MOBO Awards 2025: The Artists Taking Black British Music Worldwide

On 18 February 2025, the MOBO Awards 2025 took over the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, celebrating the best in music of Black origin from the UK and across the diaspora. Hosted by Eddie Kadi and Indiyah Polack, the ceremony crowned a new wave of stars and confirmed something that’s been true for a while: Black British music is now a global export, not a niche.

The MOBO Awards 2025 winners list was dominated by four names – Bashy, Darkoo, Odeal and Ayra Starr – who each left with two trophies, while Central Cee made history as one of the ceremony’s most decorated artists.

Think of this as your Niche-approved MOBO binge guide.

Bashy – Working-class Britain, suit and mic in hand

Awards: Album of the Year (Being Poor Is Expensive), Best Hip Hop Act

Seventeen years after his breakthrough single “Black Boys”, London rapper Bashy stood on the MOBO stage with two of the night’s biggest awards. His album Being Poor Is Expensive doesn’t chase the charts; instead it digs into race, mental health and working-class life in north-west London, written from the perspective of someone who’s seen all sides of the industry and the city.

On the night, Bashy’s look matched the music: sharp, grown-man tailoring rather than hype-brand overload – more “British film premiere” than “new rapper on the scene”. Culturally, he represents a full-circle story: a Black British artist who started in grime and rap, detoured into acting, then returned with a mature record that the industry and the MOBO voters have taken seriously.

For Niche readers, he’s the bridge between earlier generations of UK rap and the current streaming era: reflective, political, but still deeply listenable.

Darkoo – Afroswing, club energy and a MOBO double

Awards: Best Female Act, Song of the Year (“Favourite Girl” ft. Dess Dior)

British-Nigerian artist Darkoo walked away with two huge symbols of 2025: Best Female Act and Song of the Year for “Favourite Girl”, her swagger-heavy collaboration with Dess Dior that’s racked up tens of millions of streams and TikTok edits.

Her performance and styling embody the new London club aesthetic – gender-fluid silhouettes, streetwear mixed with glam details, hair and make-up that feel ready for the dancefloor, not just a photoshoot. Darkoo’s sound sits at the intersection of afroswing, rap and melodic R&B: bass you feel in your chest, hooks you hear on repeat in Ubers and late-night playlists.

She’s proof that the MOBO Awards 2025 winners aren’t just heritage names; they’re the artists soundtracking night buses, basement parties and global playlists at the same time.

Odeal – R&B romantic with global roots

Awards: Best Newcomer, Best R&B/Soul Act

Odeal might be the least “shouty” of the night’s big winners, but culturally he’s one of the most interesting. Born in Germany, raised between Nigeria and Spain before settling in the UK, his biography reads like a map of modern diasporic Europe – and his music sounds like it.

At the 2025 MOBOs he won Best Newcomer and Best R&B/Soul Act, off the back of projects like Sunday at Zuri’s and Lustropolis, plus a collaboration with US star Summer Walker. His style is softer than some of his peers: clean lines, muted tones, jewellery that feels intentional rather than flashy. Vocally, it’s all about emotion – conversational delivery, rich harmonies, lyrics that sound like voice notes you never sent.

For Niche’s audience, Odeal is the R&B artist you queue up when you want something intimate on headphones, not just background noise at a party.

Ayra Starr – Afrobeats superstar, MOBO history-maker

Awards: Best African Music Act, Best International Act

On the international side, Nigerian singer Ayra Starr made MOBO history as the first African woman to win Best International Act, and the first woman in 16 years to win Best African Music Act, taking home two awards in one night.

Her presence at the 2025 ceremony underlines how blurred the lines now are between “UK” and “global” Black music: her songs chart in London as easily as in Lagos. Sonically she brings silky vocals over Afrobeats, pop and R&B production; visually she’s become a Gen Z fashion reference – playful silhouettes, micro-skirts, bold colour and hair that changes era to era.

For a UK reader, Ayra Starr is the clearest sign that MOBO is no longer just a domestic barometer. It’s a stage where global Black pop icons are crowned in front of a British audience.

Central Cee & the MOBOs as a mainstream barometer

While our four profiles tell the story emotionally, one name sums up the numbers: Central Cee. The west-London rapper won Best Male Act for the second year in a row, tying him with Stormzy as the most-decorated rapper in MOBO history.

That stat matters. It shows:

• The MOBOs now track global streaming reality, not just UK radio.

• A drill-rooted artist can evolve into an international star while still being honoured by an awards show once written off as “niche”.

With BBC broadcast, YouTube livestreams and sponsors ranging from broadcasters to lifestyle brands, the 2025 ceremony made it clear: if you want to understand where British music is going – and which artists are about to tour arenas from Europe to the Middle East – the MOBO Awards 2025 winners list is one of the best indicators you have.

Niche playlist: Start here with the MOBO Awards 2025 winners

You can turn this article into a listening session. Build a playlist around:

1. Darkoo ft. Dess Dior – “Favourite Girl” MOBO Song of the Year – flirty, confident and built for repeat plays.

2. Bashy – album Being Poor Is Expensive (start with the title track + “Black Boys”) A grown, reflective UK rap project about class, race and survival; “Black Boys” (2007) is the context for his 2025 wins.

3. Odeal – “Soh-Soh” + tracks from Sunday at Zuri’s and Lustropolis Moody, melodic R&B that shows why he took both Best Newcomer and Best R&B/Soul Act.

4. Ayra Starr – “Rush” and her recent singles Proof of why she could lift both Best African Music Act and Best International Act in one night – slick Afrobeats with global hooks.

5. Central Cee – cuts from Can’t Rush Greatness The album that helped secure his Best Male Act win and cement him as one of the UK’s biggest rap exports.