*Don’t be mad at the messenger, but the Soul Train Music Awards 2023 taping was kind of all over the place, like the current state of hip-hop. Everyone’s talking about where music is headed, and we’re low-key wondering the same about the Soul Train Music Awards. Can Keke Palmer‘s move to switch up the venue save the day, or is it time to let the hippest trip in America rest in peace?
Candidly speaking, the venue change to a mansion was pretty forward-thinking. It had beautiful views of the Hollywood hills, and the decor was on point. The lineup was nice, but there was just a lot going on for America’s new sweetheart and our favorite host to visit the carpet; we get that.
Production had too much going on with this location (and the windy day didn’t make things any better). Maybe less is more next time around? Fingers crossed that we’re wrong, and the production blows our minds with select artist performances and edits.
We were able to interview legendary artists such as David Banner, Bryan Michael Cox, and Nicci Gilbert, along with soulful singers like Eric Bellinger, Coco Jones, October London, and newcomers such as Honey Bxby, Ambre’, and Dante’ Bowe, which all provided a captivating perspective into the many spectrums of the music industry. Wild cards included the ever-charismatic Ray J, Kenny Burns, and the beautiful actress Serayah. We did our best to discuss Puffy, but unfortunately, no one took the bait. Can we really blame the good people, though?
In other news, there was a significant conversation about artistry and music. Nicci Gilbert dropped gems, emphasizing the paramount importance of artist development, saying, “Artist development is everything. Spend that extra time with your vocal coaches, and choreographers, and listen to the people before you, and you’ll be around for 30 years like ya’ girl.”
Kenny Burns expressed nuanced views on the current creative landscape, stating, “There’s no disrespect to [current] artists creating, but it isn’t hip-hop.” Grammy winner and fan favorite, Eric Bellinger, urged fellow artists with his take on music, “I want to encourage artists to fall in love with the process again. I think we see the success and virality, and we want that, but everybody’s story is different so we gotta embrace our own journey.”
Don’t miss the soulful house party; tune in this Sunday, November 26, 2023, at 8 PM ET/PT on BET, BET HER, VH1, LOGO, and MTV2. Share your thoughts on the Soul Train Music Awards as we navigate the evolving rhythm of music and hip-hop.
About our associate: LaCora Stephens is a journalist, talk show host, and video editor. Contact her at www.LaCoraStephens.com
And we also have to give props to our incredible video editor Reggie Simon of SimonVisionMedia for puttin’ his foot, as they say, into the superb video for this report.
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