The nominations for Centric’s 2012 Soul Train Awards were unveiled Thursday, September 19th and Usher leads the way!

With five award nominations, including Song and Album of the Year, the R&B crooner has surpassed Michael Jackson and Beyoncé and now holds the distinction of most nominations in a single year. But Usher isn’t the only one breaking records. With two nominations, including Album of the Year, R. Kelly is officially the most nominated artist in Soul Train Awards history.

This year, some of the biggest names in music, including Tyrese, Wale, John Legend, Robin Thicke, Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys garnered nods alongside late singers Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse. Adding to the suspense, fans will be able to decide who will takes home the top prize in via an online vote in four special categories: Best Caribbean Performance, Best International Performance, Best Traditional Jazz Artist/Group and Best Contemporary Jazz Artist/Group.

Featuring never-before-seen musical collaborations, tributes, and appearances from the most acclaimed voices of today’s urban music, the 2012 Soul Train Awards, are not to be missed. Hosted by hosted by Cedric The Entertainer, this year’s award show will take place in Las Vegas, at the popular Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, and will be apart of the network’s Soul Weekend.

The 2012 Soul Train Awards will simulcast on Centric and BET. The full list of nominees are below.

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 Gospel/Inspirational Performance
BeBe Winans- “America America”
Fred Hammond- “I Feel Good”
Marvin Sapp- “My Testimony”
Mary Mary- “Go Get It”
Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks- “Celebrate”

Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year
2 Chainz ft. Drake- “No Lie”
Wale ft. Miguel- “Lotus Flower Bomb”
Nas- “Daughters”
Kanye West ft. Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz – “Mercy”
Young Jeezy ft. 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
The One – Eric Benet
Channel Orange -Frank Ocean
Life Is Good -Nas
Write Me Back -R. Kelly
Looking For Myself -Usher

Song of the Year
Estelle- “Thank You”
John Legend ft. Ludacris- “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)”
Trey Songz- “Heart Attack”
Tyrese- “Stay”
Usher- “Climax”
Wale ft. Miguel- “Lotus Flower Bomb”

The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award
“Thank You”-Estelle
(Writers: Arden Altino, Akene “The Champ” Dunkley, Jerry Duplessis, Doug F. Edwards, Thomas D. Richardson, Aliaune Thiam)
“Tonight (Best You Ever Had)” -John Legend ft. Ludacris
(Writers: Allen Arthur, Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges, Keith Justice, Miguel Pimentel “Miguel”, Clayton Reilly, John Stephens)
“Daughters”-Nas
(Writers: Nasir Jones, Ernest D. Wilson, Patrick Adams, Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, Paul Leka)
“Share My Love”-R. Kelly
(Writer: Robert Kelly)
“Climax” -Usher
(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”

Best Caribbean Performance*
Cover Drive – “Bajan Style”
Damien “Junior Gong” Marley- “SuperHeavy”
Jimmy Cliff- “Rebirth”
Matisyahu – “Spark Seeker”
Sean Paul – “Tomahawk Technique”

Best International Performance*
Amy Winehouse- “Our Day Will Come”
Daley ft. Marsha Ambrosius- “Alone Together”
Emeli Sande- “Next To Me”
Estelle- “Thank You”
Gotye ft. Kimbra- “Somebody (That I Used To Know)”
Rebecca Ferguson- “Nothing’s Real But Love”

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

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

*Winner to be determined via online voting

TAGS: 2012 Soul Train Awards, 2012 Soul Train Awards nominee