HOLLYWOOD - Rapper 50 Cent and R&B singer Beyoncé dominated the 2003 Billboard Awards nominations, announced today. The awards will be presented Dec. 10 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.Billboard.com reports the Eminem protégé 50 Cent is nominated in six categories, including artist of the year, album of the year for Get Rich or Die Tryin', R&B/hip-hop artist of the year and Hot 100 single of the year for "In Da Club."
Other multiple nominees include R&B stars R. Kelly and Beyoncé, who each received nods in five categories, while dancehall sensation Sean Paul and the country trio Dixie Chicks are contenders in four.
Chingy, Justin Timberlake and 3 Doors Down, meanwhile, followed with three nominations each; matchbox twenty, Norah Jones, Shania Twain, Aaliyah, Floetry, Linkin Park and Audioslave took two nods apiece.
The awards show will be broadcast live on Fox at 8 p.m. ET (tape-delayed on the West Coast). The winners reflect the weekly charts published by Billboard between December 2002 and November 2003.
Here is a list of finalists by category (artists are listed in alphabetical order):
Album of the year:
50 Cent, Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
Dixie Chicks, Home
Norah Jones, Come Away With Me
Shania Twain, Up!
Artist of the year:
50 Cent
R. Kelly
Sean Paul
Justin Timberlake
Duo/group artist of the year:
3 Doors Down
Dixie Chicks
Linkin Park
matchbox twenty
New artist of the year:
Beyoncé
Chingy
Evanescence
Justin Timberlake
Hot 100 single of the year:
50 Cent, "In Da Club"
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy In Love"
R. Kelly, "Ignition"
Sean Paul, "Get Busy"
R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the year:
50 Cent
Aaliyah
Jay-Z
R. Kelly
R&B/Hip-Hop duo/group of the year:
B2K
Dru Hill
Floetry
Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz