarvis Cocker said that David Bowie would have approved of panel's decision.

Actor Michael C Hall, who is playing the lead in Bowie’s musical Lazarus, gave a special performance in tribute to the Heroes singer at the ceremony at Hammersmith's Evemtim Apollo.

Mercury Prize 2016: red carpet

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“Since working with [Bowie] on Lazarus and being a part of that entire experience, it’s not just a career highlight, but a highlight of my life,” he told Standard.co.uk on the red carpet.

Other nominees included Radiohead and singer-songwriter Laura Mvula.

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