NICKI MINAJ NA RIHANNA WAONGOZA KWA KUTAJWA KUGOMBANIA TUZO NYINGI KATIKA AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

The female domination is followed by such male artists as Justin Bieber, One Direction, Drake, Usher and Maroon 5 who get three nods each.

The battle to win 2012 American Music Awards begins as this year's nominees are announced. Nicki Minaj and Rihanna dominate the pack by scoring four nods each, overshadowing teen heartthrob Justin Bieber and popular boyband One Direction. The males get three noms each along with Drake, Usher and Maroon 5. 

Riri is vying for the top honor, Artist of the Year, against Bieber, Drizzy, Adam Levine's band and her best friend Katy Perry. She once again faces off Katy in Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock which additionally lists Nicki and Kelly Clarkson as other contenders. Her two other nods are Favorite Female Artist and Album in Soul/R&B categories. 

Nicki, meanwhile, adds three other noms in Favorite Artist & Album in Rap/Hip-Hop genre and Favorite Album in Pop/Rock field. "4 nominations?!?!?! Whoa! Thank you so very much to the American Music Awards. Very, very grateful. Luvu Barbz!!! mmmmuuuaaaahhhh!!!!" gushes the new female judge of "American Idol" on Twitter. 

Besides the top prize, Bieber is up for Favorite Male Artist and Album in Pop/Rock, while Niall Horan and his pals are battling for Favorite Album and Band, Duo or Group in Pop/Rock. The boys are also nominated for New Artist of the Year along with such newbies as J. Cole, Fun., Gotye and Carly Rae Jepsen. 

Winners are determined via online voting, which starts on Tuesday, October 9. The most-voted artists will be handed the awards in a ceremony airing live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on ABC on November 18. Christina Aguilera is the first star confirmed as a performer. More musical guests are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks. 

Artist of the Year:

Justin Bieber

Drake

Maroon 5

Katy Perry

Rihanna

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Rick Ross Heading to No. 1 on Hot 200 With 'God Forgives, I Don't'

Rozay is on his way to the top spot of Billboard album chart by selling around 200,000 copies in the debut week of his latest album.

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Rick Ross is projected to make a high debut on Billboard Hot 200. His newly-released studio album "God Forgives, I Don't" that boasts such guests as Jay-Z, Usher and Dr. Dre is predicted to easily top the U.S. album chart in its opening week.

The studio effort is estimated to sell around 200,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, August 5. If the final figure meets the expectation, it will mark his best sales week surpassing the 198,000 sales number posted by his 2008 CD "Trilla".

It will also become Rozay's fourth chart topper. The Maybach Music Group rapper previously hit the summit of the weekly rundown with his first three albums; 2006's "Port of Miami", 2008's "Trilla" and 2009's "Deeper Than Rap". His fourth CD "Teflon Don" peaked at No. 2 in 2010.

In addition to Rozay's CD, other new releases which are predicted to make notable entries on the chart next week are Joss Stone's "The Soul Sessions Volume 2" and Gloriana's "A Thousand Miles Left Behind".

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Video: Usher and Nicki Minaj Perform at 2012 BET Awards

Usher seduces the crowd with his slinky set, while Minaj offers uplifting performance at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

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Those who missed the live telecast of 2012 BET Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles needed no worry since footage of Usher's and Nicki Minaj's live performances has hit the web. The former treated audience to a "Climax" performance, while the latter stormed the stage with "Champion" and "Beez in the Trap".

Usher took the stage in an all-black ensemble which he paired with red sneakers. Accompanied by a live band, he showed off his sleek moves and powerful vocals, making the crowd go wild. "The response to #Climax has been amazing. Life and love #TeamUsher," he previously tweeted.

Minaj, on the other hand, shared spotlight with 2 Chainz to deliver their joint track "Beez in the Trap". The Best Female Hip-Hop Artist winner kicked off her set rapping "Champion" with the help of a string orchestra before shaking her booty in the second song.

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The 20 Hottest Celebrity Fathers!

Whether they're the hardest rapper or menacing actor, there's no denying that a male celebrity becomes more attractive once they become a father.
The likes of Nick Cannon and Dwyane Wade have made our hearts melt when spotted playing with their sons and daughters, while older veterans such as Denzel Washington and Idris Elba just get better with age.
New contender Jay-Z has certainly blossomed since welcoming daughter Blue Ivy in January, similar to Swizz Beatz who shares one-year-old son Egypt with wife Alicia Keys.
Nonetheless, Father's Day means every decent pops out there deserves to be celebrated, so flick through our gallery below for the hottest celebrity fathers around.

Usher and sons Daviyd Ely and Usher Raymond V. (Photo credit: Adriana M. Barraza / WENN.com)

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