Arts Council England seeks £40,000 from Speech Debelle and legal team after tribunal loss
Council pursues legal costs after judges ruled musician Debelle did not face racial discrimination while working for it
July 2018
Ranked
Every Mercury prize-winning album – ranked!
Following the announcement of this year’s nominees, we run the rule over the 26 albums that have earned the crown, from Klaxons and James Blake to M People and Talvin Singh
May 2018
A Change Is Gonna Come: Music for Human Rights review – musical depths in cliche-free protest songs
This celebration of political anthems – performed by Carleen Anderson, Speech Debelle, Nikki Yeoh and Nubya Garcia – transformed them into compelling art
December 2016
Readers recommend
Readers recommend playlist: your songs about finishing
It’s not quite the end of the world as we know it, with a playlist including Alice Cooper, Eels, Speech Debelle and the Sundays. And, as you’d hope, it rounds itself off nicely
August 2015
Speech Debelle review – anxious return with songs from the heart
The 2009 Mercury prizewinner confesses to severe nerves, but performs new material from forthcoming LP Breathe with passion
July 2015
Speech Debelle: ‘Man, the music business is cold’
Three years after winning the Mercury prize, the rapper suffered a major meltdown. Now, as she’s about to perform her new album, she reveals why she’s back on stage
April 2014
Please, don't lock up prisoners' guitars too
Letters: As musicians, we are concerned to hear that the use of steel-strung guitars is being prohibited in prisons
December 2012
2012 in review
Best portraits of 2012 – in pictures
From Dizzee Rascal to Laura Trott, a selection of the best portraits from Guardian photographers taken over the course of the year
March 2012
Life on a plate
Speech Debelle: 'I was gutting fish from an early age'
The Mercury prize-winning rapper on her favourite Jamaican food and making amuse-bouche
February 2012
Speech Debelle: Freedom of Speech – review
Speech Debelle follows her Mercury-winning debut with an album that's musically daring and refreshingly outspoken, writes Killian Fox
The Guardian's Music Podcast
Music Weekly podcast: Rustie and Speech Debelle
This week's podcast features interviews with Guardian first album award winner Rustie and former Mercury prize winner Speech Debelle
Speech Debelle: Freedom of Speech – review
The followup to Speech Debelle's Mercury prize-winning debut is a pleasantly surprising in parts, but still pretty patchy, writes Rebecca Nicholson
January 2012
30 minutes with …
Speech Debelle: 'It's not normal to want to be liked by everybody'
Speech Debelle talks up second album
July 2011
Mercury music prize: The effect
For the xx and for Elbow, the Mercury prize boosted album sales tremendously – but for Speech Debelle it was less effective
July 2010
Music blog
Mercury prize 2010: a heavyweight lineup avoids controversy
Alexis Petridis: After last year's unfortunate events, the 2010 shortlist reflects an understandably cautious preference for the tried and tested
December 2009
The First Album award shortlist
The 10 albums that make up the shortlist for the 2009 Guardian First Album award
November 2009
Speech Debelle ditches record label over poor sales
The Mercury prize-winning rapper has sacked her record label Big Dada, claiming that the small independent operation is responsible for her album's lack of commercial success
Music blog
Derek B paved the way for UK hip-hop
Andrew Emery: The Bad Young Brother was doomed to commercial failure, but won something more valuable for the fledgling UK rap scene in the 80s – respect
