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Home • Entertainment

'American Soul' Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars

Melanie Fiona, Ledisi, Big Boi and more step into a time machine to become Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle and George Clinton, respectively. 
'American Soul' Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
BET
By Taiia Smart Young · Updated November 4, 2020

It’s time to rock your peasant skirts, wide-lapel shirts and platforms again.

BET’s American Soul returns for a second season on May 27 with Sinqua Walls as Don Cornelius, the formidable host and producer of Soul Train, the nationally syndicated TV dance show.

The period piece picks up two years later in 1975 and continues to follow Cornelius’s challenges and triumphs. This time the troubled impresario is a rising star juggling talent on the popular show, health challenges, family issues and perhaps the biggest problem of all—his huge ego. 

Speaking of talent, American Soul’s glam quad was tasked with transforming guest stars like Ledisi, Darius McCrary, Melanie Fiona and Demetria McKinney into Patti LaBelle, James Brown, Chaka Khan, and the Pointer Sister’s June Pointer, respectively.

Take a look at the artists reimagined as some of your ’70s favorites.

1. Melanie Fiona as Chaka Khan

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still from BET’s “American Soul” episode 208. (Photo: Annette Brown/BET)

2. D.C. Young Fly as Sly Stone

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still from BET’s “American Soul” episode 204. (Photo: Annette Brown/BET)

3. Demetria McKinney as June Pointer

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still of Demetria McKinney as June Pointer from BET’s “American Soul” episode 203. (Photo: Annette Brown/BET)

4. Yung Jock as Garry Shider of the P-Funk All-Stars

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still of Yung Joc as Garry Shider from BET’s “American Soul” episode 205. (Photo: Annette Brown/BET)

5. Ledisi as Patti LaBelle

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still of Ledisi as Patti LaBelle from BET’s “Soul Train” episode 201. (Photo: BET)

6. London Lamont Brown as Bootsy Collins

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still of London Lamont Brown as Bootsy Collins from BET’s “American Soul” episode 205. (Photo: Nathan Bolster/BET)

7. Darius McCrary as James Brown

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still of Darius McCrary as James Brown from BET’s “American Soul” episode 205. (Photo: Nathan Bolster/BET)

8. Big Boi as George Clinton

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still of Big Boi as George Clinton from BET’s “American Soul” episode 205. (Photo: Annette Brown/BET)

9. Tone Bell as Richard Pryor

‘American Soul’ Returns With Your Favorites Reimagined As 1970s Stars
Still of Tone Bell as Richard Pryor from BET’s “American Soul” episode 208. (Photo: Annette Brown/BET)

American Soul returns May 27 on BET.

TOPICS:  American Soul bet big boi Darius McCrary demetria mckinney ledisi melanie fiona Soul Train tone bell young jock