It has been two years since Chris Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault against former girlfriend Rihanna in June 2009. After the highly publicized ‘incident’, Brown laid low completing his 1,400 hours of community service.

With most critics believing Brown would fall into irrelevance once the hype died down, no one could have predicted his recent meteoric rise to new heights of fame (or F.A.M.E.) in what can only be seen as one of the greatest comebacks in history.

Now, walking away with five BET awards earlier this year, Chris Brown looks set to clean up again as he leads the nominations at the 2011 Soul Train Awards.

This year’s third annual Soul Train Awards see the artist nominated for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Male R&B/Soul Artist, and Best Dance Performance.

It’s not all smooth sailing for Brown, however. Former lovers Brown and Rihanna share a nomination for Best Dance Performance, with the award ceremony pitting Rihanna’s ‘Only Girl in the World’/’What’s My Name’ against Brown’s ‘She Ain’t You’.

The ‘Yeah 3x’ singer will also be up against R&B superstar Beyonce for the Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Dance Performance awards. The ‘Love on Top’ singer will also compete for the Best Female R&B/Soul Artist award, topping off a respectable four nominations; the same number as Kanye West.

Kelly Rowland, Adele, and Rihanna each follow closely behind with a respectable three nominations each.

The Soul Train has a long history of giving credit where it’s due, and in that tradition this year’s awards will be pay tribute to the immense musical influences of R&B legends Earth, Wind and Fire, and soul diva Gladys Knight.

Hosted by Cedric ‘The Entertainer’, this years ceremony will be recorded on November 17, and air on both Centric and BET on November 27 at 9pm/8c.

Watch the Soul Train Line Dance to Earth, Wind, and Fire’s ‘Mighty Mighty’ below:

Click over to the next page to see the full list of 2011 Soul Train Award Nominees.