is the leading nominee at the with more than 16 nods for his latest album After Hours, which was snubbed by the . 

After a very messy public dispute with the Recording Academy, which included the 31-year-old singer alleging corruption within its nomination process and vowing to boycott the award show, his record is finally getting the recognition it deserves.  

Close behind him with a staggering number of nominations is rapper DaBaby, who is competing in 11 categories and Pop Smoke, who earned 10 posthumous nods. 

Meghan Thee Stallion received nine nominations in Thursday morning’s announcement. 

Gabby Barrett, who made history for her 2020 hit I Hope on the the Hot Country Songs chart two years after ABC’s American Idol back in 2018, came close with seven. 

Meanwhile, Swift, who has already won 23 BBMAs, is nominated in four categories for top artist, female artist, Billboard 200 artist and album. 

The Weeknd, Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke — the third most-nominated act — are up for top artist along with Swift and Drake, the show’s most decorated winner of all-time. 

The Weeknd’s nominations include top male artist, top R&B artist, top Billboard 200 album for After Hours and top Hot 100 song for Blinding Lights, the number one song of last year.

DaBaby — thanks to his own hit Rockstar and his guest appearance on Jack Harlow’s What’s Poppin – will battle himself in categories including top rap song, top streaming song and top collaboration.

Meanwhile, Pop Smoke, who died last February aged 20, made a splash on the pop and rap charts with his songs and mixtapes.

His official debut album, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, was released last July and dominated the charts and streaming services, along with platinum-selling songs For The Night, What You Know About Love and Dior, which earned him a Grammy nomination this year. 

His Billboard nominations include top new artist, top male artist, top rap artist and top Billboard 200 album.

Juice WRLD died in December 2019 aged 21.His posthumous album, Legends Never Die, was released a week after Pop Smoke’s album and set several records on the Billboard charts, becoming the biggest posthumous debut in 23 years since Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. posthumously released albums in 1997.

His seven Billboard nominations include top male artist, top rap artist and top Billboard 200 album.

Others battling The Weeknd, Pop Smoke and Juice WRLD for top album include Lil Baby’s My Turn and Swift’s Folklore, which last month won the star her third album of the year Grammy.

Morgan Wallen was not allowed to compete at this month’s Academy of Country Music Awards because the singer was caught on camera using a racial slur earlier this year, but he is one of the top nominees at the Billboard Awards.

His six nominations include top song sales artist, top country artist and top country album for Dangerous: The Double Album.

Wallen is a contender because the Billboard nominees are based on album and digital sales, streaming, radio airplay and social engagement, and imajbet they ‘are not chosen by a voting committee or membership organisation,’ Dick Clark productions said.

The producers said though Wallen is a multiple nominee, they will not allow him to participate in the show.

Others who scored multiple nominations include Bad Bunny, Chris Brown, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat and Justin Bieber.

The Billboard Awards will air live on Sunday, May 23 at 8 p.m.ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC. 

<div class="art-ins mol-factbox tvshowbiz" data-version="2" id="mol-99b99bd0-a909-11eb-9c28-43195e96a5a8" website Weeknd leads the 2021 Billboard Music Awards with 16 nominations