Soul Train is back. Here’s why it matters.
Earlier today, Variety broke the news that the Soul Train Music Awards will take place in November after a three-year hiatus. The ceremony was established 1987 and quickly became a touchstone of Black culture, a celebration of music and performance set apart from the Grammys and other mainstream-focused awards. Soul Train’s return represents an important comeback for both Black artists and the music industry as a whole.
While the Grammys, American Music Awards, and Video Music Awards have their token R&B categories, the genre typically plays a backseat to pop when it comes to the biggest prizes. Their voting bodies — whether fan-driven, as with the AMAs and VMAs, or the Recording Academy’s vast peer group — are not always attuned to the full breadth of the R&B landscape. As a result, established names often dominate while emerging artists working at the genre’s cutting edge can be overlooked. Other awards devoted to Black entertainment, including the BET Awards and NAACP Image Awards, also encompass pop, rap and other genres.
Soul Train, however, unapologetically celebrates R&B and soul. Its numerous categories give performers at every level an opportunity to be recognized for their work, offering meaningful visibility to a television audience as well as a valuable gathering place for artists and industry figures. That focus matters: artists deserve a platform where their music is not treated as an afterthought.
And R&B is far from dead. In recent years, songs such as Kehlani’s “Folded,” Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” and SZA’s “Saturn” have shown that the genre can still compete at the top of the charts alongside pop and hip-hop. A space like the Soul Train Music Awards, where these songs can be performed live, celebrated and prioritized, helps keep R&B connected to the cultural conversation. Without it, artists have one fewer major opportunity to showcase their work — and other awards shows have not always reliably spotlighted R&B and Black artistry.
The November date also gives Soul Train a strategic place in the Grammy race. There has long been meaningful overlap between the two awards bodies: winners of Soul Train’s Record of the Year honor, formerly the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award, have often gone on to Grammy success, while its Album of the Year winners are frequently major players during awards season. An acceptance speech or performance at Soul Train is more than promotion in a broad entertainment space; it is a direct appeal to the R&B community and the people most invested in the genre.
Whether as a campaigning stop or simply a celebration of exceptional work, the Soul Train Music Awards remain a necessary cultural institution. Their absence has been felt. Hopefully, this new edition returns stronger than ever, capitalizing on R&B’s current momentum while bringing major stars and vital newer voices into the same spotlight.
