When I see my own people going through the tough times, it's a wake-up call. I hope my influence can impact someone else's decision to get out here and vote.

Don't follow in my footsteps. Create your own legacy! Be you! Do what you do! Stay focused! Stay positive about whatever goals you want to accomplish! Don't ever let anybody tell you that you can't, because you always can. To this day, I have people trying to discourage me, and telling me I should hang it up. I call them clowns.

I'm coming for Ryan Seacrest - I want to be the black Ryan Seacrest for BET. I want to host, I want to produce, I want to do everything for the network.

I want to be remembered as one of the illest, youngest cats to do it successfully and to keep doing it successfully. My early story alone deserves to be told, because at 6 years-old I was discovered by one of the best producers of all time, Dr. Dre, and I went on tour at 6, and appeared on Snoop Dogg's album at the age of 7. And I'm still here. Nobody else has a story like that, and it has to end great.

Music is the reason I'm doing movies; I do credit that. But acting is an escape route for me.

The music industry is so fickle, there's so many politics. I think a lot of people don't pay attention to the credits or the artistry no more. I think there's so much concern about what's going on right now instead of the actual artistry. But that's how the record business is, but for acting, I got that covered.

Trust me, pitfalls of early fame are always around. But you have to have the strength within yourself to say, "No!" Like tonight, I'd like to go out, and I have the freedom to do so. But I probably won't because I can't risk having my name associated with anything negative at this critical time. That's just to protect my brain and my job. There's no reason to play any games with a career I love.