If Nick Cannon is the prototype for cornballs, then perhaps more people should be like him. He made his debut in 1998, as a member of Nickelodeon’s teen sketch comedy troupe on “All That.” From there, he starred in his own TV show and in 2002 made his movie debut in “Drumline.” The rising entrepreneur has become a master of several trades: rapper, actor, comedian, producer, director and CEO. Now, he has made history by becoming the youngest television chairman with free reign of his own network. However, people still don’t seem to give him a break.
His marriage to Mariah Carey baffled naysayers, and when Eminem attacked her in a viral diss track, the haters whined how Cannon handled the situation, especially when he made statements via his Twitter page. But Nick Cannon knows how to brush his shoulders off and move forward with productivity. His movie directorial debut is on the horizon, he’s developing new TV shows for NBC and Nickelodeon, he’s hosting “America’s Got Talent” and he has a deal with Axe Shower Gel, helping men learn sensitivity training. Whack never looked better and Nick Cannon breaks down why corny is the new cool.
What exactly does your deal with Axe Shower Gel entail?
I had been DJ’ing a couple of events for them and the opportunity came up because I’m the so-called ladies’ man. I’m trying to take the sensitivity game to the next level. I’m trying to bring back the old school like the Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra movement. I think Axe Shower Gel recognizes that I was a dude that was just in touch with my sensitive side and it all made sense.
I’m sure there are a lot of men that would listen to you considering who your wife is.
That’s the thing. I’m no Denzel [Washington] or Brad Pitt, but for some reason I think being in touch with my sensitive side has allowed me to be a connoisseur or someone who has had the opportunity to be in the presence of many beautiful women throughout my life. People always ask how I get the flyest girls [Laughs]. I’m trying to get dudes to understand there’s nothing wrong with being in touch with sensitivity. Everybody wants to be hardcore and gangsta, but that’s for the birds. There’s no money in that and chicks aren’t impressed by how hard you are anymore. Obama’s the president. We’re on to a new thing now. Cornballs stand up!
[Laughs] So you embrace your inner cornball. That’s what everyone seems to call you.
People can call me corny because I’m gonna go to the corny bank and cash these corny checks [laughs]. I’ve been corny all my life and I’ve never had a problem with that. On the low, ladies love the corniness. They love dudes that can just be themselves. You gotta embrace who you are and have fun with it.
What’s the situation with your network?
I got the teen network through Nickelodeon. Right now it’s currently called The N, but we’re doing the transformation to Teen Nick as we speak. You know I had to have my name in there [Laughs]. We got a lot of hot new shows coming. The transition takes place next month.
You’re primarily known for your comedy sketch shows. So what types of shows do you have on deck?
We have a drama on Teen Nick coming out called “Gigantic,” about all of these kids who are celebrities’ children. It’s a fictitious show kind of like “Entourage,” but it talks about some real stuff. We have a reality show for MTV about Cory Gunz, then I’m bringing another comedy show for MTV. We’re gonna bring “Wild ‘N Out” back—“Wild ‘N Out: The Next Generation,” with new, young talent. I have a show called “Hatin’.” I don’t know if it’s gonna keep that title, but it’s one of those shows where it’s a bunch of comedians talking about everything that goes on that week, but from our perspective. If you can’t beat ’em, hate ’em. I’m tapping into what everybody says about me on the blogs and all that, showing I can talk that stuff, too.
Aren’t you gearing up for your directorial debut, too?
Yeah. I directed a movie for Nickelodeon that will be out soon. It’s also one of my artists that are signed to my label called The School Girls. They’re like TLC meets The Spice Girls. It’s a movie that we directed about an all-girl school, that’s kind of like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” meets “House Party.” You’ll be hearing a lot about them in the next couple of months.
What’s the name of your label and will you be coming out with new music?
It’s called N Credible [but] I’m gonna fall back for a second because I have so many artists that I feel can benefit from me as a producer and executive first.
Going back to people calling you corny; you got some criticism for defending your wife against Eminem. Why did you decide to remark on Twitter?
I didn’t plan to do it on Twitter. I’m just always on my Twitter page and I always say what comes to my mind. I’m always having inspirational quotes and Bible verses and stuff like that so it was one of those things where I didn’t want to feed into the negativity. They always say never argue with fools because from a distance you can never tell who is who, so I wasn’t even gonna dive into that. All we can do is pray for weak-minded individuals.
So we won’t be hearing any diss tracks from you any time soon?
No. This is chess, I’m not playing checkers. You’re gonna see something, but it ain’t gonna be the way you think. I got a master plan out here. As a man, I feel sorry for people who feel like they can just disrespect women in an ill manner and feel like they can get away with it. [Eminem] is gonna have to see me as a man. All that stuff doesn’t even have to be talked about in the media. I’m not trying to air anybody out, but when you see me you’re gonna see me.
You likened Eminem’s comments about your wife to the controversial comments Don Imus made. Do you believe that Eminem is a racist?
I made that statement on purpose just so people can be like, “What?” I understand how the media [and] propaganda work, and I knew that was going to ruffle some feathers. But if you really understand what racism is — it’s when someone feels superior because of what they are or they feel that their race is superior. Whether it’s a sexist or a racist, to me, it’s when someone holds themselves up and feels like they’re better than a person and that they can do something without any repercussions because of who they are. When I said that, I said at the same time that he’s sexist and racist — like, he’s putting stuff out there in a way that he’s trying to claim that he’s superior by using those derogatory terms. I call ’em like I see ’em.
Is the situation calming down?
It never was a real situation, dude don’t want it.
I’m sure your wife appreciates that.
Absolutely. That’s what it’s all about. I understand entertainment, I’m a comedian, I play and I joke. Sometimes you can cross the line and then we’re no longer entertaining. Come holla at me. You know where I’m at so we can sit down and have a man-to-man talk about this while you’re out there spreading your feelings. [Laughs]
What’s the importance of a young African-American man taking control of his career, image and what people see on TV?
I tell people all the time, I’m not a role model, I’m a real model. A role is something you play and when you see me, this is who I am. I’m not trying to front like I’m moving weight or like I’m hood or the flyest dude. I’m just me. If I’m silly then I’m gonna be silly, so if I’m the best dressed dude on TV that’s how I’m gonna rock with it. I’m just trying to be who I am and give people something different to look at. You can’t be that hardcore all the time. Ultimately, when people call me corny or whatever it is, they have to respect that I’m getting mine just being me. I’m just trying to be an alternative positive outlook on what people see in a young Black man.
Source: BET.com
Nick Cannon catches a lot of flack because people think he’s a cornball. I’m guilty of hating on him too. When he came out with “Gigolo,” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing or hearing but you have to respect the man’s grind (sorry to be cliche). I didn’t suspect there was anything more to him until one night, while at a party in New York City’s meat packing district, I saw that he was the DJ which intrigued me. I started doing my research and saw that Nick Cannon is quite the busy bee in front of the camera and behind the scenes. After that party, I started running into him at more events. Sometimes he was the DJ, other times he was just hanging out but he never had an entourage and he was always gracious and humble when people approached him for pictures or casual conversation.
