Kanya King, founder of the MOBO Awards, dies aged 57

Co-founder of the Mobo awards, which celebrate music of Black origin, as well as initiatives to encourage and recognise new talentKanya King, who has died aged 57 of colon cancer, was co-founder of the Mobo awards, which were set up in the UK in 1996 to celebrate music of Black origin. As CEO of the Mobo Organisation, which runs the awards and its various offshoots, King became one of the highest profile champions of Black music in the UK, while the awards themselves were credited by many Black artists with raising their profiles and boosting their careers – some even gave Mobo name-checks in their songs.Modest in size to begin with, the first Mobos, which gave a best album award to Goldie, best jazz act to Courtney Pine and best international act to the Fugees, made an immediate impact. They were televised from the outset, with Lionel Richie performing and the soon-to-be prime minister Tony Blair in attendance at the first ceremony. Continue reading...

Kanya King, the London born entrepreneur who alongside Andy Ruffell founded the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards in 1996, has died at the age of 57. King’s death was announced by the MOBO Organisation in a statement on its official social media pages. “It is with immeasurable sorrow that the MOBO Organisation announces the passing of its founder and CEO, Kanya King CBE. Kanya passed away peacefully on June 3, 2026 after a courageous and characteristically determined battle with colon cancer. She was surrounded by her family, close friends and love,” the post read. King worked tirelessly to champion black musicians' contribution to British culture, and funded the first Music of Black Origin awards out of her own pocket. Over three decades, the MOBOs have become globally renowned for their recognition of black talent - platforming upcoming stars and pushing to break industry boundaries. The Best Reggae Act category was introduced at the first staging, and the first winner was British reggae artiste Peter Hunnigale. Other winners of the category through the years include Popcaan, Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Damian Marley, Glamma Kid, Mr. Vegas, Gyptian, Mavado, Alborosie and Stylo G. The Best Reggae Act category was renamed Best Caribbean Music Act in 2022. The winners include Shenseea, Valiant and Vybz Kartel.

The Mobo founder, who has died aged 57, had an unprecedented vision: to give Black British music a glitzy and joyful awards ceremony. But her impact went well beyond it• News: Kanya King, founder of Mobo awards for Black British music, dies aged 57I first met Kanya King in the mid-1990s, when I was still reeling from the failure of my own attempt to target the Black audience via my newspaper, Black Briton. Kanya came along a couple of years later and showed how it should be done. In framing her awards as “music of Black origin”, she not only connected with the relatively small Black British population, but brought in a whole new audience, too, who acknowledged its oversized influence.Back then, the word diversity was hardly known. We were in the era of “equal opportunities”, which was taken seriously only by Labour-run local councils, and labelled “loony left” by most of the media. Britain had been dominated by more than 15 years of Thatcher-inspired government. Stephen Lawrence had been murdered, but the inquiry that identified “institutional racism” was still years away. Continue reading...

Kanya King, the founder of the UK’s popular Music of Black Origin awards show, colloquially known as the MOBOs, has died. She was 57.  King’s death was announced this morning by the MOBO Organisation with a post on Instagram. The statement said King died on June 3rd after a “courageous and characteristically determined battle with […]

King was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2018.

Entrepreneur died of colon cancer, with Mobo Organisation hailing her as ‘one of the most fearless champions’ in the music industryKanya King, the entrepreneur and tireless champion of Black British music who founded the Mobo awards, has died aged 57 from colon cancer.The news was announced by the Mobo Organisation, who said she died on Wednesday “after a courageous and characteristically determined battle” with her illness. Continue reading...