The 2012 Soul Train Awards Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer Airs Sunday Nov. 25th on BET and Centric at 8pm EST/7pm CST

Preparations for the 2012 Soul Train Awards are well under way, and we here at SoulTrain.com are excited about what is promising to be the best show ever in Soul Train Awards history!  In these last few weeks leading up to the Soul Train Awards taping on November 8th at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, we’ll be highlighting the artists, presenters, performers, and special guests expected to appear on the show.  And we’re going to start with the complete list of this year’s Soul Train Awards nominees!

Best New Artist

Elle Varner

Emeli Sande

J. Cole

Luke James

Robert Glasper

Centric Award

Daley

Esperanza Spalding

Gary Clark Jr.

Leah Labelle

Santigold

Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year

2 Chainz feat. Drake, “No Lie”

Wale feat. Miguel, “Lotus Flower Bomb”

Nas, “Daughters”

Kanye West feat. Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz, “Mercy”

Young Jeezy feat. Ne-Yo, “Leave You Alone”

Best R&B/Soul Female Artist

Beyoncé

Estelle

Keyshia Cole

Mary J. Blige

Melanie Fiona

Best R&B/Soul Male Artist

Miguel

Robin Thicke

Trey Songz

Tyrese

Usher

Album of the Year

Eric Benet, The One

Frank Ocean, Channel Orange

Nas, Life Is Good

R. Kelly, Write Me Back

Usher, Looking For Myself

Song of the Year

Estelle, “Thank You”

John Legend feat. Ludacris, “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)”

Trey Songz, “Heart Attack”

Tyrese, “Stay”

Usher, “Climax”

Wale feat. Miguel, “Lotus Flower Bomb”

The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award

Estelle, ”Thank You” (Writers: Arden Altino, Akene “The Champ” Dunkley, Jerry Duplessis, Doug F. Edwards, Thomas D. Richardson, Aliaune Thiam)

John Legend feat. Ludacris, “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)”  (Writers: Allen Arthur, Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges, Keith Justice, Miguel Pimentel “Miguel”, Clayton Reilly, John Stephens)

Nas, “Daughters” (Writers: Nasir Jones, Ernest D. Wilson, Patrick Adams, Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, Paul Leka)

R. Kelly, “Share My Love” (Writer: Robert Kelly)

Usher, “Climax” (Writers: Usher Raymond IV, Sean “Redd Stylez” Fenton, Thomas “Diplo” Pentz, Ariel Rechtshaid)

Best Dance Performance

Beyoncé, “Love On Top”

Chris Brown, “Turn Up The Music”

Nicki Minaj, “Starships”

Rihanna, “Where Have You Been”

Usher, “Scream”

CentricTV.com Awards:

CENTRICTV.com Best Caribbean Performance

Cover Drive, “Bajan Style”

Damien “Junior Gong” Marley, “SuperHeavy”

Jimmy Cliff, “Rebirth”

Matisyahu, “Spark Seeker”

Sean Paul, “Tomahawk Technique”

CENTRICTV.com Best International Performance

Amy Winehouse, “Our Day Will Come”

Daley feat. Marsha Ambrosius, “Alone Together”

Emeli Sande, “Next To Me”

Estelle, “Thank You”

Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody (That I Used To Know)”

Rebecca Ferguson, “Nothing’s Real But Love”

CENTRICTV.com Best Traditional Jazz Artist/Group

Chris Botti, Impressions

Kenny Garrett, Seeds From The Underground

Melody Gardot, The Absence

The Robert Glasper Experiment, Black Radio

Tony Bennett, Isn’t It Romantic

CENTRICTV.com Best Contemporary Jazz Artist/Group

Ben Tankard, Full Tank

Brian Culbertson, DREAMS

Cassandra Wilson, Another Country

Esperanza Spalding, Radio Music Society

Peter White, Here We Go

Cedric the Entertainer hosts the 2012 Soul Train Awards, premiering on BET and Centric on Sunday, November 25th at 9PM eastern.

–Rhonda Nicole

Rhonda Nicole is an independent singer/songwriter, lovin’ and livin’ in Oakland, CA. Download her EP “Nuda Veritas” on CDBaby and iTunes, and follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/rhondanicolemusic and on Twitter @wildhoneyrock.