This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song. The award was first given in 1972, before being retired until the 1996 ceremony. In 2017 the category was divided, honoring traditional and contemporary songs separately. Since its conception, Alicia Keys holds the record for most wins in this category with five.
Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
Year | Artist | Song | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | |||
Isaac Hayes | "Theme from Shaft" | [citation needed] | |
1973 – 79 | — |
Year | Artist | Song | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
1990 – 95 | — | ||
1996 | |||
Whitney Houston | "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | [1][2] | |
D'Angelo | "Brown Sugar" | ||
Coolio (featuring L.V.) | "Gangsta's Paradise" | ||
TLC | "Waterfalls" | ||
Michael Jackson | "You Are Not Alone" | ||
1997 | |||
R. Kelly | "I Believe I Can Fly" | [3][4] | |
Tracy Chapman | "Give Me One Reason" | ||
Fugees | "Killing Me Softly" | ||
Blackstreet (featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen) | "No Diggity" | ||
Toni Braxton | "Un-Break My Heart" | ||
1998 | |||
Boyz II Men | "A Song for Mama" | [citation needed] | |
Babyface | "Every Time I Close My Eyes" | ||
Erykah Badu | "On &On" | ||
En Vogue | "Don't Let Go (Love)" | ||
God's Property (featuring Kirk Franklin and Cheryl James) | "Stomp" | ||
1999 | |||
Kirk Franklin | "Lean on Me" | [5] | |
Aretha Franklin | "A Rose Is Still a Rose" | ||
K-Ci & JoJo | "All My Life" | ||
Lauryn Hill | "Doo Wop (That Thing)" | ||
Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey | "When You Believe" |
Year | Artist | Song | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | |||
Beyoncé | "Before I Let Go" | [15] | |
H.E.R. | "Hard Place" | ||
Lizzo | "Juice" | ||
Normani | "Motivation" | ||
Khalid | "Talk" | ||
Beyoncé | "Spirit" | ||
Fantasia | "Enough" | ||
Lizzo | "Jerome" | ||
Cynthia Erivo | "Stand Up" | ||
India Arie | "Steady Love" |
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Motion picture |
| ||||||||
Television |
| ||||||||
Music |
| ||||||||
Literature |
| ||||||||
Special awards |
| ||||||||
Defunct awards |
| ||||||||
Award ceremonies (year honored) |
|