Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Big Sean Nominated NAACP Awards

The nominations for the 47th NAACP Image Awards were announced on Tuesday (Dec. 8) and hip-hop's presence is strong. The hip-hop centric TV show Empire leads the way with 12 nominations. Pharrell Williams is nominated for Entertainer of the Year. Pharrell also earned nominations for Outstanding Song (Contemporary) and Outstanding Music Video, both for his powerful "Freedom" single.

As far as rappers go, Kendrick Lamar is nominated for Outstanding Male Artist alongside Charlie Wilson, The Weeknd, Tyrese Gibson and the aforementioned Pharrell. Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, which received 11 Grammy nominations, is surprisingly absent from the Outstanding Album category though.

Big Sean, Kanye West and J. Cole each earned nominations as part of the Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration category. Big Sean's "One Man Can Change The World" featuring Kanye West and John Legend as well as Janet Jackson's "No Sleep" featuring J. Cole earned them their respective nominations. Janet Jackson and J. Cole's "No Sleep" is also up for Outstanding Song (Contemporary) and Outstanding Music Video.

Lauryn Hill received a nomination for Outstanding Female Artist. She's competing against Janet Jackson, Jazmine Sullivan, Jill Scott and Lalath Hathaway. Lauryn Hill also received a nomination in the Outstanding Song (Traditional) category for her song "Feeling Good."

See Best Rap Performance Nominees & Winners at the Grammys Over the Years