South London rapper Dave has just taken out the 2019 Mercury Award for his album Psychodrama.
The Mercury Award is a celebration of the best British albums from the past year and are chosen by a panel of British music critics and musicians, which included Jorja Smith and Stormzy this year.
Dave has taken home the 2019 Mercury Award, winning over nominated albums by 1975, slowthai, Nao, black midi and Foals amongst others.
Psychodrama has been hailed as “the boldest and best British Rap album in a generation” and has been praised due to his authentic examination of mental health and his upbringing.
Dave accepted his award with humility, dedicating the album to his family, with great emphasis on his brother Christopher who is serving a life sentence for murder. Psychodrama was inspired by the therapy his brother is experiencing in prison which includes reliving past memories so as to learn from them.
Annie Mac, one of the 2019 Mercury Judges, praised the album for its remarkable musicianship and Dave’s “true artistry, courage and honesty”.
slowthai might not have won the awards, but he certainly stole the show with his big political statement about Boris Johnson. During the rapper’s performance, he held up a fake decapitated head of the current Prime Minister before yelling out inflammatory language about Johnson and Britain.
🎉 The moment @AnnieMac announced @Santandave1‘s ‘Psychodrama’ as the winner of the 2019 #HyundaiMercuryPrize 🎉 pic.twitter.com/J3grAvQJbT
— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 19, 2019
