Best Quotes From BET Awards Nominees

Thoughts on fame and success.

Kanye West - "Being a celebrity has afforded me many opportunities but has also boxed me in creatively."  —Kanye West via Twitter in 2012 (Photo: Lucas Jackson/Landov) Download the BET Awards App to relive the entire history of the BET Awards in video & pics and to POWER vote for Viewers’ Choice and Who Rocked The Mic! 

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Kanye West - "Being a celebrity has afforded me many opportunities but has also boxed me in creatively."  —Kanye West via Twitter in 2012 (Photo: Lucas Jackson/Landov) Download the BET Awards App to relive the entire history of the BET Awards in video & pics and to POWER vote for Viewers’ Choice and Who Rocked The Mic! 

Rihanna - "I'm gonna look back on my life and say that I enjoyed it — and I lived it for me — and God."  —Rihanna in the July 2012 issue of Esquire magazine(Photo: Robert Pitts/Landov)

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Rihanna - "I'm gonna look back on my life and say that I enjoyed it — and I lived it for me — and God."  —Rihanna in the July 2012 issue of Esquire magazine(Photo: Robert Pitts/Landov)

Mary J. Blige - "I remember a time when all my fans were crying and sad and going through hell. Now, we're trying to uplift each other and accept ourselves for who we are, even if nobody else does." Mary J. Blige at the Billboard Music Awards in 2006(Photo: Courtesy Geffen Records)

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Mary J. Blige - "I remember a time when all my fans were crying and sad and going through hell. Now, we're trying to uplift each other and accept ourselves for who we are, even if nobody else does." Mary J. Blige at the Billboard Music Awards in 2006(Photo: Courtesy Geffen Records)

Jay Z vs. Mike Shand - Hov's Manhattan sports club, 40/40, sued chef Mike Shand, who was hired to cook for the club, after being Jay's tour chef, for a cool $1.5 million. According to the federal suit, Shand "failed to perform on significant aspects" of a deal to refurbish the menu for 40/40's $10 million reopening earlier this year, "costing the club lost profits, loss of good will [and] alienation of clientele." The suit was dropped.  (Photo: AP/File)

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Jay-Z - "Hip hop has done so much for racial relations, and I don't think it's given the proper credit. It has changed America immensely. I'm going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations." Jay-Z in Men's Health in 2009(Photo: AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Nicki Minaj - “To know that I’m making waves, it feels good but it gives me a little more pressure. Because before, I would do things without thinking." Nicki Minaj in Elle in 2011(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Nicki Minaj - “To know that I’m making waves, it feels good but it gives me a little more pressure. Because before, I would do things without thinking." Nicki Minaj in Elle in 2011(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Chris Brown - "Haters keep on hating, cause somebody's gotta do it." Chris Brown via Twitter in 2011(Photo: John Ricard/BET)

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Chris Brown - "Haters keep on hating, cause somebody's gotta do it." Chris Brown via Twitter in 2011(Photo: John Ricard/BET)

Photo By Photo: John Ricard / BET

Drake - "You get artists in this position who go crazy and don't know how to handle it... There's the overwhelming stress... the weight on your shoulders of going out there and giving 18,000 people entertainment… it's a lot of pressure." Drake in The Guardian in 2012(Photo: PA PHOTOS/Landov)

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Drake - "You get artists in this position who go crazy and don't know how to handle it... There's the overwhelming stress... the weight on your shoulders of going out there and giving 18,000 people entertainment… it's a lot of pressure." Drake in The Guardian in 2012(Photo: PA PHOTOS/Landov)

Lil' Wayne - "If you need an example for how to live, then you just shouldn’t have been born. Straight up. I am a great role model, because I’m only a role model for two, and that’s all. That’s what matters to me – those two. So why don’t you worry about yours, and let them worry about theirs? I got mine." Lil' Wayne to Katie Couric in 2009(Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)

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Lil' Wayne - "If you need an example for how to live, then you just shouldn’t have been born. Straight up. I am a great role model, because I’m only a role model for two, and that’s all. That’s what matters to me – those two. So why don’t you worry about yours, and let them worry about theirs? I got mine." Lil' Wayne to Katie Couric in 2009(Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)

Photo By Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment

Idris Elba - "I’m so bored of answering that. Are there differences between Black actors’ opportunities and white actors’ opportunities? Yes, there are. It’s been said. I’d rather a young Black actor read about success as opposed to how tough it was." Idris Elba in Vulture.com in 2011(Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

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Idris Elba - "I’m so bored of answering that. Are there differences between Black actors’ opportunities and white actors’ opportunities? Yes, there are. It’s been said. I’d rather a young Black actor read about success as opposed to how tough it was." Idris Elba in Vulture.com in 2011(Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Kevin Hart - "It’s a good feeling. I try not to think about it too much. I don’t want to get lost in the hype. Sometimes when you hear so much and everybody is praising you, you can get lost in that." Kevin Hart to Urbanbridgez in 2012(Photo: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)

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Kevin Hart - "It’s a good feeling. I try not to think about it too much. I don’t want to get lost in the hype. Sometimes when you hear so much and everybody is praising you, you can get lost in that." Kevin Hart to Urbanbridgez in 2012(Photo: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)

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Yolanda Adams - "Just because you go through difficulties, you cannot give up after one setback. Keep on moving!” Yolanda Adams to Suite101.com in 2011(Photo: Courtesy Columbia Records)

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Yolanda Adams - "Just because you go through difficulties, you cannot give up after one setback. Keep on moving!” Yolanda Adams to Suite101.com in 2011(Photo: Courtesy Columbia Records)

Wizkid - "It's really crazy. Sometimes I go places and they try to rip my shirt or rip me a part." Wizkid on HitTV in 2012(Photo: Empire Mates Entertainment)

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Wizkid - "It's really crazy. Sometimes I go places and they try to rip my shirt or rip me a part." Wizkid on HitTV in 2012(Photo: Empire Mates Entertainment)

Photo By Photo: Empire Mates Entertainment

LeBron James - “There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.” LeBron James on InsideHoops.com in 2003(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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LeBron James - “There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.” LeBron James on InsideHoops.com in 2003(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Willow Smith - “If I had to change one thing about my life, it would probably be, I wouldn’t be famous. Because when you’re famous it’s so hard. " Willow Smith on Red Table Talk in 2012(Photo: Courtesy Roc Nation)

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Willow Smith - “If I had to change one thing about my life, it would probably be, I wouldn’t be famous. Because when you’re famous it’s so hard. " Willow Smith on Red Table Talk in 2012(Photo: Courtesy Roc Nation)

Big Sean (@BigSean) - TWEET: "Happy Birthday to the person who put me on! U the reason I can take care of my family @kanyewest thank u" Big Sean shows G.O.O.D. Music head Kanye West some birthday love.(Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Big Sean - "I went harder than I ever went even before I got signed to a label. I would pass out CDs, do battles, open mics, shoot little weak a** virals. And it started paying off." Big Sean in Complex in 2011(Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images