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A number of UK soul artists gate crashed last week's MOBO Awards, registering their protest at the organisers' refusal to include a soul music category among its slate of awards.

As other stars from the world of black music arrived to pose for the assembled media, soul singers Omar, Bluey Maunick of Incognito, Ola Onabule and American soul artist Rahsaan Patterson brandished posters asking: 'MOBOs Where's Your Soul?'

"We are at the MOBOs to ask: 'Where is the soul category?'" Omar told The Voice. "I wasn't invited so I invited myself. If there is no soul award that means you are narrowing the music down to two categories - R'n'B and hip-hop. That is not what music is about. I am a soul artist and my music cannot be categorised or compared to someone like Ne-Yo who is R'n'B," he said.

The MOBO organisation is no stranger to controversy. It has been blasted over the years for "diluting its concept to embrace white performers". This, the 12th year was no different. The soul protest was orchestrated and organised by Chris Wells, the editor of Echoes magazine who has been campaigning for several years to get Kanya King, the founder of the MOBOs to recognise the need for a soul grouping.

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Wells told The Voice: "Soul artists sell millions of albums and perform to 'sold-out' signs all over the world - frequently eclipsing other cornerstone black music styles such as Gospel, Jazz and Reggae, all of which are recognised at the MOBOs.

"I organised the protest because I wanted well known artists like Omar and Rahsaan Patterson to be at the forefront because they are the ones that are being ignored by the MOBOs."

He continued: "Unlike the Royal Albert Hall, the O2 is private property so we were unable to be as vocal as we would have liked without getting the police involved so Omar and the boys conned themselves inside the Arena so they could voice their opinions.

"Soul music needs to be recognized because it one of the core elements of black music. The MOBO organization keeps arguing that soul music is not successful enough to have its own category but that's rubbish."

MOBO founder Kanya King remained defiant. She argued: "What is soul music but R'n'B, and gospel? And we already have those categories. We can't have all the categories, it is just not possible. However, we have had many soul artists in the past that have been honoured and are continuing to be honoured."

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English signer and songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae who picked up two MOBO prizes last year told The Voice: "I'm very honoured to have been awarded, however, I truly believe that the MOBOs should preach the gospel for all Music Of Black Origin and as such it seems very strange not to have a category for soul music.

"When you have artists such as Jill Scott, Joss Stone, Beverley Knight, Raphael Saadiq and Angie Stone all successfully creating modern soul music I'd suggest that soul is very much alive and well, and continues to be a massive influence. Without soul music I know I wouldn't be making the music I make."

Published: 24 September 2007
Issue: 1288

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