Rapper Kanye West, British singer Amy Winehouse and Canadian singer Feist are among the top nominees for the Grammys in February, as the annual U.S. musical honour celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Kanye West has racked up a leading eight Grammy nominations for his third album, Graduation.
(Associated Press)

Outspoken rap star West, whose third album Graduation scored the best first-week album sales of the year, on Thursday nabbed a leading eight nominations, including for the coveted best album category.

West will compete with the Winehouse's smash sophomore release Back to Black, also nominated for best album.

Troubled British singer Winehouse, who has become tabloid fodder in the U.K. for her personal problems, received a half-dozen nominations overall, including for best new artist and song of the year for her chart-topping track Rehab.

West's and Winehouse's album of the year competition includes the Foo Fighters for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Vince Gill's four-disc release These Days and Herbie Hancock's Joni Mitchell tribute River: The Joni Letters.

Some of this year's top pop hits will vie for record of the year, including Rihanna's Umbrella, Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around Comes Around and Beyoncé's Irreplaceable. Rounding out the category are Winehouse's Rehab and The Pretender by the Foo Fighters.

Singer Leslie Feist, the Toronto-based indie darling who performs as Feist, leads a host of Canadian Grammy nominees.
(Getty)

A host of recording artists were recognized with five nominations each, including the Foo Fighters, rapper Jay-Z, singer Justin Timberlake, hit performer-producer Timbaland and hip hop sensation T-Pain.

Scoring four nominations was Canadian indie darling Leslie Feist, who led a host of Canadians — including Vancouver Symphony's British-born conductor and music director Bramwell Tovey, and perennial polka finalist Walter Ostanek of St. Catharines, Ont. — set to vie for Grammy gold in February.

Toronto-based Feist, whose sophomore album The Reminder spawned catchy hits such as 1,2,3,4, will compete against Winehouse for best new artist with Paramore, Taylor Swift and Ledesi rounding out the category's finalists.

McCartney, Springsteen left out of top categories

A host of Canadians have nabbed 2008 Grammy nods, including:

Feist: New artist, female pop vocal (1,2,3,4), pop vocal album (The Reminder) and short form music video (1,2,3,4). Nelly Furtado: Female pop vocal (Say it Right), pop collaboration with vocals (Give it to Me, w. Timbaland and Justin Timberlake). Michael Buble: Male pop vocal (Everything ), traditional pop vocal album (Call Me Irresponsible). Rush: Rock instrumental (Malignant Narcissism). Arcade Fire: Alternative music album (Neon Bible). Nickelback: Rock performance by a duo or group with vocals (If Everyone Cared). Walter Ostanek: Polka album (Dueling Polkas). Howard Shore: Score soundtrack album (The Departed). Bramwell Tovey, Janes Ehnes: Instrumental soloist performance with orchestra (Violin Concertos). Emerson Drive: Best country performance by a duo or group with vocals (Moments). Joni Mitchell: Pop instrumental performance (One Week Last Summer). John Gora and Gorale: Polka album (Bulletproof Polkas). Artists of the Royal Conservatory Ensemble: Chamber music performance (On The Threshold Of Hope). Loreena McKennitt: contemporary world music album (An Ancient Muse).

Notably missing from the top categories were veterans Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, both of whom released well-received albums over the past year.  

However, McCartney's nostalgic album Memory Almost Full was nominated for pop vocal album, while its first track Dance Tonight will compete for male pop vocal performance and his song Mama Only Knows is in the running for best solo rock vocal performance.

Springsteen's album Magic, which reunited the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with his E Street Band, is among the rock album nominees, while his song Radio Nowhere scored nominations for rock song and solo rock vocal performance. His track Once Upon a Time in the West is set to compete in the rock instrumental performance category.

As customary, the U.S. Recording Academy invited a selection of nominated artists to announce the list, with singers Akon (who received four nods), Fergie (female pop vocal contender), country star Gill (duo nominee) and actor-comedian George Lopez (a comedy album finalist) helping introduce the nominees in Los Angeles.

A full list of nominees in 110 different Grammy categories is on the awards' official website.

The Grammy Awards will air live from Los Angeles on Feb. 10. Organizers have also announced a host of projects to celebrate its half-century anniversary, including plans to build a Grammy museum in Los Angeles.

With files from the Associated Press