The BET Hip Hop Awards will return next month, and T.I. [ tickets ] is leading the pack with nine nominations.

The Oct. 13 ceremony, which will take place on T.I.'s home turf of Atlanta, will see the rapper vying for Best Live Performance, Lyricist of the Year, Best Collabo, MVP, Track of the Year, CD of the Year, Hustler of the Year, Best Ringtone and the Viewer's Choice award.

He'll compete with Common [ tickets ], Lil Wayne [ tickets ], Ludacris [ tickets ] and Kanye West [ tickets ] for Best Live Performance honors. Those artists also scored multiple nods: Wayne with seven, West with six, Common five and Ludacris three.

Others who could walk away with an armful of trophies are Jay-Z (four nods), 50 Cent (three), Sean "Diddy" Combs [ tickets ] (two) and UGK [ tickets ] (two). The full list of nominees is included below.

During the ceremony, KRS-One [ tickets ], known for his political and socially conscious raps, will be honored with the "I Am Hip Hop" Icon Award. Grandmaster Flash took the honor at last year's inaugural event.

Actor/comedian Katt Williams will host the show, with Nelly, Lil' Wayne, Kanye West and Common among the acts scheduled to perform. The event is scheduled to premiere on the BET network Oct. 17.

BET Executive VP Stephen Hill said this year's awards ceremony comes at crucial time in hip-hop music.

"Its messages and language have been scrutinized more this year than any other time in its history," he said in a statement. "I hope all hip-hop critics and fans will watch this show that will show all sides of the genre proudly and authentically."

Fans will have an opportunity to roll to the Hip Hop Awards in style via a contest hosted by BET Networks. Contestants must put together a two-minute "radio-friendly" video of themselves performing an original rap to a backbeat provided by So So Def. Details about the "Hot 16 Challenge," which will be judged by music mogul Jermaine Dupri, are available at the contest's website.

And the nominees are:

Best Live Performance
Common
Lil' Wayne
T.I.
Ludacris
Kanye West

Lyricist of the Year
Common
Lil' Wayne
Jay-Z
T.I.
Kanye West

MVP
Common
Lil' Wayne
Jay-Z
T.I.
Kanye West

CD of the Year
Common, "Finding Forever"
Jay-Z, "Kingdom Come"
Ludacris, "Release Therapy"
Nas, "Hip Hop Is Dead"
T.I., "T.I. vs. T.I.P."

Track of the Year
"A Bay Bay," performed by Hurricane Chris (produced by Phunk Dawg)
"Big Things Poppin' (Do It)," performed by T.I. (produced by Mannie Fresh)
"Can't Tell Me Nothing," performed by Kanye West (produced by Kanye West and DJ Toomp)
"I Get Money," performed by 50 Cent (produced by Apex)
"Party Like A Rockstar," performed by Shop Boyz (produced by Pit)

Rookie of the Year
Hurricane Chris
Lil Boosie
MIMS
Plies
Rich Boy

Best Collabo
Birdman & Lil' Wayne, "Stuntin' Like My Daddy"
Diddy featuring Keyshia Cole, "Last Night"
DJ Khaled featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe and Lil' Wayne, "We Takin' Over"
Fabolous featuring Ne-Yo, "Make Me Better"
UGK featuring Outkast, "International Players Anthem"

Best Hip-Hip Video
50 Cent, "I Get Money"
Chamillioinaire featuring Slick Rick, "Hip Hop Police"
Common, "The People"
Ludacris featuring Mary J. Blige, "Runaway Love"
UGK featuring Outkast, "International Players Anthem"
Kanye West, "Stronger"

Hustler of the Year
50 Cent
Diddy
Lil' Wayne
T.I.
Jay-Z

Best UK Hip Hop Act
Dizzie Rascal
JME
Kano
Klashnekoff
Lethal B
Wiley

The Alltel People's Champ (Viewer's Choice)
Birdman & Lil' Wayne, "Stuntin' Like My Daddy"
DJ Khaled featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe and Lil' Wayne, "We Takin' Over"
Lil Boosie featuring Foxx and Webbie, "Wipe Me Down"
MIMS, "This Is Why I'm Hot"

Producer of the Year
Mannie Fresh
Polow Da Don
Swizz Beatz
Timbaland
Kanye West

Video Director of the Year
Bryan Barber
Benny Boom
F. Gary Gray
Chris Robinson
Hype Williams

DJ of the Year
DJ Drama
DJ Enuff
DJ Irie
DJ Khaled
Tony Neal

Best Ringtone
Crime Mob featuring Lil Scrappy, "Rock Yo Hips"
Hurricane Chris, "A Bay Bay"
MIMS, "This Is Why I'm Hot"
Rich Boy featuring Polow Da Don, "Throw Some Ds"
T.I., "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)"

Best Movie
Gridiron Gang
Idlewild
Shottas
Smokin' Aces
Stomp the Yard

Best Dance
2 Step
Aunt Jackie
Chicken Noodle Soup
Crank Dat Soulja Boy
Pop, Lock, & Drop It