Nick Cannon

Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon (born October 8, 1980)^[1] is an American actor, comedian, rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, radio, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent. He acted in the films Drumline, Love Don't Cost a Thing, and Roll Bounce. As a rapper, he released his debut self-titled album in 2003 with the hit single "Gigolo", a collaboration with singer R. Kelly. In 2006, Cannon recorded singles "Dime Piece" and "My Wife" for a planned album Stages, which was never released. Cannon married American R&B/pop singer Mariah Carey on April 30, 2008.

Early life

Nick Cannon was born in San Diego,^[1] to Beth Gardner and James Cannon. His father is a motivational producer and televangelist who hosted a public-access television cable TV ministry in Charlotte, North Carolina, who wrote the book The Calling for which his son wrote the foreword.^[2] As a child, Cannon divided his time with his mother and grandmother in San Diego and with his father in Charlotte. He began performing at age nine. Cannon is also the nephew of Katie Geneva Cannon, who is currently serving as Annie Scales Rogers Professor for Christian Ethics at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.

Before filming Drumline, he lived in Augusta, Georgia, on Nellyville Road.^[3] At age 11, he landed a spot on his father's public-access television program performing stand-up comedy.^[4] When Cannon was in his mid-teens, he moved to Hollywood, where he performed stand up at The Improv, The Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store.^[3] He graduated from Monte Vista High School, in 1998.

Acting career

Cannon scored his television debut on Nickelodeon's All That. In 2002, he was featured in his own series, The Nick Cannon Show. Later that year, he had his first starring role in Drumline, followed by the 2003 comedy Love Don't Cost a Thing. In 2005, he appeared in Roll Bounce with fellow actor and rapper Bow Wow.^[5] That same year, Nick Cannon starred in and executive produced the comedy Underclassman.^[6] In 2006, Cannon lent his voice for the animated feature Monster House,^[3] followed by a role in the drama Bobby.^[7]

His sketch-comedy show Wild 'n Out ran for four seasons on MTV, from 2005 to 2007. The following year, Cannon created Short Circuitz, a sketch-comedy series that also aired on MTV,^[8] but it was cancelled shortly thereafter.

Music career

Early music career

As a teenager, Cannon formed the rap duo "Da Bomb Squad" with his best friend Steve Groves; they opened for the likes of Will Smith, LFO, 98 Degrees, and Montell Jordan.

Self-titled debut album (2001–2003)

After signing with Jive Records in 2001, he was featured alongside Romeo Miller and 3LW on the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius soundtrack with a cover of the 1988 hit song "Parents Just Don't Understand".^[9] His debut self titled album was released in 2003 and included the single "Your Pops Don't Like Me".^[10]

Stages (2005–2006)

In 2005, Cannon formed his own record label, Can I Ball Records, with plans to release his second studio album, entitled Stages, later that year.^[11] The album's first single, "Can I Live?", a pro-life song, was released in July 2005^[12] followed by the second single "Dime Piece" in March 2006.^[13] But it was never released because of Nick Cannon's acting career. he then met mariah carey in 2005 while annoucing an award at the teen choice awards

Slick Rick parody "Slick Nick"(2010–present)

In 2010, Nick created a parody of hip hop pioneer "Slick Rick" entitled "Slick Nick". He released two songs of the character such as "I'm A Slick Rick" which more or less dissed Hip-Hop star Eminem. It was a freestyle of Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie" & "Nick's Story" which was a Freestyle rap version of Slick Rick's "Children's Story". It is unknown if he will be using the character to make a mixtape or album.

Other Ventures

Hosting

In 2005, Cannon produced and hosted the MTV improv comedy series Wild 'N Out.^[14] That same year he hosted the world record slime stunt on Nickelodeon's 2005 Kids' Choice Awards in which a human cannonball was shot into slime. By complete chance, it was Nick Cannon with the Nick(elodeon) Cannon! Donald Trump did the honors of announcing "You're fired" to trigger the cannonballl shooting. In 2009, he hosted the fourth season of America's Got Talent and is currently hosting the fifth season.^[15] He also hosted the first and only season of Nickelodeon's Friday Night Slimetime. He also was the DJ on Ellen DeGeneres's Bigger, Longer, And Wider show. In 2009, Cannon hosted the HALO Awards along with Justin Timberlake, Hayden Panettiere, LeBron James, Kelly Rowland and Alicia Keys which premiered on December 11.

On July 4, 2011, he appeared at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Business

The former Nickelodeon star and MTV Networks personality is now the Chairman of TeenNick and the development and creative consultant of the network.

Radio hosting

On January 19, 2010, Cannon started hosting the morning show (6-10AM) with co-hosts Nikki and Southern Sarah Lee at 92.3 NOW FM (WXRK-FM) in New York.

Cannon will launch his own weekly chart program "Cannon's Countdown" syndicated by CBS Radio starting April 23.^[16]

Comedy

Nick hosted and performed on the comedy show Wild 'N' out that aired on MTV for four seasons between 2005 - 2007. On July 13, 2010, Cannon announced that he was going on a comedy tour in the Fall 2010 beginning at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal.^[17]

In early 2011, Cannon recorded his first-ever stand-up comedy special titled Mr. Showbiz at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The special premiered on Showtime on May 14, 2011. A digital release of Mr. Showbiz became available for sale on iTunes beginning May 16, 2011, with a physical release of the album on May 31, 2011. On the special, Cannon unabashedly reveals his thoughts on his famous marriage (to music icon Mariah Carey), pending fatherhood, and how to put an end to his buzzed about Twitter war with hip-hop star Eminem. He also shares candid stories about his humble beginnings, his family, his 'hood tendencies' and failed attempts at being a gangster.^[18]

N'Credible Entertainment

In 2010, Nick Cannon formed his new label entitled N'Credible Entertainment or N'Credible Records; originally the label was called Can I Ball.Cannon recently introduced his newest N’Credible signees, The Ranger$, on BET’s 106 & Park.

