Dumped, the stalwart manager who guided Mercury Prize-winning British rap star Little Simz to fame
Dumped, the stalwart manager who guided Mercury Prize-winning British rap star Little Simz to fame
Little Simz won this year’s Mercury Prize at the Hammersmith Apollo in London
The British rap star fired her longtime manager just weeks before
She had worked with ex-manager Rob Swerdlow for a total of seven years
But she failed to acknowledge him in her acceptance speech earlier this week
The British rap star, who has won one of the music industry’s most prestigious awards, fired her longtime manager just weeks before.
Little Simz was announced as the winner of this year’s Mercury Prize at the star-studded event at London’s Hammersmith Apollo last Tuesday.
She told the audience she was “overwhelmed” to accept the award in recognition of her 2021 album Sometimes I Might Be Introverted.
The London-born artist, whose real name is Simbiatu Ajikawo, stunned industry executives by failing to credit her longtime manager Rob Swerdlow’s role in her success.
Rob Swerdlow (left) managed Little Simz for seven years. The British rap star left the manager just weeks before she won this year’s Mercury Prize
The Mail on Sunday understands Little Simz, 28, dumped Mr Swerdlow – who had managed her since 2015 – just weeks earlier in a decision friends say he was “absolutely disappointed”. One said: “Rob was with her in the trenches when things got tough.
“He was responsible for getting her out of troubled times to where she is now. A lot of people hope he gets the recognition he deserves. Rob adored her and loved being her manager, so it’s understandably quite difficult for him.”
Another executive who attended the awards ceremonies added, “After Simz was announced as the winner, Rob’s name was the talk of the night.”
Little Simz delivers her speech at the Hammersmith Apollo after winning this year’s Mercury Prize
Mr Swerdlow was at the star’s side as she signed a publishing deal with top label Universal. Despite receiving a Brit Award for Best New Artist that year, Simz had struggled for success for years.
In an interview just last month, she described Mr Swerdlow as “so knowledgeable” and “open to new ideas”.
In the same interview with Music Week, Mr Swerdlow, who leads indie band The Kooks, praised the rapper, saying: “Very rarely do you get an artist who can work and stand in a global, intelligent and culturally relevant music space 100 Percent for independence… Simz doesn’t compromise.’
However, it no longer appears on the website of his company Starwood Management.
Mr Swerdlow declined to comment. Simz representatives were asked to comment.
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