Chris Brown leads Soul Train Awards nominees with seven

Chris Brown will lead the way at the 2014 Soul Train Awards after scoring seven nominations.

The Kiss Kiss hitmaker is bouncing back from months of legal troubles, which included a prison stint earlier this year (14) after he was kicked out of a court-ordered rehab programme for anger management, and now he has been given a career boost. He will compete for the titles of Song of the Year, Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year, Best Dance Performance and Best Collaboration for his track Loyal, featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga.

His New Flame duet with Usher is shortlisted for Video of the Year, while he will fight for Best R&B/Soul Male Act against the likes of five-time nominee Pharrell Williams, Trey Songz and John Legend.

Meanwhile, Williams will go head-to-head with Beyonce, who has notched up six nods, for Album of the Year. Other nominees in the coveted category are John Legend, Drake, Janelle Monae and Michael Jackson, whose posthumous release, Xscape, makes the shortlist.

Beyonce and Monae are also in the running for Best R&B/Soul Female Act, alongside Jennifer Hudson and Jhene Aiko.

The 2014 Soul Train Awards, which celebrate the best in black music, will take place in Las Vegas on 7 November (14).