The nominations are in for the 2012 MOBO Awards and we have to say we’ve been left feeling a little bit confused.
Of course the usual names are in the running – Plan B, Professor Green, Wiley, Wretch 32 etc – but there are also some other questionable nominations that we’re having difficulties getting our heads around.
For example Rizzle Kicks being nominated in the Best Male category, an award that is for a male solo artist. Correct us if we’re wrong but the last time we check there were two guys in Rizzle Kicks making them a band and unable to be nominated for Best Male.
Moving on with have X Factor graduate Rebecca Ferguson nominated for not one but two awards including Best Female. As an artist who has really gone rather unnoticed within the music industry she seems like a very strange choice considering plenty of other very successful acts have been missed off the nominations list.
Elsewhere we have another X Factor contestant, Misha B, up for Best Newcomer. She’s up against the likes of Rita Ora, Jessie Ware and Rudimental and once again we don’t really see how she fits in with the rest of the names.
Call us cynical if you will but it feels like the MOBOs have lost their edge slightly this year opting for crowd pleasers and little known pop stars over big selling credible artists. They might as well quit and leave those types of awards to The Brits.
The full list of nominations looks like this…
Best Female
Emeli Sande
Jessie J
Jessie Ware
Rebecca Ferguson
Rita Ora
Tulisa
Best Male
Ed Sheeran
Labrinth
Plan B
Professor Green
Rizzle Kicks
Wiley
Best Newcomer
Alunageorge
Angel
Conor Maynard
Delilah
Jessie Ware
Lianne La Havas
Misha B
Rita Ora
Rudimental
Stooshe
Best R&B/Soul Act
Angel
Emeli Sande
Labrinth
Maverick Sabre
Rebecca Ferguson
Best Hip-Hop/Grime Act
Devlin
Plan B
Professor Green
Wiley
Wretch 32
Best Video
Emeli Sande – ‘My Kind Of Love’
JLS – ‘Do You Feel What I Feel’
Plan B – ‘iLL Manors’
Rita Ora Ft Tinie Tempah – ‘RIP’
Rizzle Kicks – ‘Mama Do The Hump’
Best Song
Ed Sheeran – ‘Lego House’
Emeli Sande – ‘Next To Me’
Labrinth Ft Tinie Tempah – ‘Earthquake’
Michael Kiwanuka – ‘I’ll Get Along
Plan B – ‘iLL Manors’
Best Album
Ed Sheeran – ‘+’
Emeli Sande – ‘Our Version Of Events’
Labrinth – ‘Electronic Earth’
Plan B – ‘iLL Manors’
Rita Ora – ‘Ora’
Best International Act
Azealia Banks
Beyonce
Drake
Frank Ocean
Jay-Z & Kanye West
Nas
Ne-Yo
Nicki Minaj
Rick Ross
Rihanna
Best Reggae Act
Damian Marley
Konshens
Mr Vegas
Popcaan
Sean Paul
Best Jazz Act
Ayanna Witter-Johnson
Femi Temowo
Roller Trio
Zara Mcfarlane
Zoe Rahman
Best African Act
Amadou & Mariam
Cabo Snoop
Camp Mulla
D’Banj
Fally Ipupa
Fatoumata Diawara
P Square
Sarkodie
Spoek Mathambo
The Very Best
Best Gospel Act
El Mafrex
Ni-cola
Rachel Kerr
RAM1
V9 Collective
