As Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s Soul Train Awards nominees in six categories , today the long running music event announced its confirmed list of presenters and performers.
In addition to Boris Kodjoe, Vanessa A. Williams, Vivica A. Fox, and Kandi Burruss scheduled among this year’s many presenters -- Chaka Khan, Doug E. Fresh, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Gladys Knight, Kenny Lattimore, Ruben Studdard, Warren G., Big Daddy Kane, and Stokley Williams have also been tapped to join the lineup of previously announced performers, which include Jennifer Hudson, Tamar Braxton, K. Michelle, Ron Isley, Wale, Eric Benet, Candice Glover, Kem, Chrisette Michele, Bobby Caldwell and Joss Stone.
According to a press release, this year’s annual event will pay homage to the 90s music scene as well as blue eyed-soul icons.
“When we re-established the show and began with Soul Train, we wanted to not only pay tribute to the classic era (60’s & 70’s) but also begin introducing it to a newer audience,” Centric Executive Vice President, Paxton Baker, admitted in a statement to the Huffington Post. “In the previous years we’ve paid tribute to the 70’s and 80’s, and this year it was a natural progression to take it into the 90’s. It’s also a sweet spot for our core demographic. We will still have those classic moments throughout the show, mixed with some of the newer ones.”
“The blue-eyed soul tribute was a great moment waiting to happen,” Baker added. “We’ve featured some blue-eyed soul singers such as Robin Thicke and Teena Marie throughout the years, we just haven’t dedicated an entire segment to it yet. With the success of artists like Adele and such, blue-eyed soul music has really taken off recently and been widely accepted. It seemed like the perfect moment to showcase this while continuing to embody the Soul Train brand.”
The 2013 Soul Train Awards will be presented Nov. 8 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, and air Dec. 1 on BET and Centric.
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