Ashanti and Nelly Lead Billboard Award Winners

(andPOP) - Ashanti and Nelly were the big winners at the 2002 Billboard Music Awards, handed out in Las Vegas Monday night.

Ashanti lead all artists with eight wins, including Best Female Artist and Best R&B/Hip-Hop Single for "Foolish." Upon accepting, she almost left the stage with just one award until she realized the other trophies were also for her.

Nelly took home six awards, including the coveted Best Artist, as well as Best Rap Track for ?Hot in Herre.? He appeared with the St. Lunatics out of a giant stove to sing that hit song.

Creed, Nickelback, and Puddle of Mudd won four awards each. Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst presented Puddle of Mudd with their awards. The group swept the rock category for the first time since U2 did it in 1992.

Avril Lavigne opened the show, performing her hits ?Complicated,? and ?Sk8r Boi.? She remained still for much of her performance, occasionally jumping, providing little entertainment value.

Justin Timberlake made his first public appearance since breaking his leg three weeks ago, performing his new single, ?Cry Me A River.? For most of the song, he sat on a stool, relying solely on his voice, but managed to stand up to take a few steps toward the end of the song. He arrived to the awards in a wheelchair, accompanied by two models posing as nurses.

Host Cedric the Entertainer?s opening monologue consisted of a parody of Eminem?s hit movie, ?8 Mile.? Cedric squared off against actor Anthony Anderson, but instead of having a rap battle, they had a showdown where they each tried the art of introducing a performer. Cedric then walked down the aisle to begin his hosting duties, rapping to Eminem?s ?Lose Yourself,? but was out of breath after two lines.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith presented Cher with an artist achievement award. ?She?s reinvented herself so many times, she has 19 patents on her ass,? Tyler said.

Cher, dressed in an outfit more suited for Christina Aguilera, said, ?I?ve had critics say for the past 40 years I?m on my way out every year. F*** ?em. I still have a job and they don?t.?

She also thanked her longtime partner Sonny Bono, who died in 1998. ?Without Sonny, there would be no Sonny and Cher; there would be no Cher.?

Chris Tucker was at the Neverland Ranch to hand Michael Jackson an award recognizing his 1982 album "Thriller." Cedric suggested the pair star in Rush Hour 3. ?Forget about Jackie,? Tucker replied, alluding to his Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2 costar Jackie Chan.

Moby, winner of two awards, presented Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox with the Century Award.

Nelly and the St. Lunatics, Busta Rhymes, Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, Ja Rule, and Aerosmith?s Tyler and Joe Perry all participated in a tribute performance to Run DMC?s Jason ?Jam Master Jay? Mizell, who was killed in October.

Darryl ?DMC? McDaniels cried while thanking the group?s long time supporters. "I think Run-DMC's greatest achievement was its longevity,? he said.

Mizell?s widow, Terri Mizell, fought back her tears to reveal a smile. ?Since his passing,? she said, ?it?s been hard, but thanks to [the performers], I had fun right now. I don?t think he really understood the love and affection his fans had for him.?

Upon accepting the Artist of the Year Award, Nelly said that participating in the tribute performance was the highlight of his career.

Other performers included Puddle of Mudd, Faith Hill, and Creed, who sang atop the Stratosphere.

Check back to andPOP tomorrow for ?Adam?s Analysis? on the show.

Complete List of Winners
Artist of the year: Nelly
Male artist of the year: Nelly
Female artist of the year: Ashanti
Top new pop artist of the year: Ashanti
Group/duo of the year: Creed
Album of the year: "The Eminem Show?, Eminem
Group/duo albums artist of the year: Creed
Hot 100 singles artist of the year: Ashanti
Hot 100 Singles male artist of the year: Nelly
Hot 100 singles group/duo of the year: Nickleback
Hot 100 single of the year: "How You Remind Me," Nickelback
Hot 100 airplay single of the year: "How You Remind Me," Nickelback
Top 40 track of the year: "How You Remind Me," Nickelback
R&B/hip-hop artist of the year: Ashanti
R&B/hip-hop male artist of the year: Nelly
R&B/hip-hop female artist of the year: Ashanti
New R&B/hip-hop artist of the year: Ashanti
R&B/hip-hop album of the year: "The Eminem Show? Eminem
R&B/hip-hop single of the year: "Foolish," Ashanti
R&B/hip-hop singles artist of the year: Ashanti
R&B/hip-hop single (sales) of the year: "Uh Huh," B2K
Rap artist of the year: Nelly
Rap track of the year: "Hot in Herre," Nelly
Country singles artist of the year: Toby Keith
Rock artist of the year: Puddle Of Mudd
Rock track of the year: "Blurry," Puddle Of Mudd
Modern rock artist of the year: Puddle Of Mudd
Modern rock track of the year: "Blurry," Puddle Of Mudd
Dance/club play artist of the year: Cher
Electronic album of the year: "18," Moby
Electronic albums artist of the year: Moby
Catalog artist of the year: Creed
Catalog album of the year: "Human Clay," Creed
Century Award: Annie Lennox
Artist Achievement Award: Cher
Special Billboard Award: Michael Jackson