Black British artists have been woefully overlooked at this year’s Brits, something that the BPI (the music body that runs the awards ceremony) acknowledges it will be looking into in the future. However, it’s missed the perfect opportunity this year to bestow awards on those who have truly achieved it, from both a commercial and cultural point of view; from JMEs self-released album Integrity (No.11 in the charts), Stormzy’s Shut Up freestyle (No.8), Lady Leshurr’s combined Queens Speech series with 50+m views and Skepta’s triumvirate of hits, a sold-out North American tour and the endorsement of global superstars including Drake and Kanye West. There have been other offerings from Lethal B, Krept and Konan and Lianne Le Havas, yet any racial diversity in the nigh-on 60 nominations (apart from Naughty Boy in Best Video and Leigh-Anne from Little Mix) is reflected solely in the Best International Male categories where the likes of Kendrick and The Weeknd will battle it out.
“Am I going to the Brits, no, no, no fuck that,” splutters Lethal Bizzle. “It’s embarrassing what they’re doing. They call themselves the Brits, but all the music that’s making an impact, they’re ignoring. We all charted last year, Top 40, Top 20, Top 10. It’s embarrassing and it’s a shame because it’s such a big platform,” he argues. “People look at that as our Grammy’s and we’re not being recognised. So if our country won’t recognise us, how can we expect the rest of the world to take us seriously? It’s a shame.” But ultimately not that surprising? “I mean, it’s run by the majors, so it’s really a ceremony for those labels and those acts. The younger culture is very in-tune to urban music and culture right now though, so they’re going to have to catch up eventually.”
We asked the Fester Skank MC to put on his presenter head and dish out the awards as he sees fit. Here’s Lethal Bizzle’s (Un)Official Brit Awards 2016.
Best British Male: Stormzy
It’s a no brainer. I’m not just saying that cos he’s my boy and he’s from grime. Just off the back of beating Simon Cowell’s massive X Factor show, which gets millions of views every single weekend, to then chart higher than Louisa Johnson, with all the promo she’s ha,d is a testament to how well he’s doing and how big Stormzy is. He got a freestyle in the charts! He’s kinda changed the rules of the game. If you’re basing it on numbers, then he should be there. Youtube views, stats, he should be there. The stats speak for themselves. Some of the people that have been nominated, they’ve had one record, so it doesn’t add up. In terms of stats, sales and impact, Stormzy ticks every single box. Maybe the people on the Brits panel don’t really get the culture or don’t understand the movement. But if you’re calling it the Brits then you have to include British music. And I’m pretty sure, like myself, Stormzy has a British passport so… you know, award it to British artists who are as important critically as well as commercially.
Best British Female: Jess Glynne
I’m a big fan of hers, I think her music’s sick. Her success over the last 12 months, two years is undeniable. She’s been killing it, from the Rather Berecord, onto her own Real Love record to collaborating with Tinie, her album going double platinum… I think she’s a real, unique artist, real sick, real soulful. I don’t know her personally, but she seems like she’s a cool person, I really like her vibe and I really like the way she comes across. I think she’s a good representation of British music. I like the way she fuses different influences from Garage to House to R&B. She’s so British, there’s not one thing about her that could be mistaken for an American artist, or an Australian or whatever. One thing America loves is our culture and I think that’s probably why she’s doing so well around the globe. They can see that this girl’s not from the States. She brings the UK vibe to her music and I think that’s important.
Best British Group: Boy Better Know
This might be a biased one (laughs), but I’m gonna give it to BBK. Simply because as a grime collective, they’re one of the most powerful and influential groups in the country. Not just in grime, but group’s full stop. All the individual members have got their own solo careers going on ,as well simultaneously as a group. They’ve had a huge impact on urban culture in general, not just the music scene. Social media is a huge thing for all of us, but the way they’ve navigated Insta and Twitter etc., they’ve managed to navigate themselves into a really cool position where they’re getting taken seriously as the other big bands; I see them getting booked for big festivals and getting the headline sets when once upon a time, it would have been the Arctic Monkeys. They have really penetrated nationally and globally and made a big statement over the last few years. I see some similarities with what they’re doing and what I did with More Fire back in the day, but now there’s obviously a lot more resources to use to help implement their craft and get the music out there. But everything’s a blueprint. I think the good thing about now is obviously me starting such a long time ago, alongside other people like So Solid and Pay As U Go, they can look at all these things and learn from what we did right and what we did wrong. And I think that’s why they’re doing so well now because there’s been a blueprint – and they’ve been part of the blueprint.
