British-Nigerian rapper, Joseph Adenuga, better known as Skepta, has been awarded the United Kingdom’s prestigious Mercury Prize for his album “Konnichiwa”.
Skepta bagged the honour Thursday, in recognition of his resurgent homegrown genre. He edged out late rock music legend, David Bowie, to clinch the top prize.
The award ceremony, held at London’s Eventim Apollo, saw Skepta win the £25,000 award price for the indie album Konnichiwa.
The album covers topics ranging from police harassment and his anger at British politics.
“The internet has given a lot of opportunities to people who are not built for big corporations,” Skepta told the BBC after winning the award. “It allows you to speak to fans directly. To make things from your bedroom and give it to them.”
Skepta, who featured in Wizkid’s Ojuelegba remix, belongs to a Hip-hop genre called the Grime, a genre of music that emerged in England in the late 1990s to early 2000s.
It is primarily a development of UK garage and jungle, accustomed with heavy instruments and is mostly homemade.