LOS ANGELES — R. Kelly won best album, TLC prevailed in the R&B group categories and Whitney Houston and the Artist, formerly known as Prince, were each honored as Artist of the Decade, at the 14th annual Soul Train Awards on Saturday.

The ex-Prince, who was honored for being one of the decade's prolific

artists and also for his use of digital distribution of music, advised

black artists to take charge of their careers.

"When it's not your game, everything comes hard," said the star (born

Prince Rogers Nelson), who wore shades and a black shirt revealing his

chest. "As long as you're signed to a contract, you're gonna take home

a minority share of the winnings. A select few of us will do well; the

majority will not, so as a people, we will be considered a minority."

In accepting her Artist of the Decade honor during the ceremony at the

Shrine Auditorium, Houston thanked God, Arista label chief Clive Davis,

her producers and other associates before singing "Happy Birthday" to

her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and thanking her husband, Bobby Brown,

whom she called "the original king of R&B."

"I couldn't do it by myself and didn't — nobody does," Houston

said.

Houston, who rose to fame in the mid-'80s, released her latest disc,

My Love Is Your Love in 1998. The LP, which features the

Wyclef Jean–produced title track, is certified triple platinum and

sits this week at the #68 spot on the Billboard 200 albums

chart.

Fanmail Brings Two Honors

TLC took home both R&B group awards, their multiplatinum Fanmail scoring Best R&B/Soul Album and its hit single, "No Scrubs" (

HREF="http://media.addict.com/music/TLC/No_Scrubs.ram">RealAudio excerpt), nabbing Best R&B/Soul Single.

Rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes accepted both awards on behalf of her

group but took the opportunity to give personal thanks to her family

and her "glam squad" of hair and makeup people.

"To my brother, who takes it much too personal when they don't play

the rap version on the radio, ... and my mother, who's always there

when I need her," she said. TLC won two Grammy Awards last month.

DMX and Mary J. Blige each took home an Entertainer of the Year

award, which, like the Artist of the Decade honors, were announced

before the ceremony. DMX thanked God "for giving the light to me, to

give it back to you, and to you, for appreciating it for what it is."

Blige also won for Best R&B/Soul Album, Female, for Mary.

"This is a really big black awards show, and I am the struggle; I am

black music; I am black people. So right now, as a woman, I feel really

good," she said backstage. "It feels like I did something and that my

work was not in vain."

Onstage, Blige focused on her fans in accepting both her honors.

"It's because of each and every one of y'all that I've lasted 10 years,

and I'm not even out of my 20s," she said. "To every prisoner ... and all the thugs on the streets that give Mary love, ... to every little girl out there who ever wanted a Mary hairdo, thank you."

They've Got Soul, Cousin

R. Kelly was not present to accept the R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the

Year award for his R., which also won Best R&B/Soul Album,

Male, last year. An awards spokesperson said R.'s continued

success on the charts in 1999 made it eligible for the Album of the

Year award this year.

Juvenile was cited as Best New Artist, for his song "Back That Azz Up"

(

XXXXXX%2F0174637_0113_00_0002.ra">RealAudio excerpt), featuring Manny Fresh and Lil' Wayne. Backstage, Juvenile said he is deserving of the honor because "I got soul, cousin. The whole Cash Money family got soul."

Among those left empty-handed were Dru Hill, whose "Beauty" lost to

TLC's "No Scrubs." "I'm tired of losing, 'cause I'm the best and y'all

know it," Sisqo, who performed without his group mates at the ceremony, ranted backstage. "They keep putting us up against TLC, and you can't win against them."

He said his bandmates didn't attend, "probably because they knew we

were gonna lose."

Performers at the star-studded ceremony included Blige, DMX, Destiny's Child, Q-Tip, Blaque, Ginuwine, Juvenile, Donell Jones with TLC's Lopes, and Eric Benét with Tamia.

Tamia and Benét co-hosted the show, with Lopes and Shemar Moore,

the host of the "Soul Train" TV show.

14th Annual Soul Train Award winners:

Best R&B/Soul Single, Female: Lauryn Hill, "Ex-Factor"

Best R&B/Soul Single, Male: Maxwell, "Fortunate"

Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo: TLC, "No Scrubs"

Best R&B/Soul Album, Female: Mary J. Blige, Mary

Best R&B/Soul Album, Male: Ginuwine, 100% Ginuwine

Best R&B/Soul Album, Group, Band or Duo: TLC,

Fanmail

R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year: R. Kelly, R.

Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist: Juvenile, "Back That Azz

Up"

Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video: Busta Rhymes, "What's It

Gonna Be"

Best Gospel Album: Dottie Peoples,"God Can & God Will"