Why The 2021 Soul Train Music Awards is a Big Deal
The 2021 Soul Train Music Awards is coming and this year is set to be better than ever. This year’s ceremony marks a huge milestone for the legendary television program. There are also some major performances and honorees expected to commemorate the occasion. A change in scenery for the ceremony has also been announced, making it even more special. Celebrities are expected to show up and show out.
Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell are returning as co-hosts for the third consecutive year
Arnold and Campbell have been the co-hosts of the show since 2018. The two are returning to co-host the show this year but are also producers for the ceremony this time around.
“Producing and hosting the Soul Train Awards for the last three years with my childhood friend has truly been one of the high points of my life,” Campbell said in an official statement.
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Arnold is also excited to return to the Soul Train stage. “Returning to my hometown where it all began for us as young girls and hosting the iconic “Soul Train Awards” at the Apollo is a truly a childhood dream come true,” she said. “I’m honored to stand beside Tisha and take our place in history hosting and creatively producing such an iconic show.”
Arnold and Campbell have been longtime friends. They’ve also co-starred on several shows, including the hit 90s sitcom, Martin.
The awards ceremony is the 50th anniversary
Don Cornelius created the show Soul Train in 1971. The first episode aired on Oct. 2, 1971. The last episode aired in 2006. At the time, the show was the longest-running first-run, nationally syndicated program in television history.
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The awards ceremony launched in 1987. The entire franchise highlights the best in soul, R&B, Gospel, and hip hop. Cornelius started Soul Train to give Black entertainers a platform that other music program shows were not affording them. The Lady of Soul Awards was also a major deal at one point, which celebrated Black women in entertainment specifically.
This year’s award show celebrates Soul Train’s 50th anniversary. Performers and honorees have not fully been announced.
This year’s award ceremony will be held at the Apollo Theater
For the first time in the award show’s 34-year history, The Soul Train Awards will be held at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. The show has been based in New York L.A. (1987-2007), Atlanta (2009-11), and Las Vegas (2012-19).
Arnold and Campbell couldn’t be happier about the change in location. “Upon hearing Tichina and I would be filming at the World Famous Apollo this year, we literally lost our minds with excitement,” Campbell said. “It is already an extreme honor to be synonymous with Don Cornelius’s legacy, and now, to also walk in the footsteps of the multitude of African-American talent that graced the Apollo stage is mind-blowing to both of us!”
The show will be taped live on Nov. 20. The actual award show will air on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 8 PM EST on BET and BET Her.
