With four Soul Train Awards nominations, Usher is definitely leading the pack and doesn’t plan on slowing down long enough for anyone to catch up. Having dropped two albums this year— Raymond v. Raymond and Versus—new tracks continue to surface on the web. The latest is  “Missin’ My Woman.” Take a listen and SOUND OFF in the comments.

Kandi Burruss’ road to success has not always been paved in platinum. Ten years after the release of her debut solo album, “Hey Kandi,” the veteran entertainer and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast mate is finally set to release her long awaited sophomore album Kandi Coated. Formerly a member of 90’s R&B girl group Xscape, Burruss has written hits for Destiny’s Child, Pink, Mariah Carey, Fantasia, Usher, Joe, and Whitney Houston. She most notably co-wrote the Grammy Award winning hit “No Scrubs” for TLC, with former group mate Tameka “Tiny” Cottle.

Her new album is the musical opus of a single mother looking for love after coping with a grave loss (Kandi’s fiance Ashley “A.J.” Jewell was killed last October in Atlanta).

Her lead single, “Leave U” is a woman’s anthem that boasts that its time to leave when your man stops doing what he needs to do. In the video she leaves her man and falls into the arms of Pooch Hall–popular sitcom The Game (insert shameless plug: New episodes air in January 2011 only on BET). Check it out.

Be sure to pick up Kandi Coated on December 14th.

Since the 2009 release of her debut Album, In A Perfect World, Keri Hilson has released a series of chart-topping hits—including the #1 Billboard R&B hit “Knock You Down” featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo. The singer/songwriter has a long resume that stretches back to 2006 and includes penning hits for the likes of Beyonce, Usher, Ciara, Ludacris and even pop star Britney Spears. Her first effort unsurprisingly went gold and this Decatur, GA native went on to win the Soul Train Award for Best New Artist last year. After being named the face of AVON’s Imari fragrance this past spring, the now blonde maned Hilson is gearing up for the release of her sophomore album No Boys Allowed. The first single “Breaking Point” (Did you catch her perform it on Black Girls Rock! last night?) has been slowly easing up the R&B charts. She recently sat with AOL’s Boombox to talk music and the new album. Check out the video and SOUND OFF below.

Ms. Keri Ba-By is nominated this year for BEST HIP HOP SONG OF THE YEAR for her vocals on T.I.’s “I Got Your Back.” Tune in November 28th at 9pm EST on BET & Centric to see if she wins.

We always praise the artists but the people who mold and shape that final product need love too. Some of the biggest hit-makers in the industry either hail from Atlanta, GA or moved there early in their careers. Lil’ Jon, Tim & Bob, Jazze Pha, Dallas Austin, and Bangladesh are just a couple of the names behind some of your favorite songs.

Here’s a list of some of our favorite 2010 Soul Tracks produced by Atlanta born and/or based producers:

1. Usher “Hot Tottie” featuring Jay-Z PRODUCED BY Polow Da Don (pictured above)
2. Ciara “Ride” featuring Ludacris PRODUCED BY Tricky Stewart & The Dream
3. T.I. “Got Your Back” featuring Keri Hilson PRODUCED BY DJ Toomp
4. Dondria “You’re The One” PRODUCED BY Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox
5. Lyfe Jennings “If I Knew Then” PRODUCED BY C. Jennings
6. Janelle Monae “Tightrope” PRODUCED BY Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Chuck Lightning
7. Waka Flocka Flame “No Hands” featuring WALE & Roscoe Dash PRODUCED BY Drumma Boy
8. Trey Songz “Bottoms Up” featuring Nicki Minaj PRODUCED BY Kane Beatz

If there was a Soul Train Award for Best Producer who would you nominate? Hit us in the comments!

Quincy Jones—a definite Soul Train Awards legend—has been churning out musical gems for over five decades. With his new album, Q Soul Bossa Nostra, out November 9th; Jones sat with BET News to talk about the differences between old school and contemporary artists. In the exclusive interview he talks about how some artists of today are falling short of their predecessors because they are on a different mission.

“We came up in another kind of environment where all we care about was just being a good musician, we didn’t care about money or fame,” Jones explained. “That never crossed our mind. I’m talking about the ‘40s and 50s, you know? We just wanted to be good.”

Maybe “good” is relative because critics have a lot to say about Jones’ new album, which consists of contemporary remakes of songs from his extensive catalog of hits. Some are appalled that the musical great would allow T-Pain to cover Michael Jackson’s “PYT” using auto-tune. Others feel the original version of “Secret Garden” is a classic that should have went untouched. Whatever the case, we implore you to pick up the album and decide for yourself. Peep the official track-listing:

1. Ironside (feat. Talib Kweli)

2. Strawberry Letter 23 (feat. Akon)

3. Soul Bossa Nostra (feat. Ludacris, Naturally 7 & Rudy Currence)

4. Give Me The Night (feat. Jamie Foxx)

5. Tomorrow (feat. John Legend)

6. You Put A Move On My Heart (feat. Jennifer Hudson)

7. Get The Funk Out Of My Face (feat. Snoop Dogg)

8. Secret Garden (feat. Usher, LL Cool J, Robin Thicke, Tyrese, Barry White & Tevin Campbell)

9. Betcha Wouldn’t Hurt Me (feat. Mary J. Blige, Q-Tip & Alfredo Rodriguez)

10. Everything Must Change (feat. BeBe Winans)

11. Many Rains Ago (Oluwa) (feat. Wyclef Jean)

12. PYT (feat. T-Pain & Robin Thicke)

13. It’s My Party (feat. Amy Winehouse)

14. Hikky-Burr (feat. Three 6 Mafia & David Banner)

15. Sanford & Son (feat. T.I., B.o.B., Prince Charlez & Mohombi)

Q Soul Bossa Nostra in stores November 9th

If giving birth to a baby boy wasn’t enough, Alicia Keys is leading the Soul train Awards nominations pack—alongside Usher—with four nods. Rapper/Singer Drake follows behind closely with three nominations.

Grammy-award winning R&B superstar R. Kelly will open the show with a dynamite performance, followed by today’s hottest artists Ne-Yo, Cee-lo, Keyshia Cole, Rick Ross, Erykah Badu, Eric Benet, Chrisette Michele, Lalah Hathaway, Faith Evans, Janelle Monae, Gyptian, Freddie Jackson, Jeffrey Osborne, Rachelle Ferrell, Tamia, and Tank who will light up the stage with performances and never-before seen collaborations to honor the best in Soul Train and this year’s Legend Award recipients Anita Baker and Ron Isley.

This year’s Soul Train Awards will be hosted by Oscar-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson—who hosted last years event—and will simulcast on CENTRIC and BET on Sunday, November 28 at 9:00 PM EST.

Full Nominations list below: Read the rest of this entry »