TheSoul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best inAfrican-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company ofSoul Train, the program from which it takes its name, and features musical performances by variouscontemporary R&B andsoul music recording artists interspersed throughout the ceremonies. The special traditionally previously aired in February, March or April; it currently airs during the last weekend of November (in most years,Thanksgiving weekend).
The Soul Train Music Awards voting body[1] includes active professionals in the fields of radio programming and music retail and management and recording artists with records that have charted in designated music trade publications in the year prior to proceedings. Past hosts include such R&B luminaries asLuther Vandross,Dionne Warwick,Patti LaBelle,Vanessa Williams, andGladys Knight.[2]
The Soul Train Music Awardtrophy has featured an African ceremonial mask since its 1987 introduction. A new trophy was designed byTristan Eaton of Thunderdog Studios in 2009 and is manufactured by the New York firmSociety Awards. From 1995 to 2005 a separate award show namedSoul Train Lady of Soul Awards was held, honoring female artists.[3]
In 2025, It was announced that Soul Train Music Awards alongside theBET Hip Hop Awards were suspended.
The 2008 ceremonies were not held due to several factors, including the2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, the ill health ofDon Cornelius at the time, andSoul Train distributorTribune Entertainment terminating operations in the wake of the sale ofTribune Media toSam Zell. With the rights toSoul Train acquired by MadVision Entertainment, the Soul Train Music Awards were presented on November 24, 2009 onBET Her. MadVision now holds thererun rights toSoul Train.
The original trophy is a bronze abstract sitting figure known as the Vanguard in 1987. However, the trophy is an African mask which is known as the Heritage Award. Its distinctive design created by an unknown sculptor, but its remains a visual trademark for Soul Train's representation of Black music.
From 1989 to 2007, the Heritage mask remained the trophy for Soul Train Music Awards until 2009 when BET and its sister channel Centric revived the awards. Thunderdog designed a brand new trophy based on the program's mascot, an actual train.
In 2015, hostErykah Badu added a new tradition to the award show, the Soul Cypher. Similar to a Hip-Hopcypher, it features a quartet of R&B/Soul/Gospel singers coming together to perform a freestyle. Accompanied by an instrumental beat and a live band, the artists deliver a freestyle arrangement by incorporating lyrics, hooks and/or titles from their popular hits.[7] A UK version of the Soul Cypher was introduced during the 2020 broadcast.
