The Mobo's - Just skin deep?

If the organisers of this year's Mobos are to be believed, the UK's urban music scene is healthier than ever. The likes of Estelle – whose album Shine was shortlisted for the Nationwide Mercury Prize – have joined younger talent like the rapper Dizzee Rascal and grime artist Wiley to top the charts and enjoy that nebulous nirvana of "cross-over appeal". But why are these breakthrough talents are so few and far between?

As we talk to a number of young black British artists as keen to make their name as any other artist, the same theme crops up – while the American urban scene is well established, on this side of the Atlantic new black artists find it far harder to make it big, while the likes of Adele, Duffy and Kate Nash sail effortlessly into the charts. A nasty aftertaste has been left in many people's mouths (including Mobo best newcomer nominee Bryn Christopher's) that white girls with soulful voices, such as the Welsh singer Duffy, have been nominated for Mobos alongside recognised young black talent.

Kanya King, chief executive of the Mobos (to be handed out on 15 October), denies that this is a new issue. "Our show has always been inclusive," she says. "The colour of the artist is irrelevant. Amy Winehouse has won awards before. We have a distinguished panel of tastemakers; they make the recommendations based on the same rules every year."

BBC1 Xtra DJ Tim Westwood seems keen. "I think the thing with the Mobos is that the urban scene over here has so little recognition and so few things to celebrate. These awards pay tribute and shine the media spotlight. I feel strongly that there are so few opportunities for us as a scene to dress up. It is quite ghetto fabulous, you know what I mean? I think they should be allowed to get on with it."

Still, those British urban acts that do make it to the top are getting there against the odds. Take Estelle. Earlier this year, King bemoaned that fact that the Hammersmith, west London-born star had to fly to America to team up with the producer John Legend to gain success. "This was not achieved without independent determination," King says. "Estelle was dropped by her label but hadn't given up on her ability. We're in an entrepreneurial age. It's not enough for artists to be artists. They have to do more than that, whether it's financing things themselves or writing them. I don't think you can sit back and wait for things to happen."

King argues that what unites many of her shortlisted artists is a lack of support from big UK labels. Such neglect is reflected across the whole industry, but genres such as grime, hip-hop and R&B are hit hardest. "There's just more white people than black in this country, and it has always been rock and indie that we champion," says the singer-songwriter Lemar. "Rap and R&B have always been up and coming, on a learning curve."

Westwood says that this year, as ever, the success of urban artists through conventional channels has meant inevitable compromise. "The industry here is focused on mainstream pop," he says. "I don't think they treat the urban scene in its own right. They will take specific records out of the urban scene to make them work. Wiley [with 'Wearing My Rolex', which reached No 2 in the charts] had to make an electro record to get his success. It's all about the mainstream."

So, how are urban stars achieving success? Well, there are ways to circumvent the conventional routes. Inspired by commercially savvy US artists such as P Diddy, Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons and Roc-A-Fella Records chief Damon Dash, many younger UK urban artists have tried to take full control of their image and output. By mirroring their pop equivalents, the MySpace generation are achieving successful releases that they are marketing solo. According to Westwood, high-street stores such as HMV have been so undercut by the music download market that they are beginning to stock small runs of CDs produced by DIY urban producers.

"If you're charging £5 a time for these, and sell 5,000, that's a living," he says. "Then you organise tours, make your own videos, invest in T-shirts. People who have studied music at college have access to cheap editing systems. Then you put what you've done on YouTube. You benefit from not having the massive overheads the majors do." His fellow 1Xtra DJ Vis agrees: "Record labels don't know enough about marketing black music artists."

Artists like Mobo nominees Chipmunk and Skepta produce videos that enjoy hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube. The latter famously made tracks and shot the associated video in a day before putting them online.

King says half the Mobo shortlist did not gain success with unconditional aid from big labels. "All these cats are operating outside the majors. The majors don't have them on the radar." Westwood says: "They're hitting tremendous numbers. It's the street grabbing it." Now, it's a question of how to make money out of their online presence.

The Mobo Awards take place at Wembley Arena on 15 October (www.mobo.com)

'It's still hard to get anywhere as a young black musician'

Taio Cruz
"It is difficult for young black artists in this country. Without giving away the secret, I have a way of navigating the business-place. To a degree, it's common sense. It's a way of knowing the market you are in. And knowing what it requires for you to succeed. If I was in America it would be different. A lot of UK artists who love American music try to copy the American model, but they don't apply it to what is going on in UK. I tend to understand how Americans do it, then adapt it to Britain. The Mobos are important because there should be an avenue for urban and black artists to get recognition. But there's no reason Duffy should not be up for it."

