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Pop & Hiss

Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Eminem dominate Billboard Music Awards nominations

By Gerrick D. Kennedy
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The nominations for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards were revealed Wednesday and Rihanna, Eminem and Lady Gaga lead the pack.

Rihanna trumped her peers with 18 nominations, including top Hot 100 artist, top female artist, top R&B artist and top dance/electronic artist. ‘Love the Way You Lie,’ her Grammy-nominated collaboration with Eminem, scored six nods on its own.

Eminem continued his reign as awards season darling with 16 nominations, including top Billboard 200 artist, top artist, top male artist and top rap artist, while Lady Gaga trailed behind him with 12. Though she should scoop up a trophy for top dance/electronic album given ‘The Fame,’ ‘The Fame Monster’ and her remix EP are in the running.

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Katy Perry and Shakira both dominate the top pop and latin song races, respectively, as both singers have three singles a piece vying for statues in the categories.

Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber earned 11 nominations each and compete with Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and Taio Cruz for the top new artist award.

The Billboard Music Awards looked at artist performance based on chart profile, social network and streaming activity during the eligibility period of Feb. 28, 2010, to March 1, 2011. The 46 categories are based on data from Nielsen SoundScan, radio airplay, social media consumption and tour grosses, which is reflected in categories such as streaming awards for video and audio, touring and digital media.

After its cancellation and subsequent hiatus in 2007, the telecast returns to television this year. It will air live May 22 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on ABC.

Rihanna, the Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and Taio Cruz have all been confirmed as performers.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy
Twitter.com/gerrickkennedy

(Middle) Eminem celebrates after receiving the award for the best rap album on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. Credit: Mark Ralston / AFP / Getty Images

(Right) Rihanna accepts the international female award onstage at the the Brit Awards 2011 on Feb. 15 in London. Credit: Dave Hogan / Getty Images

Pop & Hiss
Gerrick D. Kennedy

Gerrick D. Kennedy is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. He covered music and pop culture from 2009 to 2019. In 2012, Kennedy was named Emerging Journalist of the Year by the National Assn. of Black Journalists and in 2014 the Advocate featured him in its annual 40 Under 40 list. He is also the author of “Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap.”

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