Kanye West Leads BET Hip Hop Awards Noms

Kanye West has earned the most nominations at this year’s BET Hip Hop Awards, racking up an impressive nine nods.

Among the categories the The Louis Vuitton Don is vying for are: Best Live Performer, Lyricist of the Year, Producer of the Year, and People’s Champ (Viewer’s Choice).

Jay-Z and Lil Wayne are close behind Ye with seven nominations each and T.I. was able to garner six nods.

Toronto necomer Drake was nominated for both Rookie of the Year and Lyricist of the Year awards alonside veterans Eminem, Jay, Weezy and West. These two nominations signify the type of unbelievable year the phenom has had and comes at a time when the retail version of his widely circulated, critically-acclaimed mixtape So Far Gone is projected to reach 55-60k in sales in it’s first week.

Also during the show, veteran West Coast rapper Ice Cube, who is rumored to be working on a documentary for ESPN about the L.A. Raiders, will be honored with the “I AM HIP-HOP” Icon Award for his role in pioneering the West Coast rap movement in the late 80’s. Cube will join previous recipients of the award Russell Simmons, Grandmaster Flash and KRS-One in this honor.

The late DJ AM will be recognized during the ceremony as he has been posthumously nominated for DJ of the Year.

The show, which airs Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m., will be hosted by comedian Mike Epps.

For a full list of the nominees and categories for the 2009 BET Hip-Hop Awards visit BET.com. -Brooklyne Gipson