Bryn Christopher
"It's still hard to get anywhere as a young black artist. Dizzee [Rascal] has been big for a long time; but in this country it's only singers like Lemar who seem to make it big. I think this country has a mentality of thinking that black girl singers will sing big like Aretha Franklin. And I think it's really insulting that when the industry sees someone like Duffy they make her a big star. I am sure there's a pretty black girl in this country who can sing. This country seems to accept black Americans coming over here and doing well. But from this country it is harder from homegrown talent to make an impact."

Lemar
"The artists coming through now show you can achieve success and be black. There are strong artists who think outside the box. Before, I'm not sure how many artists were doing that. A lot of people were talking about where they were from. But nowadays, things are getting more global. Your songs are getting bigger and connecting with more people. Just look at the new people on the scene: Sway is amazing. Talking to him he can do all sorts of flows. He knows on a global scale what people will be able to understand, to relate with. Grime artists and R&B artists and rappers have that melody and element of saying something that can resonate."

T2
"It is not at all difficult to be a young black artist in this country. There is still a lot of space for young black people who want to make new music. For me, it wasn't a struggle – because as long as the music is good, it will get there. I have always wanted to do this. It never came instantly. I never really had mentors and inspiration. I like Duffy. She has a nice voice and it would be good if I work with her. As long as you are distinctive and work with your style you should be able to get far."

DJ Ironik
"I have been doing music since I was 13, I was a DJ then I became a producer. Now I am 20, it feels like I am at the end of a long wave of progression. It's all good, though. The hard work pays off. When I was first coming through, it was hard for people to accept me, but that was because I do so many different genres of music at one time. Some people don't like it, some do. There's a lot of DJs on 1Xtra like Trevor Nelson, who I like to take advice from. Just advice on what I could do with the right moves."

Estelle
"It takes a lot of hard work to make a name as a young black artist in the UK. When '1980' happened, I had been working hard on the underground scene so that was like a moment within itself. Then when my single 'American Boy' hit number one earlier this year, there were people who were rejoicing with me because they had seen me grind for a decade.

"I think with black artists there isn't a blueprint like in the US. I just do what I do. I was never thinking on a UK level. I was just making music. I'm not one of those people who focus on the negative. I wasn't brought up to quit. I thank my mom for that. Her advice to me always "finish what you started".

Chipmunk
I hope whoever wins goes out and represents new talent and not just themselves. Sway and Wiley have given me a lot of advice. Sway said stay humble. Wiley said the industry is full of dogs. Keep your eyes open. Whether you are black or white, talent doesn't count. A lot of people in higher positions than me aren't as talented as me. It only gets you so far. You need to build your brand to the degree that people respect what you are doing. It's part of the graft. That and being able to take criticism.

Jay Sean
This year, I have seen a huge change in the UK urban industry. Last year, it was quiet. Now there are so many urban acts. There was just a resurgence in urban music. We all came together at the same time. The Mobos are important because they are the only awards which pull acts from the US and UK and put them on the same stage. Urban artists are always moaning we need help and this does help. We get to mingle with the US stars and we get to see our scene. The great thing about it is that a lot of the acts got nominated [independently of the major record labels]. We have all come through independently and stuck to our guns.

Wiley
"There is a lot of talent out there. I'm watching Skepta, and Chipmunk and Ironik, all of those guys are good. I've worked with a lot of the underground talent and I am always recognising people coming through. Another one to watch on the UK scene is Scorcher, but that's not for now. Ironik is doing his thing, and I got a lot of love for him. For me, I just keep it moving. I'm looking forward to my new single, 'Summertime'. After 'Wearing My Rolex', it's good to be able to follow up with something to completely flip the script.

Sarah Love
"It's very difficult to break through as an artist full stop, because everyone wants to be part of the music industry. In the UK, major labels are more focused on number-crunching, so they've got limited experience in backing black artists long-term. I also think that a challenge we have with black music is that we are in direct competition with US artists, so it has been harder for us to establish our own lane. But we have excellent examples of artists who have taken risks, and it's paid off for them and they work hard. There's room for optimism for people who work. As a DJ, a massive influence on me has been DJ Shortie Blitz. There are also very interesting people behind the scenes, like Ruby Mulraine at 1Xtra, who does an excellent job at being a strong black woman in the industry."