2016 Soul Train Award nominees announced, Erykah Badu returns as host

buzzz worthy. . .

NEW YORK – CENTRIC today announced the everlasting godmother of soul, Erykah Badu,will return to host the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2016. The four-time Grammy-award winning soul singer and songwriter will once again take over the Vegas stage with her eccentric style, cerebral music, incomparable spirit and comedic commentary. The yearly celebration will honor the best in Soul and R&B from returning legends to the next generation. Filmed November 6 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2016 will air on CENTRIC and BET on November 27th, 2016 at 8PM ET.

CENTRIC also announced the all-star nominees they will honor at the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2016 across 12 different categories. Drake leads the pack with 12 total nominations including two nominations for the highly coveted Video of the Year Award for his feature on Rihanna’s single “Work” and this year’s mega hit “Hotline Bling.” Beyoncé follows with 8 nominations including Best R&B/Soul Female Artist, Album/Mixtape of the Year for her groundbreaking album “Lemonade,” and multiple honors for lead single “Formation” including Song of the Year, Best Dance Performance and The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award. Rihanna, Kanye West, DJ Khaled and Usher also received multiple nominations this year including Video of the Year, Album/Mixtape of the Year and Best Collaboration. The next generation of soul is also being recognized, including Bryson Tiller,Chance the Rapper and Anderson .Paak who are multi-nominees across categories including Best New Artist, Best R&B/Soul Male Artist and the Rhythm & Bars Award (Formerly Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year.)

Multi-platinum and three-time Grammy award-winning producer, singer-songwriter, artist, musician and technology expert Edward Theodore "Teddy" Riley, also known as the creator and king of New Jack Swing, is set to receive the coveted Legend Award. His major accolade was Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous LP” which sold over 32 million copies worldwide. Riley produced number one hits for countless icons which have governed the airways for decades.  As a founding member of the multi-platinum Grammy winning group Blackstreet and a member of the group Guy, which became a multi-platinum group, Riley's New Jack Swing sound was the epic lifeline that forever changed the design for R&B and Hip-Hop music. He is the first African-American producer to bring Korean Pop (K-Pop) music to the USA and has been producing number one hits on Billboard charts for nearly a decade.

The 2nd annual Lady of Soul Award will be presented to singer-songwriter and actressBrandy. The platinum selling artist and actress has sold over 40 million records and received numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, one American Music Award, and seven Billboard Music Awards. Last year’s inaugural Lady of Soul Award went to R&B torchbearer Jill Scott. Both Brandy and Teddy Riley are being recognized for their longstanding presence in the music industry and influence on the world of soul and R&B music past and present.

The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS will feature an exhilarating lineup of memorable performances and viewers can expect special appearances by some of the brightest stars in entertainment. The event annually showcases Soul Train’s impact on the history of music and dance from the 70s to today. 

The party doesn’t stop there; visitors can also look forward to the entire SOUL TRAIN WEEKEND November 3-6. Kicking off Thursday, and taking over Mandalay Bay, the celebration will feature soulful experiences including performances by Jill Scott, Tyrese,Monica, Anthony Hamilton, Jazmine Sullivan, Bell Biv DeVoe, Yuna, Tish Hyman, Kid Capri and a special night of comedy with the cast of BET’s The Comedy Get Down withCedric 'The Entertainer,’ D.L. Hughley, George Lopez, Eddie Griffin and Charlie Murphy.

Soul Train Weekend VIP Packages are available for purchase and offer exclusive access, premium seats to all concerts and events, plus VIP status to unforgettable after-parties. Four Day ticket packages are also available and will allow guests to have the convenience and access to attend great concerts throughout Soul Train Awards Weekend. VIP and four day package and amenities and pricing can be found at Soultrainweekend.com.

Want to cover the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2016 red carpet? Head to www.betpressroom.com now and complete the application!

The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2016 is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Executive Producers of the network telecast are as follows: Debra Lee, Stephen Hill and Connie Orlando from BET; and Jesse Collins from Jesse Collins Entertainment.