Current artists

• Aaron Fresh
• RydazNRtist
• Wonder Broz
• The Ranger$
• Lil' Will
• Maxrank
• Little Ladiez

Managed artists

• School Gyrls

Discography

Controversy

Eminem

Eminem's 2009 album, Relapse, contained a track titled "Bagpipes from Baghdad", poking fun at Cannon's wife Mariah Carey. Cannon responded back with tweets via his Twitter page, while Mariah released a song and video titled "Obsessed", with lyrics and visuals aimed at Eminem. Eminem responded back with a mixtape-style track called "The Warning" in which he addressed both Cannon and Mariah, and later commented that he was finished talking about the subject.

The feud was thought to have been over until in September 2010 when Cannon responded with the song "I'm a Slick Rick" which in Slick Rick's flow he takes shots at Eminem over the instrumental for Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie".^[19] This was followed by a campaign via Facebook, Twitter, and his radio show proposing a boxing ring fight between Eminem and Cannon for charity.

In late September 2011, over a year after "I'm A Slick Rick" was released, Cannon took another lyrical jab at Eminem by releasing a song called "I Remember"^[20][21]

On October 3rd, 2011, Cannon released another diss song called "Warning (Remix)" which also features Uncle Murda aimed at Eminem, radio host Charlamagne Tha God, and the feud between R&B singer Ray J and rapper Fabolous. Cannon fires lyrical shots at Eminem and also featured an audio clip of Eminem with Tim Westwood back in 2009 where Eminem backtracked on the beef saying: “I had no idea Nick Cannon was going to start wiling out on me" which Eminem referred to Cannon's canceled Wild N Out television show. Cannon retorted to the clip by saying: “You said it Marshall, that’s all you had to do!” and that Slim Shady is “forgiven.”^{[22][23][24][25]}

Charlemagne Tha God

On the same freestyle song titled "Warning (Remix)" which also featured Uncle Murda released on October 3rd 2011, Nick Cannon issued a"warning" to popular New York's Power 105.1 morning show radio host Charlamagne Tha God after he previously named him his 'Donkey Of The Day.'^[22]

Cannon's retaliation track clowns Charlemagne for one of his interviews with Lil Mama that left her in tears. Cannon responded with one of the lines going "Charlamagne made girls cry, so who's the donkey of the day?/Man, you about as gay as d*ck pics/I'm on mansion number six by the time you get rich." citing Charlamagne and his lack of money compared to Cannon himself being called Mr. Mariah Carey.^[23][24][25]

Charlemagne later during the day responded to song with multiple tweets aimed at Cannon and plans to retailiate to with a diss song of his own responding to Cannon.^[24] On October 4th 2011, on the Breakfast Club radio show, Charlemagne as his alter ego "Lil Young Shorty" released his own diss record “Wack on Wack” towards Cannon^[26]

Personal life

Cannon met actress/singer Christina Milian on the set of their film, Love Don't Cost a Thing, in 2003, and they began dating.^[27] After being together for two and a half years, Milian ended her relationship with Cannon in 2005 when she found out he was cheating on her.^[28] Cannon revealed that he refused to stay faithful to Milian because their relationship was becoming too much like a "Christian romance".^[29] When Cannon married Mariah Carey on April 30, 2008, Milian said, "regardless of what I felt in the past at the time, I actually forgive him and I'm very much over that".^[30]

Cannon began dating Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks in February 2007.^[31] and just six weeks later, on May 7, 2007, Cannon proposed to Ebanks via the Times Square jumbotron.^[32] The couple called off their engagement five months later in October 2007.^[33][34]

With no prior announcement on April 30, 2008, Cannon married Mariah Carey at her private estate on Windermere Island in The Bahamas after just six weeks of dating.^{[35][36][37][38]} Cannon and Carey had only just met in mid March 2008 to discuss the video treatmeant for her second single "Bye Bye". On October 28, 2010 Carey confirmed that she and Cannon were expecting their first child. She claims she conceived naturally. Carey revealed that she had been pregnant shortly after her wedding during the time of the 2008 World Music Awards, but that she miscarried, so Carey and Cannon decided to keep the matter private.^[39] On April 30, 2011, the couple's third wedding anniversary, Carey gave birth to fraternal twins.^[40] The daughter is named Monroe Cannon (after Marilyn Monroe), the son Moroccan Scott Cannon (because Cannon proposed to Carey in her Moroccan-style room; Scott is Cannon's middle name and his grandmother's maiden name; Monroe doesn't have a middle name as Mariah herself doesn't have one).^[41] In January 2012, Nick Cannon was hospitalised after suffering from mild kidney failure.”

Charitable work

In 2011, Cannon filmed a public service announcement for Dosomething.org encouraging teens to find a cause about which they are passionate and take action in their communities. ^[42]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Mixtapes

• Child of the Corn (2011)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Nick Cannon at the Internet Movie Database
• Nick Cannon at Allmusic
• official website