The 2023 Soul Train Awards took place on Sunday (Nov. 26) night. Host Keke Palmer set the tone with three rules: “Rule No. 1: Act like you all got sense. No. 2: Treat my furniture like it’s your own. And No. 3: When you’re at a Keke party, get up when the spirit moves you!” The event also crowned SZA, Usher and Victoria Monét as the top winners.
Amid Palmer’s humor and other standout moments, artists like Coco Jones, Fridayy, Janelle Monáe, Muni Long and more performed at the ceremony.
Monáe, who served as the Spirit of Soul Award honoree, opened with a medley of tracks from her Grammy-nominated album, The Age Of Pleasure. Meanwhile, Muni Long collaborated with Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox on “Made for Me.” She delivered a nuanced show with soulful backing vocals.
This year’s Soul Cypher featured Nicci Gilbert, Arin Ray, Eric Bellinger, and Marsha Ambrosius freestyling over Usher’s 2001 smash hit “U Got It Bad.” Elsewhere, Jones was awarded Best New Artist. She performed “Double Back” and then joined SWV for “Rain.” Later, she and BJ the Chicago Kid presented “Spend the Night,” which Palmer described as “the melodic pairing we didn’t know we needed.”
During her May interview with VIBE, Jones spoke about the standout single from her latest project, What I Didn’t Tell You. She stated, “I wanted to honor Black women from my upbringing who I looked up to on screen and in music. I wanted to show different sides of myself and what I offer the world sonically. So ‘Double Back’ was a great follow-up record to demonstrate my versatility.”
Additionally, Palmer performed “Ungorgeous.” The record appeared on the deluxe edition of the actress’ Big Boss LP, which dropped in October.
“Keke Palmer is a globally recognized multi-hyphenate talent who embodies confidence and positivity and is one of the most engaging and lovable personalities working in entertainment today,” Connie Orlando, EVP of specials, music programming and music strategy at BET, explained earlier this month when the singer was announced as the host.