For show information, please visit BET.com/SoulTrain, the official site for SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2016. To apply for media credentials to cover the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2016 red carpet, please visit: www.betpressroom.com

The complete list of nominees for SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2016 are:

Best New Artist

ANDERSON .PAAK

ANDRA DAY

BRYSON TILLER

CHANCE THE RAPPER

RO JAMES

TORY LANEZ

Best R&B/Soul Male Artist

ANTHONY HAMILTON

BRYSON TILLER

MAXWELL

THE WEEKND

USHER

Centric Certified Award

AFTER 7

ANDERSON .PAAK

BILAL

LALAH HATHAWAY

MUSIQ SOULCHILD

Video of the Year

BEYONCÉ - FORMATION

BEYONCÉ - SORRY

DRAKE - HOTLINE BLING

KANYE WEST - FADE

RIHANNA FT. DRAKE - WORK

Best Gospel/ Inspirational Song

DONNIE MCCLURKIN - I NEED YOU

HEZEKIAH WALKER - BETTER

KIRK FRANKLIN - 123 VICTORY

TAMELA MANN - GOD PROVIDES

TRAVIS GREENE - MADE A WAY

Album/Mixtape of the Year
BEYONCÉ - LEMONADE

BRYSON TILLER - T R A P S O U L

DJ KHALED - MAJOR KEY

DRAKE - VIEWS

KANYE WEST - THE LIFE OF PABLO

RIHANNA - ANTI

Rhythm & Bars Award (Formerly Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year)

CHANCE THE RAPPER FT. LIL WAYNE & 2 CHAINZ - NO PROBLEM

DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE - FOR FREE

DRAKE - CONTROLLA

DRAKE FT. WIZKID & KYLA - ONE DANCE

FAT JOE & REMY MA FT. FRENCH MONTANA & INFARED - ALL THE WAY UP

Best R&B/Soul Female Artist

ALICIA KEYS

BEYONCÉ

FANTASIA

JILL SCOTT

RIHANNA

Song of the Year

ADELE - HELLO

BEYONCÉ - FORMATION

BRYSON TILLER - DON’T

DRAKE - CONTROLLA

RIHANNA FT. DRAKE - WORK

The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award

HELLO – WRITTEN BY: ADELE LAURIE BLUE ADKINS, GREGORY ALLEN KURSTIN (ADELE)

RISE UP – WRITTEN BY: ANDRA DAY, JENNIFER DECILVEO (ANDRA DAY)

FORMATION – WRITTEN BY: MICHAEL L. WILLIAMS II, BEYONCÉ KNOWLES, KHALIF BROWN, AAQUIL BROWN, ASHETON HOGAN, (BEYONCÉ)

DON’T – WRITTEN BY: JOHNTÁ M. AUSTIN, MARIAH CAREY, BRYAN-MICHAEL COX, JERMAINE DUPRI, TAVORIS JAVON HOLLINS, ISOM BRANDON STEWART, BRYSON DEJUAN TILLER (BRYSON TILLER)

NEEDED ME – WRITTEN BY: NICHOLAS VALENTINO AUDINO, RACHEL DERRUS, ADAM KING FEENEY, ROBYN R. FENTY, BRITTANY TALIA HAZZARD, CHARLES HINSHAW JR., LEWIS BERESFORD HUGHES, DIJON ISAIAH MCFARLANE, KHALED ROHAIM, TE WHITI TE RANGITEPAIA MATAA WARBICK (RIHANNA)

Best Dance Performance

BEYONCÉ - FORMATION

DRAKE - HOTLINE BLING

KANYE WEST (DANCE PERFORMANCE FT. TEYANA TAYLOR) - FADE

RIHANNA FT. DRAKE - WORK

USHER FT. YOUNG THUG - NO LIMIT

Best Collaboration 
BEYONCÉ FT. KENDRICK LAMAR - FREEDOM

CHANCE THE RAPPER FT. LIL WAYNE & 2 CHAINZ - NO PROBLEM

DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE - FOR FREE

FAT JOE & REMY MA FT. FRENCH MONTANA & INFARED - ALL THE WAY UP

RIHANNA FT. DRAKE - WORK