jay-z leads vma noms
by josh grossberg

07.27.04

when it comes to the vmas, the biggest problem jay-z may have is where to put all those moon men.

in what could be a last hurrah before his pending retirement from hip-hop, the rapper otherwise known as sean carter led the list of nominees tuesday for the 2004 mtv music awards, scoring six nods for the clip to "99 problems," including best rap video, best male video and video of the year.

close on jay-z's heels was galpal beyoncé, who garnered five nominations, including best female video and best dance video for "naughty girl," and best r&b video for "me, myself and i." tying the bootylicious chanteuse with five nominations apiece were outkast--who grabbed nods for best hip-hop video and video of the year for "hey ya!"--usher and no doubt.

other notable contenders included anthemic british rockers the darkness, up for best rock video and best new artist, and new york's yeah yeah yeahs, nominated in the best breakthrough video category.

for the first time in its two-decade-plus history, the vmas will not be held in either new york or los angeles. instead, the ceremony will head south to miami, the bastion of bling, hot bods and steamy clubs, after some intense lobbying from city officials, who view the shindig as a major boon to the local economy.

to mark its inauguration in the sunshine state, nominees will forego the usual humvee limos and make their grand entrance on the red carpet via luxury yachts before heading inside american airlines arena.

"the awards show here is going to be hot. i mean literally hot," said missy elliot, who along with usher, announced the nominations in balmy 90-degree heat at miami's posh mandarin oriental hotel.

"i've got a few ideas up my sleeve," said usher, who's scheduled to perform live on the show, as are jessica simpson, kanye west, jet, hoobastank and yellowcard. "miami will be the light of life that night."

in another break from tradition, this year's vmas will not feature a host. producer dave sirulnick says that because the show will be set in a large arena, versus the more intimate theater venues of past years, the telecast will load up on the usual stunts (any bets on what they'll do to top last year's madonna-britney-christina three-way smooch?) and feature five stages, some of which will hover in the air while others will allow entertainers to mingle with the crowd.

mtv has tweaked its viewer's choice format. there will be a tournament dubbed "vmahem viewer's choice playoffs" on mtv.com in which 40 music videos will square off on in brackets, narrowing the field to a final five. fans will be able to cast votes right up until moments before the award is actually given out onstage.

and for the first time, the cable network's sister channel, mtv2 (which is where the music videos play for the most part these days), will give its audience a say with the mtv2 award. voting on both categories starts today at mtv.com.

the vmas will air live on mtv from miami on aug. 29.

here's a rundown of all the nominees:

video of the year:
• outkast, "hey ya!
• britney spears, "toxic"
• jay-z, "99 problems"
• usher featuring lil jon & ludacris, "yeah"
• d12, "my band"

best male video:
• usher featuring lil' jon & ludacris, "yeah"
• justin timberlake, "senorita"
• prince, "musicology"
• jay-z, "99 problems"
• kanye west with syleena johnson, "all falls down"

best female video:
• britney spears, "toxic"
• beyoncé, "naughty"
• alicia keys, "if i ain't got you"
• christina aguilera, "the voice within"
• jessica simpson, "with you"

best group video:
• no doubt, "it's my life"
• hoobastank, "the reason"
• good charlotte, "hold on"
• d12 "my band"
• maroon 5, "this love"

best rap video:
• jay-z, "99 problems"
• d12, "my band"
• ludacris, "stand up"
• 50 cent featuring snoop dogg & g-unit, "p.i.m.p. remix"
• lil jon & the east side boys featuring ying yang twins, "get low"

best dance video:
• usher featuring lil jon & ludacris, "yeah"
• beyoncé, "naughty girl"
• missy elliot, "i'm really hot"
• black eyed peas, "hey mama"
• britney spears, "toxic"

best r&b video:
• usher, "burn"
• alicia keys, "if i ain't got you"
• brandy featuring kanye west, "talk about our lov"
• r. kelly, "step in the name of love"
• beyoncé, "me, myself and i"

best hip-hop video:
• outkast, "hey ya,"
• kanye west with syleena johnson, "all falls down"
• chingy featuring ludacris and snoop dogg, "holidae in"
• black eyed peas, "hey mama"
• nely with p. diddy and murphy lee, "shake ya tailfeather"

best rock video:
• jet, "are you gonna be my girl"
• the darkness, "i believe in a thing called love"
• hoobastank, "the reason"
• linkin park, "breaking the habit"
• evanescence, "my immortal"

best pop video:
• britney spears, "toxic"
• jessica simpson, "with you"
• hilary duff, "come clean"
• avril lavigne, "don't tell me"
• no doubt, "it's my life"

best new artist in a video:
• jet, "are you gonna be my girl"
• jojo, "leave (get out)"
• yellowcard, "ocean avenue"
• maroon 5, "this love"
• kanye west featuring syleena johnson, "all falls down"
• the darkness, "i believe in a thing called love"

mtv2 award:
• yeah yeah yeahs, "maps"
• yellowcard, "ocean avenue"
• franz ferdinand, "take me out"
• elephant man, "pon de river"
• twista featuring kanye west and jamie foxx, "slow jamz"

breakthrough video:
• franz ferdinand, "take me out"
• kayne west featuring syleena johnson, "all falls down"
• white stripes, "the hardest button to button"
• modest mouse, "float on"
• new found glory, "all downhill from here"
• steriogram, "walkie talkie man"

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