Nick Cannon is not worried about what a hater got to say! In this month’s issue of Rolling Out, we see just how focused and determined he really is.
Nick also opens up about this life-threatening health scare last year, his marriage to Mariah Carey, and new outlook on life now that he’s a dad. Of course, we can’t forget his career moves. Focusing on being a positive inspiration for children, Nick’s Wild ‘N Out is making a comeback on MTV2. Not mention, he’s starred and directed movies, owns his own radio show, and is chairman of Nickelodeon’s TEENick Network – and wants to get back into the music world.
Cannon’s bank account alone will laugh at anyone who ever doubted him or called him ‘corny.’
Check out some excerpts from his interview with RollingOut below.
On the critics:
I laughed at it. I couldn’t care less what people say about me this week or next week. I’m trying to build a 50-year career. [People] like Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones, Sammy Davis Jr. — I know people had things to say [about them] at that moment, but when you step back and look and see what these people did to affect culture — that’s my goal. People are going to have opinions, but I learned a long time ago [that] what other people think about me is none of my business. Now being a father, it’s not about me, it’s about instilling values into the next generation — my children — and trying to get them to see life in a certain way.
On his joys of being a father:
The best thing about being Nick Cannon is my kids. Just waking up every day seeing them and living life through their eyes. It kinda just puts everything in the proper perspective. On the superficial level? I wouldn’t wanna be anybody else! I’ve been blessed with a great hand. … From being able to marry my wife to being surrounded by so many beautiful people before my marriage; I’ve seen every part of the world I could have ever wanted to see. And I feel like now my mission is to help others get that and help others achieve their happiness. It’s not about me anymore because I’ve done everything I could ever want to do.
On why his career is a little different this time around:
I’ve definitely become more focused since I’ve been married. You can see it in my business choices and the way my career has gone. I actually purposely stepped out of the limelight for a minute. I wanted people to understand I was a businessman and I didn’t need to be in front of the camera — I didn’t need to be ‘Wild N Out!’ I actually took a corporate job and was running a television company — all of that was on purpose, to grow as a man and see the other aspects of [the industry]. Now I’m jumping back into the game in a real way — jumping back into music, comedy, I just directed my first film for Lion’s Gate with Kevin Hart, Mike Epps, George Lopez and Katt Williams. But I had to take that time to grow as a husband and a father and a true executive and a businessman; without all of the accolades, without people questioning. I knew those things were going to come, but I knew it would make me a better person, a better man and a better entertainer.
On his ‘lupus-type’ autoimmune disorder health scare last year:
My health scare last year was crazy because [when you have] doctors telling you ‘This might be it,’ and they’re preparing your family and saying it can go either way or there’s a 50/50 chance and all of that stuff, it puts life in perspective,” Cannon explains. “I was a brand-new father — my kids weren’t even 1-year-olds at the time. And it was just like ‘If I do get a chance to do it again, I’m going to make sure all of the things that matter, I focus on. And the things that don’t matter, I let ‘em fall by the wayside.’ And because I still deal with the health condition to this day, it just makes me hungry and makes me grind harder, because we’re not promised tomorrow. I’m doing everything I can do to keep myself healthy, but at the same time, in the back of mind I [know] the clock is ticking. I need to leave my mark. That’s what everybody should do. You’ve got to leave this place better than it was when you got here. I feel like I can’t waste one day. That’s why when people say ‘your work ethic is crazy,’ I’m like ