He was born in San Diego, a comfy oceanfront postcard city known more for Sea World and scenic views than movie stars making mogul moves, but Nick Cannon had his ambitious sights set on superstardom from the start. Young homie hit Hollywood before graduating high school, working the comedy circuit as a pre-teen and even landed a gig as a script writer for Nickelodeon at only 17-years-old. Nick Cannon is DOPE… and has been for some time.
As an actor and comedian Cannon made an immediate impact, landing memorable roles in “Whatever It Takes” and “Men in Black II”. But it was Cannon’s breakout role as cocky, well-meaning drum-major Devon Miles in “Drumline” that would firmly cement him as a screen scene regular.
Musically, well… he rapped and many of us didn’t understand why, at least not at first. Why did a budding movie star need Hip Hop? Wasn’t that hustling backwards? Didn’t Will Smith use rap to get to Hollywood, and not the other way around? But, as usual, we all quickly learned Nick knew what the hell he was doing even when we didn’t. Visionaries see what most never even realize is there to look at. A mirage in the desert can become The Mirage Hotel and Casino when you see things for what they can be, instead of what they are.
Cannon dropped a few singles, the most popular of the bunch being “Gigolo” which peaked at number nine on the rap charts. More purposefully, he made music, essentially, to learn the industry, to be in a leadership position to sign and develop talent like he does today. The kid got paid millions to intern and learn. The rest of us took notice. The best of us took notes. Nick just took over.
In truth, the music piece would prove to be only one of Cannon’s many tasteful chess moves. He has headlined three major network television shows, most popularly Wild ‘N Out, more famously America’s Got Talent, and unforgettably The Nick Cannon Show. He has starred in a slew of cult classic big screen films, an impressive list which includes “Underclassman”, “Roll Bounce”, and “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”. He produces, directs, and writes. And outworks everyone.
But it was perhaps these two synchronized power moves - his marriage to Pop Star/R&B legend Mariah Carey in 2008 and the founding of his NCredible Entertainment imprint in 2009, that combined to catapult Cannon into another stratosphere. Similar to Laker legend Kobe Bryant, when a young, handsome Hollywood player chooses the husbandry of a young king over the hedonism of an old heathen, he is instantly held in higher esteem. No light shines brighter on a young entertainment mogul than the spotlight constantly cast on Nick Cannon. His NCredible company is quietly one of the leading hybrid brands in the industry – from headsets to hot new stars, merchandise to media production, they get it done over there at Cannon’s crib.
He just bought Soul Train. He’s releasing his new album “White People Party Music” on April Fool’s Day, 2014. He owns stock in BET. He is also tired of seeing “slave movies” about maids, butlers and antebellum America. Cannon is a progressive. He wants to chart our progress, though he respects the past. “Nick Cannon Neck Ties” are sold at Macy’s. NCredible headsets did 45mill.
As one of the few Black men in the world effectively bridging what has been narrowly defined as urban-Black culture with mainstream American values, Cannon remains driven in so many lanes, many of which few even know exist. He’s good. Damn good. Damn near great. Give him another decade to do it.
How did he get it done? With Charisma: and of course the six C’s – Mr. NCredible is all about high Character and low Chaos; a Classy Cali dude with a Cool presence and often Corny sense of humor, which allows the squares to dig him while he keeps the controversy out of his circle. Cannon sat down with DOPE GIRL Kanary Diamonds at Paramount Studios in Hollywood to drop jewels, discuss the details, and Wild Out a lil’ sumthin’.
Written by: Tone Swep
Interview by: Kanary Diamonds
Photography: Gomillion & Leupold
Read an Excerpt from the Full Length Interview
(Kanary Diamonds: KD) Coming from San Diego, how did you emerge to become a household name amongst the Diddy’s and Jay Z’s? How did you get here from San Diego?
(Nick Cannon: Nick) That’s quite a compliment. I don’t know, honestly. It was one of those things where I always had a drive and ambition of what I wanted to be. I didn’t know exactly how to go about it, or what the final destination was. I still don’t even know. But I knew that I had something special that I wanted to share with the world. I knew I had a lot more to offer. And I knew I was very creative and wanted to be in the world of entertainment. But even in San Diego, if someone said they were in the music business, I visited their studio or venue. I did everything I could possibly do from interning at radio stations, to participating in local talent shows, church gatherings, street fairs, anytime I could get in front of people. I was there.
(KD) What was your first dream? Was it comedy, music, or acting?
(Nick) I would definitely have to say music was my first dream. I had my first demo tape when I was 8-years-old. Comedy? I was always a fan of it and decided it was something I wanted to do at about 11 or 12. At that time I had been introduced to Eddie Murphy’s “Delirious” and “Raw”, and then Arsenio Hall was on television at the time. And I was like: “Man! I want to do that. I want to do what he does.”
(KD) Wild ‘N Out is back and better than ever. What are the major differences if any between the new and improved version and the original?
(Nick) I feel like the newer Wild ‘N Out is more raw. We kind of pushed the boundaries even more. Made it more in your face and stripped away the Hollywood-ness. The ones before were kind of like overly colorful, a lot of bells and whistles. This time I think we gave the people what they really wanted to see. More in your face, more unapologetic. And then embraced the things that worked really well. Allowed the talent on there to do their own thing a little bit more. And I tried to make it less about me this time around. Before it was more about it being my show. There were sketches about me. Now I put the shine on everyone else.
(KD) With the morning show you had on the radio, it was DOPE. You had a lot of people shaking in their boots so to speak. Have you thought about getting back into that?
(Nick) Everything is time management right now. I’m definitely getting back into the world of radio to have my own show again. I have my own podcast right now, just because I love interviewing people. Love being able to just be myself and connect with the fans. You’ll see me in the radio space again soon. It’s just like where am I going to do it, and how can I do it in my own way. I should be on my own radio station. That’s one thing, I don’t like having a boss. I hate that. And then also, at the time, my health became an issue. Now, I could really do it.
(KD) So, with your rap career. You came in at a time where the Jeezy’s, the Snoop’s, the DMX’s were popular. It was definitely a street era. And then you were like the friendlier guy. You were a little ahead of your time, because now everybody is friendly. How does that make you feel?
(Nick) Well, I wasn’t a pioneer of that or anything. Because I looked up to guys like Will Smith, Heavy D, Kwame, and even guys like A Tribe Called Quest. It was a time in Hip Hop when there was a bunch of stuff going on. But when I came out everybody was trying to be tough and gangsta. Now I feel like Hip Hop is back in a place where it started, where you can have the nice guy, the gangsta, sort of the guy with the Bohemian vibe. You can have a Kendrick and a Drake, and at the same time have YG, Future, Rich Homie Quan. All of those people can exist in the same world right now. I’m just really excited about music right now.
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Watch Nick Cannon‘s Hit Series WILD ‘N OUT on MTV
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