Soul Train Awards 2011 was a night filled with some great moments (Cedric The Entertainer’s dance opening, hello!) and killer performances (Joe, Robin Thicke and Eric Benet singing Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Reasons”–Ah-mazing). This year we honored some of music’s greatest talent. Check out the full list of winners:

Best New Artist – Miguel
Best Male R&B and Soul Artist - Cee-Lo Green
Best Caribbean Performance – Rihanna “Man Down”
Best Gospel Performance – Mary Mary “Walking”
Album of the Year – Chris Brown F.A.M.E
Best Hip-Hop Song – Nicki Minaj “Moment For Life”
Best Female R&B and Soul Artist – Jill Scott
Song of the Year – Kelly Roland “Motivation”
Record of the Year (Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award) – Marsha Ambrosius “Far Away”
Best Dance Performance – Beyonce “Run the World”
Best Traditional Jazz Album – Cassandra Wilson
Best Contemporary Jazz Album – Dave Koz

Following his arrest last month at an #Occupy event in Washington, D.C.; Soul singer—and now activist—Raheem DeVaughn has released Freedom Fighter, a brand new mixtape featuring Anthony Hamilton, Chrisette Michele, Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Dr. Cornell West, Ludacris, Damian Marley and more.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Soul Train Awards 2011 is fastly approaching and it’s promising to be a star-studded show.   

Added to the award show’s impressive roster of performers are Common, Cee-Lo Green, Musiq Soulchild, Chrisette Michele, Tamar Braxton, Joe, Keith Sweat, Stokely of Mint Condition and Freddie Jackson—all of whom join previously announced acts, Jill Scott, Melanie Fiona, Anthony Hamilton, and The Original 7ven (the band formerly known as The Time).

Amber Rose, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Lance Gross, Shaunie O’Neal, DJ Just Blaze, Questlove of The Roots–who is devising an modern “Soul Train” theme song—are slated to serve as presenters.

Hosted by comedian Cedric the Entertainer, this year’s show will honor the careers of  Earth Wind & Fire and the “Empress of Soul”, Gladys Knight.  

Soul Train Awards 2011 will premiere in simulcast on CENTRIC  and BET on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 9pm/8c.

Jill Scott turns things up a notch in her new video for “So Gone (What My Mind Says)”, the latest single off her critically and commercially successful album The Light Of The Sun. With a little help from Houston-based rapper Paul Wall, Jilly from Philly serves up another groove-body roll inducing slow jam. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2011 Soul Train Awards will get a grand opening courtesy of pop-funk group The Original 7ven. Formerly known as “The Time”, this performance will mark their first time performing together in three years—they were last seen at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards back in 2008.

Hosted by funnyman Cedric the Entertainer, this year’s show will also include performances from Jill Scott, Mindless Behavior, Keith Sweat, Robin Thicke, Melanie Fiona, Grammy-award winning artist Natalie Cole—and a slew of other acts soon to be confirmed.

The 2011 Soul Train Awards will premiere on BET and CENTRIC on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 9:00 PM.

Celebrating 40 years of the Soul Train brand, this year’s Soul Train Awards is gearing up to be one of the biggest events of the year. Hosted by comedian and actor Cedric the Entertainer, the show will honor Gladys Knight and Earth, Wind & Fire, with the coveted Legend Award for their immense contributions to the world of music.

This year’s nominees represent the best in R&B, soul, jazz, gospel and Carribean music. Music’s bad-boy turned golden child Chris Brown leads the pack with an astounding five nominations, including Album of the Year for his critically acclaimed F.A.M.E. He is followed by Beyonce and Kanye West who tied with four nominations.

New categories to this year’s line-up include awards for best traditional and contemporary jazz albums. These two categories will be viewers choice awards, and the winners will be determined through online voting.

This year’s show will tape in Atlanta on November 17, but will air in simulcast on both Centric and BET on November 27 at 9pm/8c.

Best New Artist
Bruno Mars
Marsha Ambrosius
Miguel
Frank Ocean

Best Male R&B/Soul Artist
Trey Songz
Chris Brown
R. Kelly
Miguel
Cee Lo Green
Eric Benet

Centric Award
Ledisi
Raphael Saddiq
Bilal
Anthony David
Aloe Blacc

Best Caribbean Performance
“Man Down” -Rihanna
“Summer Time” -Vybz Kartel
“Wotless” -Kes The Band
“Bend Over” – Machel Montano
“Delilah” – Movado

Best Gospel Performance
“I Smile” – Kirk Franklin
“Walking” – Mary Mary
“Heaven Hear My Heart” – Trin-I-Tee 5:7
“I Believe” – James Fortune ft. Shawn McLemore
“More” – Cece Winans

Album of the Year
21 - Adele
F.A.M.E - Chris Brown
4 - Beyonce
Passion Pain & Pleasure - Trey Songz
Light of the Sun - Jill Scott
Watch The Throne - Jay Z and Kanye West

Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year
“Moment for Life” – Nicki Minaj
“All of the Lights”- Kanye West ft. Rihanna
“Look at Me Now” – Chris Brown feat. Busta Rhymes and Lil’ Wayne
“Out of My Head” – Lupe Fiasco
“Otis” -  Jay Z and Kanye West

