Pharrell Ditches MOBO’s, Mos Def To Host Awards Show

Pharrell Williams has ditched his duties as host of the 2004 MOBO Awards, Europe’s premiere award show for outstanding black music. The cancellation left organizers scrambling for a host for the event which tapes tomorrow (September 30th). "I fully support the MOBO Awards and unfortunately due to scheduling problems I will be unable to host […]

Pharrell Williams

has ditched his duties as host of the 2004 MOBO Awards, Europe’s premiere

award show for outstanding black music.

The cancellation

left organizers scrambling for a host for the event which tapes tomorrow (September

30th).

"I fully support

the MOBO Awards and unfortunately due to scheduling problems I will be unable

to host the show," Williams said in a statement. "I look forward to

coming to the UK later this year and hope to work with the MOBO Awards in the

future."

Mos Def, who is

in London filming the movie “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,”

has been tapped to replace Williams as host.

Williams’

was to present with Misteeq star Alesha Dixon. According to sources, he wasn’t

happy with the organizations choice of co-host.

Williams wanted

someone he was familiar with, but in the end, Dixon announced that she could

not host the awards either, due to a concert engagment in Dubai.

The MOBO’s

were involved in a mild controversy when nominees were announced, to the amount

of American artists who were nominated for awards.

Jay-Z, Outkast,

Usher, Kanye West, Alicia Keys and other artists were nominated, but none are

scheduled to attend the actual awards show.

The annual urban

music ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall will be broadcast on the

BBC October 6th.