Rapper Tinie Tempah headed the nominations for this year's Mobo Awards ahead of other urban stars as shortlists were announced.

The 21-year-old Frisky hitmaker, from south London, is up for four awards - the highest tally of any act for the 2010 awards.

Chart stars Professor Green, N-Dubz, Dizzee Rascal and Plan B all find themselves up for three titles at the event, which takes place at Liverpool's Echo Arena next month.

Tempah - real name Patrick Okogwu - will compete for the titles of best newcomer, best UK act, best song and best video.

Also competing for best UK act are a lengthy list of nominees who include Jay Sean, Tinchy Stryder, N-Dubz, JLS, Dizzee, Plan B and Leona Lewis.

The best album prize will be fought out between Plan B's The Defamation of Strickland Banks, JLS's JLS, N-Dubz's Against All Odds, Chipmunk's I Am Chipmunk and Dizzee's Tongue n' Cheek.

This year's bash takes place on October 20.
Members of the public will have the chance to vote for a number of categories at www.mobo.com.

Awards founder Kanya King said: "I am very proud of the level of talent in the UK today and extremely pleased with the dominance of Mobo music artists in the charts both here and in the US, what a massive change compared to when we started 15 years ago.

"In the past year alone we have seen two out of every three number one hits was from urban artists."

The full list of nominations is as follows:
:: Best Newcomer - Tinie Tempah, Professor Green, Scorcher, Labrinth, Devlin.
:: Best UK Act - Tinie Tempah, Jay Sean, Tinchy Stryder, Taio Cruz, Chipmunk, N-Dubz, Giggs, JLS, Roll Deep, M.I.A, Dizzee Rascal, Alexandra Burke, Sade, Plan B, Leona Lewis.
:: Best song - Taio Cruz ft Ke ha - Dirty Picture, Tinie Tempah - Pass Out, N-Dubz ft Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire, Mark Ronson & The Business Intl ft Q-Tip & Mndr - Bang, Bang, Bang, Professor Green ft Ed Drewett - I Need You Tonight.
:: Best UK R&B/soul - Sade, Natalie Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae, McLean, Plan B.
:: Best UK hip-hop/grime - Giggs, Professor Green, Skepta, Akala, Wiley.
:: Best international act - Drake, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Eminem, Janelle Monae, Black Eyed Peas, Nicki Minaj, Ne-Yo, Usher, Beyonce, Jason Derulo, Lil Wayne, Travie McCoy, Trey Songz.
:: Best reggae - Damian Marley, Mavado, Gyptian, Vybz Kartel, Gappy Ranks.
:: Best album - Plan B - The Defamation of Strickland Banks, JLS - JLS,
N-Dubz - Against All Odds, Chipmunk - I Am Chipmunk,
Dizzee Rascal - Tongue N' Cheek.
:: Best video - Mark Ronson & The Business Intl ft Q-Tip & Mndr - Bang, Bang, Bang, Tinie Tempah ft Labrinth - Frisky, Tinchy Stryder - You're Not Alone, Alesha Dixon - Drummer Boy, Dizzee Rascal - Dirtee Disco.
:: Best African act - K'Naan (Somalia), P-Square (Nigeria), Hip Hop Pantsula (South Africa), JJC (Nigeria), Banky W (Nigeria), Concha Buika (Equatorial Guinea), Mulatu Astatke (Ethiopia), Wanlov the Kubolor (Ghana), Angelique Kidjo (Benin), M3nsa (Ghana), Yuri Da Cunha (Angola), Tinny (Ghana)
Waldemar Bastos (Zimbabwe), Staff Benda Bilili (Congo-Kinshasa), Blk Jks (South Africa).
:: Best Gospel Act - Faith Child, Guvna B, Rachel Kerr, Jake Isaac, Beverley Trotman.
:: Best Jazz Act - Robert Glasper - Double Booked, Brad Mehldau - Highway Rider, Empirical - Out 'n' In, Phronesis - Alive, John McLaughlin - To the One.