British Breakthrough Act: Skepta
He’s the first out of all of us to really get noticed beyond our pond and by the right people. He’s been the one to travel and represent the genre that we all love to make. Over the years, we’ve had to make different things to try to fit in different territories, but Skepta has just done him and has showed them the culture. That’s why people are really gravitating to it, because they’re like ‘Yo these guys, we can relate to them, they’ve got their own sound, they’ve got their own style, they’ve also got their own struggles’. Obviously we speak in a different accent but it’s very relatable and think Skepta’s been the one to really translate that around the world, getting co-signs from people like Kanye and Drake. That’s priceless. You can’t pay for that sort of co-sign, no money in the world can get you that sort of publicity and that notoriety he’s got. And he did that representing the genre, fully. I’m just happy it’s one of the guys I knew from Dévå Vu, spitting bars with back in the day and someone who really represents the culture properly and understands the culture. Loads of people have gone to America and done whatever they’re doing but they’ve never really been a part of the real scene. He really studied America, he kept going over there, doing little things here and there, connecting with people here and there. All that graft behind the scenes that people may not have necessarily known about, it’s just finally paid off. Skeppy definitely played the game really well and I salute him for that. He’s one of the pioneers and I’m happy he’s been the chosen one to take it to that level. He’s just done him and because of that he’s breaking through. Big up Skeppy, man!
Single Of The Year: Lethal Bizzle, Fester Skank
I’m gonna give it to myself, just simply because I’ve seen how this record has penetrated the barriers of the world. Because of Fester Skank, I’ve gone to places I’ve never been before. That record has taken me to Africa, the Caribbean… It feels like it’s getting spinned in every corner of the world with so many places doing their own version. There’s a Kenyan version, there’s an Indian version, a Jamaican one. To see how it’s been embraced by different cultures and in places that don’t even speak English has been pretty great.
It’s really shocked me and really opened my eyes to the types of records I’ll be making in the future. It’s one of those songs, that as soon as we made it me and Diztortian knew we had something. We held onto it for a year and we just kept playing it to people and everyone liked how it didn’t fit anything, but it had that international sound – dance, Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, with me speaking in my voice in my very British accent, It’s a big world out there and some people are only clocking onto it now, so it’s still growing. There was a lot of big records; Freak of the Week was huge, Man Don’t Care… but I’m gonna give it to myself!
British Album Of The Year: Adele, 25
I just bought the album, it’s not something I’d listen to every day, but just the fact that she made me buy the album, shows how influential this girl is. You’re getting road man listening to Adele in their cars, which once upon a time this would not have been heard of. That, and the numbers, and the way she approached the release. That’s gangster. That’s the definition of gangster. Her manager is my old More Fire Crew manager [Jonathan Dickens]. He needs to lend me a tenner man!
Best British Producer Of The Year: Diztortian
I have to give it to Diztortian. He made the Single of the Year, so he gets Producer of the Year. He’s also done beats for Tinie, for Sigma, he also did Rari Workout. He’s been on fire since we linked up. But there’s been some sick producers – Heavytrackers, Stormzy, Skepta, Swifta Beata. He’s incredible. He’s someone I want to get in the studio with. JME too. Splurgeboys. A lot of guys put in the work, but I’m giving it to my boy Diztortian.
Artist Video Of The Year: Stormzy, Know Me From
Man put his mum in the video, smashed it. Shout out also to Lady Leshurr’s Queen’s Speech.
International Male Solo: Justin Bieber
That might surprise some people. I was looking at the list, and it was full of people I listen to a lot. But there was one in particular who I’ve never been a fan of – ever, ever! – but for some reason, his music comes on and where I used to turn it down, now I turn it up! Call it a guilty pleasure, but yeah Justin Bieber. He tried to nick my name as well. He tried to call himself ‘Bizzle’ on Insta. All my fans went mental so his changed it back to ‘Justin Bieber’. But yeah he’s definitely turned a corner with me; age-wise and demographically he wasn’t me, but he’s making some dope records now. His link up with Diplo has changed his mindstate. He’s making some bangers. Salute Bieber.
International Female Solo: Rihanna
I wasn’t too impressed with the list, so I’m giving it to Rihanna. She didn’t do too much last year, but she did #BBHMM and I was digging that. When she dropped Work, it’s like, game over for female artists for the next 12 months. She never disappoints. Even when her songs aren’t for me, I get it. She and her team are so on point. She doesn’t ever drop anything that’s not on point. I thin she speaks to this generation much more than any other artist in this category.
International Group: Major Lazer
I’ve never seen a video that’s got a ‘b’ beside the views, standing for a billion views. Those guys have changed music. I think they really studied the European sound and a lot of what they’ve done has helped artists like myself, like Skeppy, to be understood and break barriers internationally. Diplo is a real student; he really studies. I’ve seen him drop More Fire Crew Oi in the past; he really knows his music man.
Tune into Channel 4 tonight from 7pm to see i-D’s Feature Editor Hattie Collins join Big Narstie, Krept and Konan and Logan Sama to discuss the 2016 Brit Awards.