Diversity on show at Brit Awards
This year's Brit Awards had sought to give greater recognition to minority artists after a backlash last year, prompting a shake-up of the judging panel and many more black nominees.
Drake won the international male solo artist category, seeing off nominees Bon Iver, Bruno Mars, Leonard Cohen and The Weeknd.
The world's top-selling artist last year, Drake won two Grammys earlier this month and complained he had been pigeonholed as a rapper because he is black.
Beyonce claimed the title of international female solo artist -- up against Christine And The Queens, Rihanna, Sia and Solange -- following disappointment at the Grammys where she won just two of nine nominations.
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Hip-hop pioneers A Tribe Called Quest were named best international group, beating Drake & Future, Kings Of Leon, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds and Twenty One Pilots.
But hopes of a breakthrough across the board were dashed by Bowie, who beat four nominees from a non-white background in the male solo artist category.
Ahead of the awards ceremony Skepta praised the greater diversity among the nominees, having criticised the Brits last year.
"But this year it's all incredible man, it's all good things," he told BBC television.
Brit Awards chairman Jason Iley wrote in The Times on Wednesday that "from pop to indie, grime to rock, the nominations represent a fantastic varied roll call of talent and a showcase for what's happening in music right now".
The ceremony ended with a performance by Robbie Williams, whose career was recognised with the icon award.
The British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, who died in March, designed the new statuettes that were received by this year's winners.
The British music industry contributed £4.1 billion ($5.1 billion, 4.8 billion euros) to the UK economy in 2015, and British artists accounted for one of every six albums purchased worldwide.