Central Cee made history twice by becoming the first artist to be named Best Male Act three times. He also became the joint-most decorated artist in the award’s history (tied with Stormzy), picking up his seventh award. Although Central Cee was not in attendance, his prize was collected by host Eddie Kadi who joked they “share everything except royalties”.
After a 15-year hiatus following his 2009 debut album Catch Me If You Can, Bashy’s 2024 release, Being Poor Is Expensive, saw him win twice on the night. Best Hip-Hop Act and Best Album went home with the North-West London rapper. In his acceptance speech for the latter he announced to an applauding crowd, “I wanted this one [...]. I deserved it”.
Darkoo also picked up two awards on this night, beginning the ceremony with Best Female Act. She also won Song of the Year ahead of strong nominees including Central Cee and Stormzy. Darkoo celebrated her success by performing singles ‘Favourite Girl’ and ‘Focus On Me’.
The Best Newcomer award went to Odeal, who also performed live, beating a field of ten nominees. He added to this by also picking up Best R&B/Soul Act, stating “to win two awards is absolutely insane”.
Olympic legend Denise Lewis was honoured with a Paving The Way Award, recognising her trailblazing success across multiple different industries, including sports.
Kanya King, who founded the MOBO Group in 1996, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer last year and told she would not survive to see this year’s ceremony. She came out on stage to address the crowd, who gave her a standing ovation. Surprised by her friend Dawn Butler MP, King was also presented with a Paving The Way Award, the first time in MOBO history that two had been given out on the same night.
The ceremony concluded with performances from Vybz Kartel and Spice, the ‘King and Queen’ of dancehall music, much to the excitement of the crowd. Kartel was released from prison in 2024 after a wrongful conviction was overturned, with him having already served 13 years. Kartel accepted the Impact Award, recognising him as a cultural pioneer of the music landscape and beyond.
The 2026 MOBO Awards will mark the 30th anniversary since the creation of the MOBO Group by Kanya King. King stated to the crowd, “I very much intend to be there” and continued on to say the awards were “never just about music [...]. It’s about justice”.