Kanye West and Amy Winehouse lead this year's Grammy nominees it was announced Thursday morning, with the two racking up an impressive eight and six nominations, respectively.



The Chi-town rapper and British soul singer are both up for Album of the Year -- West for his 'Graduation,' and Winehouse for 'Back to Black' -- a category rounded out by fellow multi-nominees Foo Fighters for their 'Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,' country veteran Vince Gill with his four-disc collection, 'These Days' and jazz legend Herbie Hancock, with his tribute to Joni Mitchell, 'River: The Joni Letters.'

Other multiple nominees include Jay-Z, Timbaland, Paul McCartney, Rihanna and T-Pain.

Winehouse, whose music stood to be eclipsed by her personal trials, also earned nods for Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year for her middle finger lush anthem, 'Rehab.'

"She makes Lindsay Lohan look cool," comedian and nomination announcer George Lopez said.



Joining Winehouse in the Best New Artist category are indie darling Feist, Nashville pop punks Paramore, Ledesi and soon to be 18-year-old country phenom Taylor Swift.

"This is the best day ever. I'm freaking out," Swift, who was among the morning's announcers, said. "I really didn't think it was going to happen."

Meanwhile, West, whose mother passed away suddenly last month, was the insiders' top pick, with his third album, 'Graduation,' selling almost 1 million copies its first week, topping 50 Cent's 'Curtis.' In addition to Album of the Year, 'Graduation' is also up for Best Rap Album, with fellow nominees Jay-Z ('Kingdom Come'), Common ('Finding Forever'), Nas ('Hip Hop Is Dead') and T.I. ('T.I. vs. T.I.P').



Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable,' the Foo's 'The Pretender,' Justin Timberlake's 'What Goes Around Comes Around' and Rihanna's 'Umbrella' are all up for Record of the Year. The latter is also up for Song of the Year, along with Carrie Underwood's 'Before He Cheats,' the Plain White T's 'Hey There Delilah' and Corrine Bailey Rae's 'Like a Star.'

The Grammy Awards -- which celebrate their 50th anniversary, appropriately the Golden Anniversary, this year -- air live on CBS from Los Angeles, on February 10.