Bell Biv DeVoe and Nelly will each perform a medley of hits from their multiplatinum debut albums on the American Music Awards. The three-hour show is set for Sunday on ABC. The announcement was made on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars on Monday (Nov. 16), where Nelly is a semifinalist on season 29 of the hit show.
Bell Biv DeVoe will perform a medley of its first two singles, “Poison” and “Do Me!” Both songs reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. Both were featured on the trio’s album, Poison, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The album was at the forefront of the new jack swing movement that combined elements of traditional soul and R&B with hip-hop.
Bell Biv DeVoe, which consists of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe, first appeared on the AMAs in 1991 performing yet another hit from their debut album, “B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)?” The trio has won three AMA trophies.
Nelly is set to perform three songs from his blockbuster 2000 album, Country Grammar: “Hot S**t (Country Grammar),” “E.I.” and “Ride Wit Me.” All three songs made the top 15 on the Hot 100. Country Grammar topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks and has been certified diamond by the RIAA. Like BBD, Nelly is a three-time AMA winner.
These bookings show the influence of the surprise hit Verzuz, which has demonstrated the degree of fan interest in vintage R&B and hip-hop.
Two current hip-hop superstars, Lil Baby and Megan Thee Stallion, will also appear on the show. The number of rap/hip-hop categories on the AMAs jumped from three to four this year, reflecting the music’s sustained popularity. (The number of Latin categories surged from one to four, reflecting that genre’s explosive growth in recent years.)
Taraji P. Henson will host the AMAs, which will be broadcast live from The Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles for the 14th consecutive year.
The talent lineup also includes the previously announced Bad Bunny with Jhay Cortez, BTS, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez and Maluma, Katy Perry and Shawn Mendes.
The AMAs bill themselves as the world’s largest fan-voted awards show. The show is seen in more than 200 countries and territories.
Nominations are based on key fan interactions, including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay and social activity. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners MRC Data and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of Sept. 27, 2019, through Sept. 24, 2020. The winners are determined entirely by fans.
The 2020 American Music Awards is produced by dick clark productions, which is owned by MRC Entertainment, the same company that owns Billboard. Amy Thurlow, Barry Adelman, Mark Bracco and Linda Gierahn are executive producers. Larry Klein is producer.
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