Adele, Rihanna, & Lil Wayne Lead American Music Awards Nominations

With a hugely successful year under her belt, rapper Nicki Minaj is looking to keep her winning streak going at this year's American Music Awards. The Young Money frontwoman snagged two AMA nods and also acted as mistress of ceremonies, announcing the nominees alongside fellow double nominee Pitbull in Los Angeles Tuesday morning (Oct. 11).

The 27-year-old 'Pink Friday' creator is up for Favorite Artist and Favorite Album in the Rap/Hip-Hop categories where she will face off against heavyweights like Jay-Z, Kanye West and her boss, Lil Wayne.

Despite the competition, Minaj is not worried about going up against Weezy and is sure that she'll take home the trophies. "I'll knock him out," she tells The BoomBox.

After a whirlwind year which has seen her topping Billboard charts, touring with Britney Spears and winning tons of accolades for her platinum-plus selling 'Pink Friday' debut, the Queens native is excited to be recognized for her work by the AMAs. "It feels like cotton candy and rollercoasters," she says of the nominations.

As for her outfit choices, of which she has become known for, Minaj has yet to make a decision. "I never know what I'm wearing until about five minutes before I leave and that's usually why I'm always about an hour late!" she admits.

British singer Adele leads this year's nominations, grabbing four nods, inching past Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, who tied with three nods apiece. In the R&B category, Chris Brown snagged two nominations including favorite soul/R&B album for his 'F.A.M.E.' release. He will face-off against Beyonce and his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in the same category.

For the fifth year, winners for this year's AMAs will be determined by online votes via the Coca-Cola AMA voting website www.amavote.com or www.AMA.abc.com. Fans will also have the opportunity to choose their picks for the Sprint New Artist of the Year, with the first round of voting starting today through Fri., Oct. 21 at 9PM. EST.

The 39th annual American Music Awards will air live from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles, Sun., Nov. 20 at 8PM EST.

Check out the full list of nominees for the 2011 American Music Awards.

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Lil Wayne
Nicki Minaj
Kanye West

Favorite Album
Jay-Z & Kanye West/'Watch the Throne'
Lil Wayne/'Tha Carter IV'
Nicki Minaj/'Pink Friday'

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher

Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce
Rihanna
Kelly Rowland

Favorite Album
Beyonce/'4'
Chris Brown/'F.A.M.E.'
Rihanna/'Loud'

POP or ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Justin Bieber
Bruno Mars
Pitbull

Favorite Female Artist
Adele
Lady Gaga
Katy Perry

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
LMFAO
Maroon 5
OneRepublic

Favorite Album
Adele/'21'
Lady Gaga/'Born This Way'
Rihanna/'Loud'

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Artist
The Black Keys
Foo Fighters
Mumford & Sons

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Adele
Bruno Mars
Katy Perry

LATIN MUSIC

Favorite Artist
Enrique Iglesias
Jennifer Lopez
Pitbull

COUNTRY MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton

Favorite Female Artist
Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum

Favorite Album
Jason Aldean/'My Kinda Party'
The Band Perry/'The Band Perry'
Taylor Swift/'Speak Now'

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

Favorite Artist
Casting Crowns
Tobymac
Third Day

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Adele
Lady Gaga
Lil Wayne
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift

Sprint New Artist of the Year

POP/ROCK
Foster the People
Hot Chelle Rae

COUNTRY
The Band Perry
Thompson Square

SOUL/R&B
Marsha Ambrosius
Miguel

RAP/HIP-HOP
LMFAO
Wiz Khalifa