Dave wins the Mercury Prize for 'Psychodrama'

Why it matters

September 19, 2019. The Mercury Prize was awarded to Dave's Psychodrama (Neighbourhood Recordings, March 2019) at the ceremony in London. Dave (David Omoregie), 21 years old, became the youngest solo winner in the Mercury Prize's 27-year history. The Mercury win is part of a clear pattern. The prize had gone to Dizzee Rascal (Boy in da Corner) in 2003. To Skepta (Konnichiwa) in 2016. To Dave in 2019. To Michael Kiwanuka (KIWANUKA) in 2020. To Little Simz (Sometimes I Might Be Introvert) in 2022. The Mercury, despite its broad-genre remit, has been one of the most consistent institutional supporters of UK rap and grime over the past two decades. The fact that the prize keeps going to UK MCs is partly a recognition of the genre's strength and partly a recognition that the UK album-as-art-form tradition the Mercury exists to celebrate has been particularly well-served by rappers. You should watch Dave's acceptance speech. The composure of a 21-year-old taking the Mercury is its own kind of statement.