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Soul Train Awards 2020: How To Watch, Nominees, Who's Performing And More

Tune in to BET and celebrate the best in soul, R&B and hip hop.

How To Watch The 2020 Soul Train Awards


  • Date: Sunday, November 29, 2020

  • Pre-Show Start Time: 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT

  • Show Start Time: 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT

  • “Pass the Mic” Time: 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT

  • End Time: 11:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. PT

  • Watch on TV: BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2. Check your local TV listings.

  • Follow: @SoulTrain, @BET, @BETherTV


2020 Soul Train Awards Pre-show

A one-hour Soul Train Awards pre-show is scheduled to simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2 on Sunday (November 29) starting at 7 p.m. EST.  The star-studded event is slated to begin with the “Soul-Coming: Countdown to the Soul Train Awards,” which will be hosted by Flex Alexander and Shanice.

At last year’s awards pre-show, Ray J and Claudia Jordan served as hosts, interviewing a variety of soulful artists, including Pink Sweat$ and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Who's Performing at Soul Train Awards 2020?

The 2020 Soul Train Awards is your place to be on Sunday night with dynamic performances, awards and a celebration of music that brings people together this holiday weekend.

Babyface, Brandy, CeeLo Green, Charlie Wilson, Ella Mai, Jazmine Sullivan, Lucky Daye, Monica and Smokey Robinson.

Additionally, this year’s highly anticipated Soul Cypher features R&B stars PJ Morton, Chanté Moore, Shanice and Stokely. Recording artists Ella Nicole and Moses Sumney are set to take the BET Amplified Music Stage, a platform for emerging artists. Deon Cole and Nicco Annan will join Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Brandee Evans as presenters.

The Nominees

H.E.R. is the most nominated artist, receiving eight nods. Chris Brown follows with seven and Beyoncé and Young Thug both received six. Monica is slated to be awarded the Lady of Soul Award. See a full list of the major nominations below.

Song of the Year:
Beyoncé – “Black Parade”
Chloe X Halle – “Do It”
Chris Brown & Young Thug – “Go Crazy”
H.E.R. Feat. YG – “Slide”
Summer Walker & Usher – “Come Thru”
Usher Feat. Ella Mai – “Don’t Waste My Time”

Album of the Year:
Brandy - B7
Chloe X Halle - Ungodly Hour
Chris Brown & Young Thug - Slime & B
Jhené Aiko - Chilombo
Summer Walker - Over It
The Weeknd - After Hours

Video of the Year:
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, Saint JHN & Wizkid – “Brown Skin Girl”
Chloe X Halle – “Do It”
Chris Brown – “Go Crazy” Feat. Young Thug
H.E.R. – “Slide” Feat. YG
Lizzo – “Good As Hell”
Skip Marley & H.E.R. – “Slow Down”

Best R&B/Soul Female Artist:
Alicia Keys
Beyoncé
Brandy
H.E.R.
Jhené Aiko
Summer Walker

Best R&B/Soul Male Artist:
Anderson .Paak
Charlie Wilson
Chris Brown
PJ Morton
The Weeknd
Usher

Best Collaboration:
Chris Brown Feat. Young Thug – “Go Crazy”
H.E.R. Feat. YG – “Slide”
Ne-Yo Feat. Jeremih – “U 2 Luv”
Skip Marley & H.E.R. – “Slow Down”
Summer Walker & Usher – “Come Thru”
Usher Feat. Ella Mai – “Don’t Waste My Time”

Best New Artist:
Giveon
Layton Greene
Lonr.
Saint JHN
Snoh Aalegra
Victoria Monét

Rhythm & Bars:

Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Dababy Feat. Roddy Ricch – “Rockstar”
DJ Khaled Feat. Drake – “Popstar”
Drake Feat. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Megan Thee Stallion – “Savage”
Roddy Ricch – “The Box”

Best Dance Performance:
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale & Major Lazer – “Already”
Chloe X Halle – “Do It”
Chris Brown & Young Thug – “Go Crazy”
Danileigh Feat. Dababy – “Levi High”
Missy Elliott – “Why I Still Love You”
Teyana Taylor – “Bare Wit Me”

Best Gospel/Inspirational Award:
Bebe Winans
Kirk Franklin
Koryn Hawthorne
Marvin Sapp
PJ Morton
The Clark Sisters

Soul Train Certified Award:
Brandy
Fantasia
Kelly Rowland
Ledisi
Monica
PJ Morton

The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award:
“Black Parade” – Written By: Akil King, Beyonce Knowles Carter, Brittany Coney, Denisia Andrews, Derek James Dixie, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk, Rickie Caso Tice, Shawn Carter, Stephen Bray (Beyoncé)

