Kanya 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.
