PHOTOS: 2011 Soul Train Awards was kid-finessed, parent-approved
The show bridged the generation gap by skipping gimmicks and emphasizing the music
- Picture Group, Courtesy of BET Networks
- Cee Lo Green
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Spoiler alert: Stop reading if you don’t want to know the outcome of the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards.
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Stop, too, if you’re into mean jokes swiped from current headlines, crass skits or stupid rapper tricks. There were none to be seen at the show’s live taping at the Fox Theater on Thursday, Nov. 17. It was all about actual music and Soul Train history with a few awards thrown in for good measure.
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Everything started nearly 25 minutes after the 7 p.m. curtain time. Of course, detouring traffic from Peachtree to 3rd St. and Ponce De Leon during the work week is never a great idea, though having the show at the Fox instead of the Civic Center, home of the annual BET Hip Hop Awards, was pretty cool.
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Once in progress, outside of minimal technical gaffes and a few minor slips courtesy of Cee Lo Green, the show moved along smoothly. Morris Day and the Original 7ven (formerly the Time) opened with their classics “Jungle Love” and “Cool” under a backdrop of contrived Tweets like, “Remember when music was real.”
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- Picture Group, Courtesy of BET Networks
- Host Cedric the Entertainer puts his neck into it
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Host Cedric the Entertainer strutted out to a comedic version of T.I.’s “Big Thangs Poppin’.” (The King himself was not in attendance.) Producer Just Blaze and rapper arm candy Amber Rose were on hand to promote their Smirnoff Masters of the Mix series (airing on BET's sister station Centric) and present the first tribute of the night to Atlanta treasure Gladys Knight. Rose was dressed in what was likely her most conservative outfit ever — a high-necked blouse and knee-length pencil skirt.