“Do It” – Written By: Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Scott Storch, Victoria Monet, Vincent Van Den Ende, Anton Kuhl (Chloe X Halle)

“Go Crazy” – Written By: Cameron Devaun Murphy, Christopher Brown, Dounia Aznou, Jeffrey Lamar Williams, Johnny Kelvin, Kaniel Castaneda, Omari Akinlolu, Orville Hall, Patrizio Pigliapoco, Phillip Price, Said Aznou, Soraya Benjelloun, Tre Samuels, Turrell Sims, Wayne Samuels, Zakaria Kharbouch (Chris Brown & Young Thug)

“I Can’t Breathe” – Written By: H.E.R. (H.E.R.)“Playing Games” – Written By: Summer Walker, Bryson Tiller, London Holmes, Kendall Roark Bailey, Cameron Griffin, Aubrey Robinson, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelendria Rowland, Letoya Luckett, Latavia Roberson, Lashawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney Jerkins (Summer Walker Feat. Bryson Tiller)

“Slide” – Written By: Charles Carter, Elijah Dias, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, Roger Parker, Ron Latour, Shawn Carter, Steven Arrington, Tiara Thomas, Waung Hankerson (H.E.R. Feat. YG)

The 2020 Soul Train Awards presented by BET will air on Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. EST with a one-hour pre-show beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST. The awards will be followed by the broadcast television debut of DJ Cassidy’s groundbreaking, virtual series “Pass the Mic” simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2 (check your local listings.)

RELATED: Soul Train Awards ‘20: Here’s Why Each Best R&B/Soul Female Nominee Deserves The Top Spot

Since its inception in 1987 by creator and host Don Corenlius, Soul Train has become a destination to celebrate all genres of Black music and culture. This year is no different with 12 different award categories presented, each recognizing both established industry legends and the next generation of promising artists across R&B/soul, hip-hop, and gospel. 

RELATED: Soul Train Awards ‘20: Here’s Why Each R&B/Soul Male Nominee Deserves The Top Spot

Hosting the show for the third time in a row are the hilarious Black Girl Magic gal pal duo of Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold. The pair, who have been BFFs forvever, join as co-producers offering their unique brand of comedy to this year’s virtual ceremony.

Who Is Hosting This Year?

Returning to host the Soul Train Awards for the third time in all of their comedic gusto are actresses Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold.

The two have been friends since first starring in Little Shop of Horrors together in 1986 and have maintained their acting careers and friendship ever since. They both co-starred on Martin and have acted in a number of roles after the show ended in 1997.

Campbell has most notably starred in My Wife and Kids from 2001 to 2005, earning an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. Additionally, she’s also a singer, dropping her self-titled debut album in 1992 and has steadily released singles as recently as 2018 with her song, “I Don’t Wanna Be Alone.”

Arnold’s biggest role post-Martin was in Everybody Hates Chris, where she played Rochelle, the matriarch that everyone would want to lead their family, even if you were a little afraid of her. Just like Campbell, Arnold has an incredible voice and a love of music.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and there’s nothing wrong with the pairing of Campbell and Arnold to take on hosting duties again this year. Though past Soul Train Awards have taken place in ceremonies in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Las Vegas, this year’s ceremony will be creatively presented virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.

We can’t wait for the jokes, singing, and even performances that’s about to come from these two as they bring a rare energy and excellent execution that will help us celebrate each nominee and performer at this year’s awards.

Get Ready To Pass The Mic

DJ Cassidy has turned quarantine into a booty-shaking walkthrough of the history of Black music with his “Pass The Mic” series that covers everything in between classic hip-hop, R&B, and soul music from over the years. His Twitch streams have brought stars like LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh, Bobby Brown, and countless others to perform their biggest hits and wash listeners with waves of nostalgia in the process.

Directly after the 2020 Soul Train Awards, DJ Cassidy is set to bring a primetime special of his “Pass The Mic” series to BET  —  the same show that went viral during the quarantine phase of the pandemic. It will mark the first time that the immensely popular series will be featured on the network. 

Who is set to appear will be a surprise, but the popular DJ — who’s spun records for former president Barack Obama, Jay-Z, and Oprah Winfrey — spoke to Claudia Jordan about what it means to bring the show to the BET Platform. 

“This was a passion project,” he said. “This was a little creative thing I thought of in April. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be doing my fourth episode on television. I’m so excited to bring it to a larger group of people around the world, especially since it’s with a network that I’ve been watching as a child. I was exposed to so many of the artists on “Pass The Mic” by watching Video Soul, by watching Rap City, and by watching Soul Train.”

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