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Erykah Badu Wrangles Gladys Knight, Tyrese, Angie Stone and Ne-Yo For for Soul Train Awards 'Soul Cypher'
Erykah Badu Wrangles Gladys Knight, Tyrese, Angie Stone and Ne-Yo For for Soul Train Awards 'Soul Cypher'

Erykah Badu Gathers Gladys Knight, Tyrese, Angie Stone and Ne-Yo For for Soul Train Awards 'Soul Cypher'

Erykah Badu Wrangles Gladys Knight, Tyrese, Angie Stone and Ne-Yo For for Soul Train Awards 'Soul Cypher'

Upon hearing that Erykah Badu would be returning to The Soul Train Awards as host and ring-leader of BET's nostalgia blitz, this writer was only hoping for another installment of the star-studded "soul cypher." Last year the breakout segment gathered Lalah Hathaway, Chrisette Michelle, K-Ci and The O'Jay's Eddie Levert to rock one time over Mobb Deep's classic "Shook Ones Pt. II."

And last night we learned that the soul cypher had been reinstated for another genre and generation mashing affair, wrangling the likes of Tyrese, Ne-Yo, Angie Stone and soul legend, Gladys Knight to "freestyle" over a trap-styled composition accompanied by the mighty Robert Glasper, with scratches provided by the hostess with the mostest, which is available for you to see down below, just in case you missed last night's broadcast. The evening also honored the career of Virginia's r&b heavy, Teddy Rileywith the "Legend Award" and saw performances from Brandy, Anderson .Paak, Eric Benet, Dru Hill, Bobby Brown, Yuna, BJ The Chicago Kid, Tito Jackson, and, of course, Miss E. Badu herself, who joined forces with D.R.A.M. to perform "WiFi," after dubbing him "the lovechild of ODB, George Clinton and D'Angelo." Head over to BET to catch the rest of the performances.