# 1995 Soul Train Music Awards
The **1995 Soul Train Music Awards** (the ninth annual ceremony) honored achievements made during 1994 by musicians of color, and were held on March 13, 1995 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799910/). The ceremony was hosted by singer [Anita Baker](https://www.edgepedia.org/anita-baker), Patti LaBelle, and singer-producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799910/). [Boyz II Men](https://www.edgepedia.org/boyz-ii-men), Anita Baker, and [Barry White](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-white) each collected two awards, and the rap album trophy went to Snoop Doggy Dogg for *Doggystyle*[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | Ninth annual Soul Train Music Awards[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html) |
| Date and venue | March 13, 1995, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799910/) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html) |
| Hosts | Anita Baker, Patti LaBelle, and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799910/) |
| Multiple winners | Boyz II Men, Anita Baker, and Barry White, two awards each[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html) |
| Rap album | *Doggystyle*, Snoop Doggy Dogg[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html) |
| Best new artist | Brandy, for the single "I Wanna Be Down"[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html) |
| Special honors | Queen Latifah, Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award; Diana Ross, Heritage Award[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html) |
## Winners
**Double winners.** Anita Baker's "Body & Soul" won for best R&B single and her "Rhythm of Love" took best R&B album by a female vocalist[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html). Barry White was honored for R&B song of the year by a male vocalist with "Practice What You Preach" and best R&B album for *The Icon Is Love*[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html). Boyz II Men won for their album *II* and the single "I'll Make Love To You"[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html).
**Brandy's debut.** Brandy, whose single "I Wanna Be Down" won her the new artist award, was named best new artist at the ceremony[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html). Two decades later she was crowned "Lady of Soul" at the 2016 Soul Train Awards[4](https://time.com/4583513/brandy-soul-train-video/).
**Snoop Doggy Dogg and the rap album.** The previous year, Snoop Doggy Dogg had complained backstage at the Soul Train Awards that *Doggystyle* was not nominated for best rap album; the show's guidelines placed his album just past the eligibility deadline[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html). In 1995 the album took the rap album trophy at the Shrine Auditorium, and backstage the Long Beach rapper drew what one media observer called a Pied-Piper-like trail of fans and press[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html).
**Other category winners.** The remaining trophies went to [R. Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-kelly), R&B single, male, for "Bump 'N Grind"; Norman Brown, jazz album, for *After The Storm*; Sounds of Blackness, gospel album, for *Africa to America: The Journey of the Drum*; and [Aaron Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-hall-singer), R&B music video, for "I Miss You"[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html).
## Special honors
[Queen Latifah](https://www.edgepedia.org/queen-latifah) won the Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html). [Diana Ross](https://www.edgepedia.org/diana-ross) received the Heritage Award in recognition of more than 30 years as a star; the award was presented by Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., who appeared backstage with Ross and her five children[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html). Ross said the award meant much "because of what the 'Soul Train' TV show has meant to black music over the years"[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html).
## Context: how the awards worked
[Don Cornelius](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-cornelius), creator of the syndicated dance program *Soul Train*, launched the [Soul Train Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/soul-train-music-awards) in 1987 to recognize achievements in black music[5](https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/whitney-houstons-soul-train-artist-decade-award). The awards were intended in part as a counterpoint to what were perceived as white-dominated award programs[6](https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NMAH.AC.1223.pdf). Winners are based on a survey of 3,000 radio programmers and record retailers[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-17-ca-35403-story.html).
The eligibility calendar shaped at least one 1995 outcome: Snoop Doggy Dogg's *Doggystyle* had missed the previous year's deadline by a narrow margin under the show's guidelines, which is why it competed only at the ninth ceremony[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html).
**1995 in the Soul Train year.** 1995 was a busy year for the [Soul Train](https://www.edgepedia.org/soul-train) brand. The first Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, the first-ever show format specially designed to honor female entertainers, was held that year, beginning a run that lasted through 2003[6](https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NMAH.AC.1223.pdf). On November 22, 1995, a Soul Train 25th anniversary Hall of Fame special was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and aired in syndication, hosted by [Arsenio Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/arsenio-hall)[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324027/). Smithsonian collection records list a Soul Train Music Awards program for that November 22 date alongside the March 13 ceremony program[9](https://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=set_name%3A%22Soul+Train+Music+Awards+Records%22).
## References
1. [The 9th Annual Soul Train Music Awards (TV Special 1995), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799910/)
2. [Baker, White Garner 2 Soul Train Awards, Los Angeles Times, March 14, 1995](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-14-me-42482-story.html)
3. [Baker, Boyz and Barry Double Up, Los Angeles Times, March 15, 1995](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-15-ca-42962-story.html)
4. [Watch Brandy Bring the '90s Back at the Soul Train Awards, Time](https://time.com/4583513/brandy-soul-train-video/)
5. [Whitney Houston's Soul Train Artist of the Decade Award, National Museum of African American History and Culture](https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/whitney-houstons-soul-train-artist-decade-award)
6. [Guide to the Soul Train Awards Records, NMAH.AC.1223, Smithsonian Institution](https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NMAH.AC.1223.pdf)
7. [Backstage Rapping at Soul Train Awards, Los Angeles Times, March 17, 1994](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-17-ca-35403-story.html)
8. [Soul Train's 25th Anniversary (TV Special 1995), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324027/)
9. [Search results for Soul Train Music Awards Records, Smithsonian Collections Search Center](https://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=set_name%3A%22Soul+Train+Music+Awards+Records%22)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music institutions and events › Music awards › United States major music awards › Soul Train Music Awards › Soul Train Music Awards ceremonies, 1995–1999*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license