BET Announces Official Nominees for the 2017 Soul Train Awards as Solange Tops with 7 Nominations Followed by Fellow Hitmakers Bruno Mars, DJ Khaled, Rihanna, Khalid and SZA

Multi-Platinum and Seven-Time Grammy Award-Winning Recording Artist, Songwriter & Producer Toni Braxton to Receive the Don Cornelius Legend Award

Grammy Award-Nominated, Multi-Platinum Trio SWV to be Honored with Third Annual Lady of Soul Award

Soul Train Awards to Air on BET and BET HER, November 26th at 8PM ET

#SoulTrainAwards

NEW YORK -- BET today announced the nominees for the BET Presents: 2017 Soul Train Awards across 12 different categories. The annual celebration will recognize the best in Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop from legends to the next generation. Filmed on November 5th at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, BET Presents: 2017 Soul Train Awards will air on BET and BET HER on November 26th, 2017 at 8PM ET.

Solange leads the bunch with seven total nominations including Best R&B/Soul Female Artist, and the highly coveted Video of the Year and Song of the Year for hit single "Cranes in the Sky." Bruno Mars follows with six total nominations including two nominations for Song of the Year for his hit single "That's What I Like," and Album/Mixtape of the Year for "24K Magic." DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller also received multiple nominations this year including Video of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Collaboration. The next generation of soul is also being recognized, including Khalid and SZA, who are multi-nominees across categories including Best New Artist, Best R&B/Soul Male Artist, Best R&B/Soul Female Artist, Best Collaboration and the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award.

Multi-platinum and seven-time Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, artist, actress and producer Toni Braxton is set to receive the coveted Don Cornelius Legend Award. Braxton became an immediate R&B superstar after the release of her self-titled debut album in 1993. Her debut album received multiple awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995). Her second album, "Secrets" was certified 8x platinum and included her greatest hit titled, "Un-Break My Heart," the Diane Warren-penned ballad which spent 11-weeks at number one. Over the span of her career, Braxton has sold over 67 million records, including 41 million albums, worldwide. Toni's current single, "Deadwood," was released by Def Jam Recordings in September and her new album, "Sex & Cigarettes," her first in seven years, will be out in early 2018.

The third annual Lady of Soul Award will be presented to Grammy Award-Nominated, multi-platinum, female R&B trio SWV. SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak," "Right Here/Human Nature," "I'm So into You," and "You're the One." They have sold more than 25 million records, making them one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Last year's Lady of Soul Award went to R&B icon Brandy. Both Toni and SWV are being recognized for their longstanding presence in the music industry and influence on the world of soul and R&B music past and present.

BET Presents: 2017 Soul Train Awards will feature an exciting lineup of unforgettable performances and viewers can expect special appearances by some of the brightest stars in entertainment. The event annually showcases Soul Train's impact on the history of music and dance from the 70s to today.

Want to cover the BET Presents: 2017 Soul Train Awards red carpet? Head to www.betpressroom.com now and complete the application!

BET Presents: 2017 Soul Train Awards is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Executive Producers of the network telecast are as follows: Debra Lee and Connie Orlando from BET, and Jesse Collins from Jesse Collins Entertainment.

For show information, please visit BET.com/SoulTrain, the official site for BET Presents: 2017 Soul Train Awards. To apply for media credentials to cover the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2017 red carpet, please visit: www.betpressroom.com.

The complete list of nominees for BET Presents: 2017 Soul Train Awards are:

Best New Artist
6LACK
H.E.R.
KEVIN ROSS
KHALID
SZA

Best R&B/Soul Male Artist
BRUNO MARS
BRYSON TILLER
CHRIS BROWN
KHALID
THE WEEKND

Best R&B/Soul Female Artist
KEHLANI
LALAH HATHAWAY
LEDISI
MARY J. BLIGE
SOLANGE
SZA

Soul Train Certified Award
BELL BIV DEVOE
JOHNNY GILL
LALAH HATHAWAY
LEDISI
MACK WILDS

Video of the Year
BEYONCé - ALL NIGHT
BRUNO MARS - 24K MAGIC
CHRIS BROWN FT. USHER & GUCCI MANE - PARTY
DJ KHALED FT. RIHANNA & BRYSON TILLER - WILD THOUGHTS
SOLANGE - CRANES IN THE SKY

Best Gospel/ Inspirational Award
CHANCE THE RAPPER
CHARLIE WILSON
KIRK FRANKLIN
LECRAE
TAMELA MANN

