Jay-Z
Jay-Z is one of the world's best-selling music artists. He has received 21 Grammy Awards, tied with Kanye West for the most by a rapper. He also holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the "Billboard" 200, and has recorded four number-one singles on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The same publication ranked him as the biggest artist of the 2000s, while "Rolling Stone" named him one of the 100 greatest artists of all time. He is the first rapper to be honored at the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017 and to receive the ""Salute to Industry Icons Award"" at the 60th Grammy Awards.
Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance
For the 45th Grammy Awards (2003), Best Male Rap Solo Performance nominees included: Eminem for "Without Me", Jay-Z for "Song Cry", Ludacris for "Rollout (My Business)", Mystikal for "Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall)", and Nelly for "Hot in Herre". Additionally Eminem was nominated for: Record of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video for "Without Me" as well as Album of the Year and Best Rap Album for "The Eminem Show". Ludacris' "Word of Mouf" and Mystikal's "Tarantula" were also nominated for Best Rap Album. Nelly also earned nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album for the album "Nellyville" as well as Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for the song "Dilemma" (featuring Kelly Rowland), for a total five. Regarding his nominations, Nelly commented: "It's always good to be nominated, especially for something as big as the Grammys. Just the recognition itself is an award. But you want that little gold record player. You just want to take it home." The award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance was presented to Nelly at Madison Square Garden in New York City, though not broadcast on television. His performances of "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" alongside Rowland at the awards ceremony included pyrotechnics. In addition, Nelly received the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.