Music

Beyonce Knowles and The Throne duo are among those up for Best International Act, while Jessie J, Rita Ora, Tulisa and others are vying for Best Female gong.

• Sep 18, 2012

AceShowbiz - Following the footsteps of MTV Europe Music Awards, another prize-giving event Mobo Awards unveils its own nominees for 2012. The annual show, which is held to recognize artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music, pits Beyonce Knowles against her own husband Jay-Z in Best International Act category.

Jigga is in the run for the prize along with his The Throne partner, Kanye West. In addition to Queen Bey, they will face stiff competition from Azealia Banks, Drake, Frank Ocean, Nas, Ne-Yo, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and Rihanna.

Leading in terms of number are Scottish musician Emeli Sande and English artist Plan B with five each. They will compete against each other in Best Video, Best Song and Best Album categories. The "Next To Me" singer is additionally up for Best Female and Best R&B/Soul Act titles, while the "Ill Manors" rapper gets his other nods in Best Male and Best Hip Hop/Grime Act categories.

Rita Ora, who gets four nominations, joins Sande in the race for Best Female award along with Jessie J, Tulisa, Jessie Ware and Rebecca Ferguson. The judge of British "The X Factor", Tulisa, says of being nominated without her N-Dubz bandmates, "It feels amazing. But pretty scary. It feels strange knowing all the past years I've been here it's been with N-Dubz, so it's a weird experience."

Also scoring four nods is Labrinth, who vies for Best Male, Best R&B/Soul Act, Best Song and Best Album. The "Earthquake" hitmaker is pitted against Ed Sheeran, who snatches three nods, in Best Male, Best Song and Best Album categories.

This year's Mobo Awards will be held at Liverpool's Echo Arena on November 3, while voting is already open on mobo.com. Performers and presenters at the show will be announced later.

Full nomination list of 2012 Mobo Awards: Best Female

• Emeli Sande
• Jessie J
• Jessie Ware
• Rebecca Ferguson
• Rita Ora
• Tulisa

• Ed Sheeran
• Labrinth
• Plan B
• Professor Green
• Rizzle Kicks
• Wiley

• Alunageorge
• Angel
• Conor Maynard
• Delilah
• Jessie Ware
• Lianne La Havas
• Misha B
• Rita Ora
• Rudimental
• Stooshe

• Angel
• Emeli Sande
• Labrinth
• Maverick Sabre
• Rebecca Ferguson

• Devlin
• Plan B
• Professor Green
• Wiley
• Wretch 32

• Emeli Sande - "My Kind Of Love"
• JLS - "Do You Feel What I Feel"
• Plan B - "Ill Manors"
• Rita Ora ft. Tinie Tempah - "RIP"
• Rizzle Kicks - "Mama Do The Hump"

• Ed Sheeran - "Lego House"
• Emeli Sande - "Next To Me"
• Labrinth ft .Tinie Tempah - "Earthquake"
• Michael Kiwanuka - "I'll Get Along"
• Plan B - "Ill Manors"

• Ed Sheeran - "Plus"
• Emeli Sande - "Our Version of Events"
• Labrinth - "Electronic Earth"
• Plan B - "Ill Manors"
• Rita Ora - "ORA"

• Azealia Banks
• Beyonce Knowles
• Drake
• Frank Ocean
• Jay-Z & Kanye West
• Nas
• Ne-Yo
• Nicki Minaj
• Rick Ross
• Rihanna

• Damian Marley
• Konshens
• Mr Vegas
• Popcaan
• Sean Paul

• Ayanna Witter-Johnson
• Femi Temowo
• Roller Trio
• Zara Mcfarlane
• Zoe Rahman

• Amadou & Mariam
• Cabo Snoop
• Camp Mulla
• D'Banj
• Fally Ipupa
• Fatoumata Diawara
• P Square
• Sarkodie
• Spoek Mathambo
• The Very Best

• El Mafrex
• Ni-cola
• Rachel Kerr
• RAM1
• V9 Collective

PHOTO GALLERY: The 2012 MOBO Awards Nominations Announcement - Arrivals