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50 Cent Cashes in at First Vibe Awards
Fri Nov 21, 1:23 PM ET Add Entertainment - Reuters to My Yahoo!


By Gail Mitchell

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - 50 Cent scored three awards at the inaugural Vibe Awards Thursday night, receiving statuettes for artist of the year, dopest album ("Get Rich or Die Tryin"') and hottest hook ("In Da Club").

The rapper headed a winners' circle that included double honorees Beyonce Knowles (news) and Jay-Z. The ceremony, which took place at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, airs Friday night as a two-hour special on UPN, hosted by Queen Latifah. Beyonce was named most stylish, while she and Jay-Z earned kudos for coolest collaboration ("Crazy in Love"). Jay-Z also received the TuBig Award. One of the evening's four special presentations, the award honors the legacy of late rappers Tupac Shakur (news) and Biggie "The Notorious B.I.G." Smalls.


Pharrell Williams, who led the field with five nominations, took home the tightest team players award for his work with partner Chad Hugo in N*E*R*D and the Neptunes. Winner of the "next" award for new artists was Joe Budden, while Missy Elliott claimed reelest video with "Work It." The one-time-only VX Award went to Russell Simmons in recognition of his pioneering efforts in hip-hop.


Among the performers were OutKast, Chingy with Ludacris, Mary J. Blige (news) with Eve, 50 Cent and G-Unit, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz, Loon, Alicia Keys (news) and R. Kelly. Adding to the show's non-traditional vibe were mini fashion shows spotlighting designs by Enyce, Ecko, Phat Farm/Baby Phat and Sean Jean.


The Vibe magazine editorial staff determined nominations; a panel of music journalists and entertainment executives selected the winners for every category except the "next" award, which was chosen by online voting.


Reuters/Billboard