Best Female R&B/Soul Artist
Kelly Rowland
Beyonce
Marsha Ambrosius
Jennifer Hudson
Jill Scott
Mary J. Blige

Song of the Year
“Motivation” – Kelly Rowland feat. Lil’ Wayne
“Sure Thing”- Miguel
“Rolling in the Deep” – Adele
“She Ain’t You” – Chris Brown
“All of the Lights” – Kanye West
“So In Love” – Jill Scott ft. Anthony Hamilton

Record of the Year (The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award)
“Rolling in the Deep” – Adele (Writers: Adele, Paul Epworth)
“Far Away” – Marsha Ambrosius (Writers: Marsha Ambrosius, Sterling Simms)
“Best Thing I Never Had” – Beyonce (Writers: Antonio Dixon; Kenneth Edmonds; Larry Griffin, Jr.; Beyoncé Knowles; Caleb McCampbell; Patrick Smith; Shea Taylor)
“Good Man” – Raphael Saddiq (Writers: Raphael Saadiq, Taura Stinson)
“Hold My Hand” (Duet with Akon) – Michael Jackson (Writers: Aliaune Thiam (Akon), Giorgio Tuinfort, Claude Kelly)

Best Dance Performance
“Motivation” – Kelly Rowland
“Only Girl in the World”/”What’s My Name” – Rihanna
“Run The World” – Beyonce
“She Ain’t You” – Chris Brown
“Walking” – Mary Mary
“Pretty Girl Rock” – Keri Hilson

2011 Soul Train Award Legend Award Recipients
Gladys Knight
Earth Wind and Fire

Traditional Jazz*
 “In Concert On Broadway” – Harry Connick Jr.
“James Farm”- Eric Harland
“Light My Fire”- Eliane Elias
“Silver Pony”- Cassandra Wilson
“What’s It All About” – Pat Metheny

Contemporary Jazz*
“Contact” – Boney James
“Hello Tomorrow” – Dave Koz
“Rock-et Sci-ence ”- Bela Fleck 
“Let’s Touch The Sky”- Fourplay
“Time Together”- Michael Franks

*Viewers choice awards to be housed online

Jill Scott and Paul Wall on the same song? Doesn’t seem like a collaboration many were expecting, but the result— “So Gone (What My Mind Says)”—is a welcomed surprise. Plucked from Scott’s latest hit album “The Light of the Sun”, the track finds her vocally smooth and sultry, giving into a night of passion. Oh, and Texas-based rapper Wall isn’t too bad either. 

Log-in next week for the premiere of the music video, but in the meantime preview the track below:

So Gone (What My Mind Says) – Jill Scott feat. Paul Wall by HDMI44

(Bronx, NY) BET’s Black Girls Rock! touched down in the Bronx for the second year, featuring performances from Jill Scott, Estelle, Mary Mary, Mary J. Blige, Melanie Fiona and newcomer Elle Varner.

Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King, this year’s festivities honored Pastor Shirley Ceasar, Tatyana Ali, Taraji P. Henson, Angela Davis, WNBA’s Laurel J. Richie, and women’s rights activists Imani Walker and Malika Saada Saar.  

Founded by DJ Beverly Bond, Black Girls Rock! is a movement established to empower young Black girls by celebrating the accomplishments of leading Black women from all over the world.

The show airs November 6  at 8pm/7c only on BET .

Jill Scott’s The Light of The Sun is in stores NOW.

Hidden Beach Recordings has gone into its musical vault, and unearthed what will prove to be a celebrated collection of unreleased and never-before-heard tracks from its former torch artist, Jill Scott. The result: The Original Jill Scott From The Vault Vol. 1. (out August 30, 2011), the album is being described as a ” love letter” to the Grammy Award winner’s diehard fan base. 

Most of the music was recorded during sessions for her previous hit albums—2004’s Beautifully Human: Words + Sounds Vol. 2, 2007’s The Real Thing: Words + Sounds Vol. 3, and her 2001 live album, Experience: Jill Scott 826+.

“We’ve always maintained that Jill was one of the most talented artists of her generation. Our agreement with Jill to open up the vault and share the treasures inside with her fans is a huge win for music lovers everywhere,” states Hidden Beach CEO Steve McKeever. “Our special project, along with her recently released studio album, effectively end a long Jill Scott drought with a monsoon of artistry at its best.”

Off the heels of “Jill Scott Weekend”, CentricTV.com will be streaming  The Original Jill Scott From The Vault Vol. 1. starting Tuesday, August 23. Listen to the teaser streams of “Wondering Why” and “Running Away” below.

Track Listing

1. “I Don’t Know”
2. “Wondering Why (You Don’t Talk To Me)”

3. “The Light”
4. “Wake Up Baby”
5. “Lovely Day”
6. “Dear Mr. & Mrs. Record Industry”
7. “Love to Love”
8. “Running Away”

9. “I’m Prettier”
10. “Comes to the Light (Everything)”
11. “Holding On”
12. “The Light”
13. “And I Heard (Do You Understand)” (Live at the House of Blues)*

* Featured on the Deluxe release

PREORDER THE ALBUM HERE