Speech Debelle Leaves Ninja Tune

Mercury award winning hip hop artist Speech Debelle has left her record company after criticising their distribution network.

Speech Debelle emerged earlier this year with a striking new sound. Using an array of acoustic based samples the rapper seemed to recall jazz at places, with her laid back flow speaking of life on the wrong side of the tracks.

Released to acclaim from hip hop circles, the album was a surprise nomination for the Mercury Music Prize. A rank outsider with bookmakers, Speech Debelle picked up the prize amid emotional scenes.

Since then, though, the singer has not enjoyed the sales boost she anticipated. Debut album 'Speech Therapy' has sold only 10,000 copies which is rather paltry compared to last year's Mercury champions Elbow.

Now Speech Debelle has departed label Big Dada - part of the Ninja Tune network - alleging that the imprint has a poor distribution network.

"I wasn't disappointed that it didn't sell well, I was disappointed in the people I was working with," Debelle told BBC 6 Music. "I wasn't on a big label and the machine wasn't there. So even though the album won the Mercury it was still only able to do what the label was capable of doing, which just means that I'm more prepared for next time."

"The Mercury Prize was on a Tuesday, and the Friday there were no more physical albums in the shops," Debelle complained. "So on the Mercury weekend, which would have been my biggest-selling weekend, people couldn't get it."

Even so, the poor distribution doesn't explain why Speech Debelle's shows were so poorly attended even after winning the Mercury. Speaking to BBC 6Music, however, the singer is relishing the prospect of getting a new deal.

"One thing I've learned is that having bargaining power is important. It's important to walk into a record label and say, 'This is what I have, and these are the kind of terms I want".

Ninja Tune have yet to comment.