Los Angeles, April 5 (IANS) After winning Top Female Rap Artist last year, rapper Cardi B is the leading contender at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with 21 nominations.

NBC and Dick Clark Productions on Thursday announced that the 26-year-old rapper is up for honours including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Rap Artist, Top Selling Song and Top Rap Album, reports billboard.com.

The "I like it" rapper is nominated 21 times in 18 categories -- just missing the record for most nominations set by Drake and The Chainsmokers, who each had 22 in 2017. Cardi B will compete against herself in three categories -- Top Hot 100 Song, Top Selling Song, and Top Collaboration.

Following Cardi B, Drake and Post Malone each have 17 nominations. Travis Scott is up for 12 awards, and XXXTentacion is up for 10.

Among the other nominees are Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper -- who are up for the chart achievement award, top soundtrack for "A Star Is Born", and Top Selling song for "Shallow". Gaga is up separately for Top Song Sales Artist.

For this year's ceremony, there are two fan-voted categories -- Top Social Artist, and Chart Achievement. American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson will host the award ceremony in Las Vegas on May 1.

Here are some of the nominations:

* Top Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
Travis Scott

* Top New Artist:
Bazzi
Juice Wrld
Lil Baby
Dua Lipa
Ella Mai

* Billboard Chart Achievement Award:
Dan + Shay
Drake
Ariana Grande
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Dua Lipa

* Top Male Artist:
Drake
Post Malone
Travis Scott
Ed Sheeran
XXXTentacion

* Top Female Artist:
Cardi B
Ariana Grande
Halsey
Ella Mai
Taylor Swift

* Top Duo/Group:
BTS
Dan + Shay
Imagine Dragons
Maroon 5
Panic! At The Disco

* Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Drake
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
Travis Scott
XXXTentacion

* Top Hot 100 Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Ariana Grande
Juice Wrld
Post Malone

* Top Streaming Songs Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
XXXTentacion

* Top Song Sales Artist:
Drake
Ariana Grande
Imagine Dragons
Lady Gaga
Post Malone

* Top Radio Songs Artist:
Cardi B
Drake
Ariana Grande
Maroon 5
Post Malone

* Top Social Artist:
BTS
EXO
GOT7
Ariana Grande
Louis Tomlinson

* Top Selling Song:
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin "I like it"
Drake "In my feelings"
Halsey "Without me"
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper "Shallow"
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B "Girls like you"

* Top Collaboration:
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin "I like it"
Khalid & Normani "Love lies"
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B "Girls like you"
Marshmello & Bastille "Happier"
Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign "Psycho"

--IANS sug/rb/bg