The 4th Annual Soul Train Music Awards (March 14, 1990) Part 4

The 1990's 4th Annual Soul Train Music Awards Live the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California Best in Rhythm and blues R&B, soul, jazz gospel and rap music hosted by Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross and Dionne Warwick. The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in black music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of Soul Train, the program from which it takes its name, and features musical performances by various R&B and soul recording artists interspersed throughout the ceremonies. The special traditionally used to air in either February, March or April, but now airs the last weekend of November (in most years, Thanksgiving weekend).

The Soul Train Music Awards voting body includes active professionals in the fields of radio programming and music retail and management and recording artists with records that have charted in designated music trade publications in the year prior to proceedings. Past hosts for the show include such R&B luminaries as Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Will Smith, Vanessa Williams, Taraji P. Henson, and Gladys Knight. The Soul Train Music Award trophy has featured an African ceremonial mask since its 1987 introduction. A new trophy was designed by Tristan Eaton of Thunderdog Studios in 2009 and is manufactured by New York firm Society Awards. From 1995 to 2005 a separate award show named Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards was held, honoring female artists The 2008 ceremonies were not held due to several factors, including the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, the ill health of Don Cornelius at the time, and Soul Train distributor Tribune Entertainment terminating operations in the wake of the sale of Tribune Company to Sam Zell. With the rights to Soul Train acquired by MadVision Entertainment, the Soul Train Music Awards were presented on November 24, 2009 on Centric. MadVision now holds the rerun rights to Soul Train.

The 2009 ceremony was held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, marking the first time in the show's 22-year history it was held outside of the Los Angeles area. The 2010 awards was held on November 10 just outside Atlanta at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, and aired November 28, The 2011 show was once again held in Atlanta and aired November 27. The 2012 ceremony was held live on November 25 at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of 2018, Beyoncé is the most-awarded artist at the Soul Train Music Awards with 15 awards. The original trophy is a bronze abstract sitting figure known as the Vanguard in 1987. However, the trophy is an African mask which is known as the Heritage Award. Its distinctive design created by an unknown sculptor, but its remains a visual trademark for Soul Train's representation of Black music.

From 1989 to 2007, the Heritage mask remained the trophy for Soul Train Music Awards until 2009 when BET and its sister channel Centric revived the awards. Thunderdog designed a brand new trophy based on the program's mascot, an actual train.