VIBE magazine and UPN have announced the nominations for the VIBE AWARDS: BEATS, STYLE, FLAVOR, a two-hour special event dedicated to celebrating excellence, innovation, cutting-edge presentation and genre-expanding work in urban music, co-hosted by Grammy Award-winning artist, Academy Awardâ-nominated actress, author and entrepreneur Queen Latifah. The VIBE AWARDS will be held November 20 at the Santa Monica Civic Center and will be broadcast Friday, Nov. 21 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on UPN.

Nominations for VIBE AWARDS were determined by the Vibe editorial staff, headed by editorial director Emil Wilbekin. Winners in each category will be decided by votes from music journalists and entertainment executives.

To be eligible for nomination, recorded material must have been released between October 2002 and September 2003.

THE NOMINEES FOR ARTIST OF THE YEAR ARE:

50 Cent
It's been a hella' year for 50 Cent. His major-label debut Get Rich or Die Tryin' scanned more than 872,000 units in four days and then flipped it up its second, and first full week, to scan 822,000 more units. The album managed to hold down Billboard's #1 spot for six straight weeks. Nine months later, and this joint is still holding its own on the Top 100. Besides, 50 gave you the best hits to party "like it's your birthday," to.

Beyoncé
This was the year that Beyoncé claimed her destiny. Her lead single "Crazy in Love," from her solo debut Dangerously in Love was just craaazy. She later followed up with a hot collabo featuring Sean Paul called "Baby Boy," which put all eyes on her head turning moves in the video. We won't even mention her relationship with Jay-Z, Ôcuz this is one baby gurl who didn't have to depend on her affiliations to solidify her career.

Sean Paul
This dancehall don has carved out a new space in R&B and hip hop for dancehall. An MTV and BET regular, his hit tracks, "Gimme the Light," "Get Busy," and "Like Glue," continue to blaze up dance floors. Dutty Rock's flavor caught on real fast, and the hottest artists were all clamoring for a taste. Sean Paul's demand extended to Beyoncé, Blu Cantrell, and Busta Rhymes, to name a few.

Missy Elliot
Missy brought returned with peerless musical innovation when she released Under Construction. The album put the hip back in hop, and her videos and live performances paid homage to b-girls and b-boys the world over. She went right back into the lab to bless listeners with "Pass that Dutch," the first single from her second album to be released this year. This is not a Test is slated to hits retailer's shelves November 25.

R. Kelly
With Chocolate Factory, R. Kelly knocked 50 Cent out of the Billboard pole position for one week, proving that R&B fans still love him. Later, when he dropped the R in R&B Collection, Vol.1, it was if he wanted to remind us how meaningful his musical contributions have been.

To view the full nominees list, click here.