Cardi B leads Billboard Music Award nominations

Cardi B has capped a successful awards season by leading nominations for the 2019 Billboard Music Awards – with the rest of the top spots commanded by other US rap acts.

The Grammy award-winner is nominated 21 times across 18 categories, with five nods for her work on I Like It with Bad Bunny and J Balvin and two for her Invasion Of Privacy album.

The haul leaves her one nod short of rivalling a record shared by Drake and The Chainsmokers, who both scored 22 nominations in 2017.

It comes after Cardi B made history when she became the first female to win the best rap album Grammy with her debut Invasion Of Privacy.

Rap dominates the Billboard nominations, with Drake and Post Malone close behind with 17 nods apiece.

Travis Scott follows with 12 nominations, and 10 posthumous nods go to rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot and killed in Florida aged 20 last year.

In the British contingent, Dua Lipa is up for three awards including top new artist, while burgeoning R&B singer Ella Mai is nominated seven times.

Also nominated are Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who receive nods for chart achievement, top soundtrack for A Star Is Born and top selling song for Shallow.

The top rock tour category is an entirely British affair, with veteran acts Sir Elton John, The Rolling Stones and U2 making up the nominations.

The event will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1.