Tichina Arnold & Tisha Campbell Return to Host the 2020 Soul Train Awards, H.E.R. Leads in Nominations

BET has announced the hosts and nominees for the 2020 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS across 12 different categories. The annual celebration recognizes the best in Soul, R&B and Hip Hop from both established industry legends and the next generation of promising artists.

Actor, singer and writer Tisha Campbell (Martin, My Wife & Kids, Last Man Standing, Outmatched) will once again join actor, singer, and writer Tichina Arnold (Martin, Everybody Hates Chris, The Neighborhood, The Last Black Man in San Francisco) as host and co-producers of this year’s awards. The iconic best friend duo, both on the 90’s hit show Martin and in real-life, will return to the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS stage for the third time, bringing their dynamic comedy and infectious personalities to this year’s ceremony.

H.E.R. leads the nominees for this year’s awards, receiving eight nominations, including double nods in each of the ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriters Award. She is followed by Chris Brown, who received seven nominations, and Beyoncé and Young Thug received six nominations, including ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Video of the Year.’ Other top nominees include Chloe x Halle, Summer Walker and Usher with five nods each, followed by YG with four nominations. Brandy and PJ Morton round out the group with three nods apiece. 

The 2020 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS PRESENTED BY BET will feature an exciting lineup of unforgettable performances including special moments and appearances by some of the brightest stars in Black culture and entertainment. The annual event is committed to showcasing Soul Train’s impact on arts of music and dance from the 70’s to today.

Taking place on Sunday, Nov. 29, the 2020 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS presented by BET will simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2 at 8 PM EST with a one-hour pre-show beginning at 7 PM EST, followed by the broadcast television debut of DJ Cassidy’s groundbreaking, virtual series Pass the Mic on BET.

The special will be a celebration of the most definitive, iconic and prolific R&B classics of the 1980’s. DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic: BET Soul Train Edition brings legendary, musical heroes to the comfort of audience’s living rooms around the world to dance hard, sing loud, and smile big.

The complete list of nominees for the 2020 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS PRESENTED BY BET:

BEST NEW ARTIST:

• GIVEON
• LAYTON GREENE
• LONR.
• SAINT JHN
• SNOH AALEGRA
• VICTORIA MONÉT

SOUL TRAIN CERTIFIED AWARD:

• BRANDY
• FANTASIA
• KELLY ROWLAND
• LEDISI
• MONICA
• PJ MORTON

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 GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD:

• BEBE WINANS
• KIRK FRANKLIN
• KORYN HAWTHORNE
• MARVIN SAPPP
• J MORTON
• THE CLARK SISTERS

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

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

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)

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 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

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

Internationally, the 2020 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS PRESENTED BY BET will simulcast on BET Africa on November 29, 2020, at 3:00AM CAT; BET France on December 1, 2020 at 9:50PM CET; and BET UK and BET South Korea on December 2, 2020 at 9:00PM GMT and 9:00PM KST, respectively. Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment(JCE), and JCE’s Jeannae Rouzan–Clay and Dionne Harmon will Executive Produce the “2020 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS.”