To those diehard fans who were engrossed in the hotly contested NY Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys game, nothing else mattered.

Despite the loss, we did get to witness perhaps the greatest pass play in the history of the national football league (Odell Beckham Jr. is the TRUTH!). What we didn’t see was the American Music Awards. If they remained true to their previous form however, little attention was paid to the categories that we cared about.

Fret not, however, as the unofficial African-American Music Awards, known by its proper moniker as the Soul Train Awards, is set to air this Sunday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. on Centric and BET.

Hosted by Wendy Williams, the show is wrought with star appearances, but although the past few airings of the recently revamped ceremony appeared to establish a new identity, this year, historical relevance was deftly added, framing the importance of the genres of Black music. That theme stayed true in the performances, as well as in the featured attraction of the broadcast, the reunion of the multi-platinum band Jodeci.

Biological sets of brothers, Cedric “K-Ci” and Joel “JoJo” Hailey, and Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” and Donald “DeVante Swing” DeGrate, haven’t been seen on stage together in the U.S. since 2006, but realized the impact this platform presented. In an exclusive written statement to Yahoo Music in advance of the appearance, the group said, “‘Soul Train’ was a critical platform in the beginning of our career, so it only makes sense that our return to the stage be during Soul Train Awards 2014.” The statement continued with, “We’re humbled by the loyalty of our fans who have asked for a reunion and look forward to giving them a show as only Jodeci can. #JODECIforever.”

“Freek’n You,” “Come and Talk to Me,” “Stay,” “Forever My Lady” and, to quell questions of this being a oneshot deal, their new single, “Nobody Wins,” featuring B.O.B, were the tunes selected for their medley.

Stephanie Mills added holiday flavor with a flawless rendition of her signature recording, “Home.” More importantly, she may have inspired a few newbies to maintain their blessed instrument in hopes of attaining that sustained level of excellence in performance longevity.

As for longevity, Legend Award recipients’ Kool and the Gang, showed it in spades as they celebrate year 50 in the recording industry. Core members of the band, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown and Dennis Thomas, took to the stage to accept their award and while thanking their fans for their unwavering support, dropped a pearl through the voice of Ronald Bell, who stated, “It’s harder to keep a band together than it is to make a hit record.”

The fame game can pull apart the best of them, but after a half century, they remain true to each other and, ultimately, music fans win. During their tenure as a band, they have sold more 70 million albums worldwide; earned two Grammy Awards and seven American Music Awards; and had 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits and 31 gold and platinum albums. But it is their style of music that has influenced at least three generations of musicians. Their blend of funk, jazz and pop arrangements has made them one of the most sampled bands of all time.

To celebrate the Legend Award, Tamar Braxton, Tank, Liv Warfield, Tessane Chin and Eric Benet took to the traditional songs of the Kool and the Gang catalog, and Doug E Fresh, MC Lyte, Elle Varner and Mase rendered hip-hop interpretations of the band’s work.

Shutting the show down were MCs Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliott and Da Brat, along with a clip of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ band that recreated their 1997 platinum hit “Not Tonight” (The Ladies Night remix.) Joining them onstage for further support were Kima and Pam of Total, The Lady of Rage and Yo Yo.

Once more, the Soul Train Awards airs Sunday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. on Centric and BET. Enjoy with the turkey and greens left over from your festiveThanksgiving.

Over and out. Holla next week. Til then, enjoy the night life