News Brief
Damola Durosomo
Sep. 25, 2018 10:02AM EST

The MOBO Awards Are Taking the Year Off to 'Revamp'

The award show will be back "bigger and bolder" in 2019 says the CEO.

The UK-based MOBO awards, dedicated to recognizing the work of black musicians, will be taking a break in 2018, reports The Fader.

Awards organizers announced on Tuesday that the show will return in 2019, but will take the year off to revamp. "We understand that the MOBO Awards will be missed this year, but we will be back in 2019, bigger and bolder," says MOBO CEO Kanya King.

The award show has long recognized the work of African artists. Past winners include Idris Elba, British-Ghanaian grim heavyweight Stormzy who was the most awarded artist at last year's show, as well as Nigerian pop stars Davido and Wizkid. British-Gambian MC J Hus also took home an award at last year's show.


Instead of holding an awards ceremony this year, organizers plan to honor artists with an event at London's British Library in October, reports the Fader.

Folks have been reacting to the announcement online with some supporting the decision, and others a tad more skeptical. Check out some responses to the news below.









News Brief
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B3nchMarQ Shares The Music Video For 'New Friend$' Featuring A-Reece

South African hip-hop duo B3nchmarQ's new visuals for the single 'New Friend', featuring A-Reece, are a depiction of the quintessential boys' night out.

South African rap duo B3nchMarQ has officially released their music video for New Friend$ featuring A-Reece. The single comes off their recently released 18-track offering Power Trip Album which dropped in March 2021. The visuals for New Friend$ are a montage of a chilled night out with the entourage and were shot in Pretoria, A-Reece and B3nchMarQ's hometown.

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News Brief
Image via Flickr Creative Commons.

Cameroon's LGBT Community is Facing Increasing Persecution

A recent report by Human Rights Watch has highlighted, with tremendous concern, the increasing persecution being faced by the LGBT community in Cameroon.

There are significant concerns over human rights abuses in Cameroon, according to a report shared by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The campaign group has highlighted the rising persecution of members of the Cameroonian LGBT community which have been documented over the past few months. Security forces in the country have been accused of threatening, assaulting and arresting queer individuals.

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Interview
Photo by Toka Hlongwane.

Toka Hlongwane’s Photo Series ‘Impilo ka Darkie’ Aims to Give an Insight Into Black South Africans’ Experiences

With his latest photo series, 'Impilo ka Darkie', South African photographer Toka Hlongwane offers an imperfect but compelling insight into the lives of the people he has encountered through his travels.

Toka Hlongwane is a Johannesburg-based documentary photographer whose work often casts a lens on society's underclass. His most recent photo series, Impilo ka Darkie, shot over five years, is Hlongwane's attempt to answer two questions: what does it mean to be Black? And, above that, what is the measure of Black life?

Part of Impilo ka Darkie's appeal is that it also documents Hlongwane's growth as a photographer. As the years roll on, his composition becomes stronger, the focus on his pictures becomes much sharper and a storyline begins to emerge in his work.

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Kamo Mphela's Latest EP 'Nkulunkulu' is a Must-Listen

While Kamo Mphela's comparison to the late Lebo Mathosa has been front and centre, it's really her vibrant amapiano EP 'Nkulunkulu' that should be centre stage.