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MICHAEL DAPAAH ANNOUNCED AS NEW CO-HOST ALONGSIDE JOURDAN DUNN AFTER IDRIS ELBA FORCED TO PULL OUT DUE TO UNFORTUNATE ISOLATION CIRCUMSTANCES

GRM Daily’s Iconic Rated Awards Return for Virtual Ceremony
Thursday 16th September 2021 @ 7pm BST

A celebration of the best of British music featuring exclusive performances from the scenes biggest stars including Tion Wayne, Pa Salieu, Backroad Gee, ENNY, Amia Brave, Heartless Crew and Potter Payper



Britain’s premier award ceremony for UK Rap & Grime, the Rated Awards announce full details of the virtual ceremony streaming on Thursday 16th September at 7pm BST.

Returning in 2021 for its 6th year, this year’s GRM Daily Rated Awards will celebrate the best talent in the UK music scene and is guaranteed to provide another selection of iconic performances that simply wouldn’t be seen at other award ceremonies.

Actor, rapper and comedian Michael Dapaah has stepped in to co-host this years’ awards alongside actress and model Jourdan Dunn, following unfortunate isolation circumstances that have forced Idris Elba to pull out of hosting duties this year.
The 2021 Rated Awards will be broadcast exclusively on the GRM Daily YouTube channel, where the winner of each category will be revealed. It will be the first time hosting the Rated Awards for both Michael & Jourdan, taking over from Mo Gilligan and Julie Adenuga who presented the past two editions.
Rated Awards host, Jourdan Dunn says: “I am so honoured to be asked to co-host the GRM Rated Awards, it will be so much fun doing so with Michael Dapaah. I am excited to be part of a show that recognises and celebrates UK talent.”

This years Rated Awards will feature performances from nominees Tion Wayne, Pa Salieu, Backroad Gee, Amia Brave and ENNY for a must see evening of music and entertainment. Showcasing a broad range of the hottest upcoming and established artists, the carefully curated line up will also include unmissable performances from Heartless Crew & Potter Payper.
Set to take place as a virtual ceremony, this year’s Rated Awards will be an immersive experience, but is still set to be one of the biggest celebrations to date, capturing the vibrancy and diversity of the scene like no other award show could.

With awards spanning over ten categories, from Breakthrough and Video of the Year to Album and Personality of the Year, the nominations for the 2021 Rated Awards reflect the huge talent in the UK and will honour some of the scene’s biggest names and their achievements between 1st June 2020 to 1st June 2021.

AJ Tracey, Headie One & Pa Salieu lead this years’ nominations with four nominations each. AJ Tracey & Headie One are up for Male Artist, Track of the Year, Video of the Year and the prestigious Album of the Year categories while Pa Salieu is nominated in Breakthrough of the Year, Track of the Year, Video of the Year and Mixtape of the Year categories, following what has been an incredible year for each artist. They face strong competition from slowthai, Central Cee, Ghetts and Abra Cadabra alongside an array of female nominees across categories including Little Simz, Shaybo, Lady Leshurr, ENNY, Jorja Smith and Stefflon Don. Full list of nominations below.

The Rated Awards were founded by GRM Daily, an award-winning platform at the epicentre of UK Rap & Grime music culture since 2009. An outlet where the very best of British music is whole heartedly celebrated, GRM is renowned as an influential launch pad for the country's emerging and established talent. With over 4 billion YouTube views, 4 million subscribers and a social reach of over 3 million, GRM is the most viewed music channel and website in the UK.

The Rated Awards 2021 with YouTube Music will be streamed on Thursday 16th September @7pm BST, broadcast exclusively on GRM’s YouTube Channel
YouTube Music are the official sponsors of the Rated Awards 2021
Follow @GRMDAILY and @ratedawards on socials to keep up with all-things #RatedAwards


FULL LIST OF NOMINATIONS
Album of the Year
AJ Tracey – Flu Game
Bugzy Malone – The Resurrection
D Block Europe – The Blueprint- Us Vs. Them
Fredo – Money Can’t Buy Happiness
Ghetts – Conflict of Interest
Headie One – EDNA
K Trap – Street Side Effects
Loski – Music, Trial and Trauma: A Drill Story
Nines – Crabs In A Bucket
slowthai - TYRON

Female Artist of the Year
Sponsored by +44 from Amazon Music
Bree Runway
Darkoo
ENNY
Ivorian Doll
Jorja Smith
Lady Leshurr
Ms Banks
Shaybo
Stefflon Don
Midas The Jagaban

Male Artist of the Year
Sponsored by A Jewellers
AJ Tracey
Abra Cadabra
Central Cee
Chip
Digga D
Fredo
Ghetts
Headie One
Potter Payper
Tion Wayne

Breakthrough of the Year
Supported by BBC Radio 1Xtra
ArrDee
BackRoad Gee
ENNY
Central Cee
French The Kid
Jordan
Shaybo
SR
Pa Salieu
wewantwraiths

Personality of the Year
Sponsored by KA Drinks

Big Zuu
Chunkz
Harry Pinero
Nella Rose
Michael Dapaah
Mo Gilligan
Munya Chawawa
Niko Omilana
Yung Filly
ZeZe Millz

Track of the Year
A1 & J1 – Latest Trends
Abra Cadabra – On Deck
Central Cee – Loading
Digga D – Woi
ENNY – Peng Black Girls (ft Amia Brave)
Headie One, Stormzy and AJ Tracey – Ain’t It Different
Nines – Airplane Mode (ft NSG)
Pa Salieu – My Family (ft BackRoad Gee)
Potter Payper – Purpose
Russ & Tion Wayne – Body

Video of the Year
Aitch – Safe To Say (Directed by KC Locke)
AJ Tracey – Little More Love (Directed by KC Locke)
Ghetts – Skengman Mode (ft. Stormzy) (Directed by Nathan James Tettey)
Headie One – Princess Cuts (ft. Young T & Bugsey) (Directed by Capone)
Little Simz - Introvert (Directed by Salomon Ligthelm)
Meekz – Respect The Come Up (Directed by KC Locke)
Nines – Clout (Directed by Charlie Di Placido)
Pa Salieu – My Family (ft. BackRoad Gee) (Directed by Femi Ladi)
Russ & Tion Wayne – Body (Directed by Wowa)
slowthai, Skepta – Cancelled (Directed by THE REST)

Mixtape of the Year
In Association with Porte Noire
Abra Cadabra – Product of My Environment
Central Cee – Wild West
Chip – Snakes and Ladders
Digga D – Made In The Pyrex
Giggs – Now Or Never
M Huncho & Nafe Smallz – DNA
NSG – Roots
Pa Salieu - Send Them To Coventry
Potter Payper – Training Day 3
Unknown T – Rise Above Hate

Radio DJ of the Year
Charlie Sloth
DJ Target
Dotty
Henrie Kwushue
Kenny Allstar
Robert Bruce
Reece Parkinson
Snoochie Shy
Tiffany Calver
Yinka & Shayna Marie


Producer of the Year
Sponsored by Simply Meds

169
5ive Beatz
Chris Rich
Ghosty
Gotcha
Hargo
M1OnTheBeat
P2J
R14
TSB

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  • Lucian Grainge outlines UMG's 2026 plans in staff memo (see News)

  • Skye Newman wins Radio 1's Sound of 2026 (see News)

08 Jan 2026

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07 Jan 2026

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  • UMG announces collaboration with NVIDIA to pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation, and engagement (see News)

06 Jan 2026

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18 Dec 2025

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17 Dec 2025

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15 Dec 2025

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