BET Awards Nominations: Kanye West, Beyonce Lead The Pack

Expect lots of drama, plenty of laughs and possibly even a few superheroes in the building when Samuel L. Jackson hosts the 2012 BET Awards on July 1, live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. On Tuesday (May 22), BET announced the nominees for their 2012 awards show and even confirmed performances by Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj (though there was no official word on whether the Hulk will attend).

BET president Stephen Hill held a press conference in New York City on Tuesday, and with the help of Big Sean, DJ Khaled, A$AP Rocky, Diggy, Mindless Behavior and Melanie Fiona, he spilled the beans about the big show. Samuel L. wasn't in attendance, but "The Avengers" star sent a pre-taped message promising that the show will be "too big to miss."

Kanye West leads the nominations with seven, including two Video of the Year nods for the Throne's "N---as in Paris" and "Otis." Beyoncé notched six nominations, while hubby Jay-Z earned himself five noms. Big Sean was particularly excited about his three nominations, including his look in the Best Male Hip Hop Artist category, where he will square off against Drake, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Young Jeezy.

"It's perfect. My grandma gonna be watchin', my mom, my family, the whole city," Sean told shortly after the press conference. "It's just tight that I can represent those people, everybody who had that dream, everybody who used to ride to school [listening to] their idols, now I'm with them. It's just tight that I can show people that it's possible."

Sean broke through last year when he dropped his debut LP Finally Famous. Next, the "Marvin & Chardonnay" MC will appear on G.O.O.D Music's Cruel Summer compilation and then follow up with his sophomore album.

Sean isn't the only big dog being honored at the awards show. Chris Brown, Usher and Bruno Mars are among the nominees in the Best Male R&B category, while Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna will duke it out in the Best Female category. The Throne, Diddy-Dirty Money, Maybach Music Group and Eminem's Bad Meets Evil will compete for Best Group, and Nicki Minaj looks to be the favorite for Best Female Hip Hop.

For the full list of categories and nominees, check BET.com.