The 2023 Soul Train Awards ditched the standard ceremony and gathered in the Hollywood Hills for the “biggest house party of the year” to celebrate the greatest names in hip-hop, R&B and soul music.
Despite the extreme windy conditions, Keke Palmer managed to deliver an outstanding performance as the host of the celebration. Kicking off the night with humor, Palmer playfully teased the audience full of performers and nominees with a few house rules:
“Rule number one: Act like you all got sense. Number two: Treat my furniture like it’s your own. And number three: When you’re at a Keke Party, get up when the spirit moves you!”
The crowd followed every direction given as artists like Coco Jones, SWV, Muni Long, Janelle Monáe and T-Pain took the stage to perform some of their greatest hits.
First-time Grammy-nominated artist Coco Jones took the stage to collect the “Best New Artist” award and later returned for two performances. She first performed her single " Double Back” which samples SWV’S hit song, “Rain.” The crowd was in for a surprise as Jones welcomed SWV to the stage to finish her performance with the original version of Rain. BJ The Chicago Kid joined her for the second act for a duet on “Spend The Night.”
Yet, SZA walked away as the top winner of the night with four awards. The “Kill Bill” singer-songwriter won Best R&B/Soul Female Artist, Song of the Year for “Snooze,” the Ashford and Simpson’s Songwriter’s Award and Album of the Year for “SOS.”
Usher was the runner-up with three wins. He was awarded Best R&B/Soul Male Artist and the Certified Soul Award and Best Collaboration for the song “Good Good,” in which he partnered with Summer Walker and 21 Savage. Victoria Monet ended the winning streak with two wins for Best Dance Performance and Video of the Year for “On My Mama.”
One of the biggest honors of the night went to Janelle Monáe, who was the very first recipient of the Spirit of Soul Award as a non-binary person. Formally known as the Lady of Soul Award, BET announced earlier this month that it would be switching the name to “honor the diversity and inclusivity” of this year’s recipient.
During their acceptance speech, Monáe highlighted the significance of the Soul Train Awards.
“There’s nothing like being recognized by your own family,” Monáe said. “I’m so honored to have something like this for us that continues to evolve and showcase so many different forms of what soul can be.”
Palmer paid respects to Don Cornelius, the original creator and host of Soul Train. His efforts created an opportunity for the public to see a positive representation of Black culture that showcases their unique experiences, fashion style, music and dance moves. The show was broadcast nationally in 1971 when it moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. In 1987, they began giving out annual Soul Train Awards to honor Black artists in the entertainment industry.
To close out the night, T-Pain delivered a medley of his greatest hits after receiving The Legend Award. Then the crowd went into party mode as he performed “Buy U a Drank,” “Bartender,” “Low” and others.
In his acceptance speech, T-Pain encouraged upcoming artists to chase their dreams no matter what negativity the world spews.
“To new artists out there, I don’t want you to chase this,” T-Pain said. “I don’t want you to base your life on how many of these people in this crowd can tell you that you can have this. I want you to know that you already got this… Be who you are unapologetically. Be whoever you want to be.”