Nominations for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards were announced Thursday morning honoring rapper Kanye West with eight nods and British singer Amy Winehouse with six nominations.

Nearly a month after his mother, Donda West, passed away from plastic surgery complications, US rapper Kanye West got some good news as he scored the most nods this year, predominantly in the rap field, including one for album of the year for his third album, and one of the best-selling titles of the year, "Graduation," and two entries for best rap song.

After making the tabloids’ first pages for weeks with her troubled personal life and disappointing performances, the focus is back on Amy Winehouse’s talent which was recognized by the highly regarded US music awards.

The 24-year-old soul singer received nominations for all four top categories: album of the year for "Back to Black," song of the year, record of the year and best new artist.

Grammy-winning producer John Shanks called Winehouse's album "an important record" and told the Associated Press, "I don't think her troubles are really going to hurt her. I think the sound of that album made an impact."

Falling shortly behind with five nods each were Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Timbalad, Justin Timberlake and T-Pain.

Foo Fighters are also up for album of the year with "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" and record of the year for "The Pretender." Other record of the year candidates included Beyonce's "Irreplaceable," Rihanna's "Umbrella" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake.

Although Bruce Springsteen’s critically acclaimed album "Magic" failed to make the best album cut, he still did rather well nabbing four nominations, including one for best solo rock vocal and best rock album.

The best new artist field belongs entirely to female acts including Canadian singer/songwriter Feist, who scored four nods overall, country singer Taylor Swift, and R&B singer Ledisi.

Paul McCartney, whose album "Memory Almost Full" received good reviews, earned nominations for best pop vocal and best solo rock vocal.

The prestigious awards will be held February 10 in Los Angeles' Staples Center; only albums released between October 1, 2006, and September 30, 2007, could be considered for this year's awards. The Grammys are determined by 12,000 music industry professionals who belong to the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.