Album/ Mixtape of the Year
BRUNO MARS - 24K MAGIC
MARY J. BLIGE - STRENGTH OF A WOMAN
SOLANGE - A SEAT AT THE TABLE
SZA - CTRL
THE WEEKND - STARBOY

Rhythm & Bars Award (Formerly Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year)
CARDI B - BODAK YELLOW
DJ KHALED FT. RIHANNA & BRYSON TILLER - WILD THOUGHTS
FRENCH MONTANA FT. SWAE LEE - UNFORGETTABLE
KENDRICK LAMAR - HUMBLE.
YO GOTTI FT. NICKI MINAJ - RAKE IT UP

Song of the Year
BRUNO MARS - THAT'S WHAT I LIKE
CHILDISH GAMBINO - REDBONE
DJ KHALED FT. RIHANNA & BRYSON TILLER - WILD THOUGHTS
KHALID - LOCATION
SOLANGE - CRANES IN THE SKY

The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award
CRANES IN THE SKY - WRITTEN BY: TROY L. JOHN, SOLANGE KNOWLES, RAPHAEL SAADIQ (SOLANGE)
LOCATION - WRITTEN BY: ALFREDO EMMANUEL GONZALEZ, OLATUNJI OLUTOMIWA, SAMUEL DAVID JIMENEZ, KHALID ROBINSON, JOSHUA SCRUGGS (KHALID)
LOVE ME NOW - WRITTEN BY: BLAKE MATTHEW SIMON MILLS, JOHN HENRY RYAN, JOHN ROGER STEPHENS (JOHN LEGEND)
REDBONE - WRITTEN BY: GEORGE CLINTON, WILLIAM EARL COLLINS, GARY LEE COOER, DONALD MCKINLEY GLOVER II, LUDWIG EMIL TOMAS GORANSSON (CHILDISH GAMBINO)
VERSACE ON THE FLOOR - WRITTEN BY: CHRISTOPHER STEVEN BROWN, JAMES EDWARD FAUNTLEROY, BRUNO MARS, PHILIP MARTIN LAWRENCE (BRUNO MARS)

Best Dance Performance
BRUNO MARS - 24K MAGIC
CHRIS BROWN FT. USHER & GUCCI MANE - PARTY
DJ KHALED FT. RIHANNA & BRYSON TILLER - WILD THOUGHTS
SOLANGE FT. SAMPHA - DON'T TOUCH MY HAIR
WIZKID FT. DRAKE - COME CLOSER

Best Collaboration
DJ KHALED FT. RIHANNA & BRYSON TILLER - WILD THOUGHTS
JAZMINE SULLIVAN & BRYSON TILLER - INSECURE
MARY J. BLIGE FT. KANYE WEST - LOVE YOURSELF
SOLANGE FT. SAMPHA - DON'T TOUCH MY HAIR
SZA FT. TRAVIS SCOTT - LOVE GALORE

ABOUT BET NETWORKS

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

About Soul Train Holdings

SOUL TRAIN HOLDINGS, LLC was formed in May 2008 and is owned by InterMedia Partners and a partnership between Magic Johnson Enterprises and Ron Burkle's investment firm, The Yucaipa Companies. The iconic franchise and catalog consists of more than 1,100 episodes and 40 specials from Don Cornelius Productions, Inc. Soul Train is the longest running, first-run, nationally syndicated music program in television history. During its 35-year run, the show featured lasting innovations such as the Soul Train line and the legendary sign off "Love, Peace and Soul." At the heart of the show was Don Cornelius, the dancers and influential artists such as James Brown, Al Green, Ike & Tina Turner, Hall & Oates, Donna Summer, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, David Bowie, Prince, Run D.M.C. and Destiny's Child.

About the Orleans Arena

The Orleans Arena, a Boyd Gaming facility located just west of the Las Vegas Strip, is one of the nation's leading multi-purpose sports and entertainment facilities and the 2014 recipient of the Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers. In addition, the Orleans Arena is one of only a handful of arenas in the United States to achieve LEED Gold Certification and is part of the largest company in Nevada to achieve SHARP Certification for commitments to safe venue operations. According to Venues Today magazine, the Orleans Arena, which hosts more than 200 events each year, consistently ranks in the Top 10 for ticket sales in the United States and internationally among venues of similar size. These events include nationally touring concerts, NCAA basketball conference tournaments, family shows, motorsports and other unique events. For more information, call 702-365-7469 or visit www.OrleansArena.com. Stay connected to the Orleans Arena on Facebook (www.facebook.com/orleansarena) and on Twitter (@orleansarena).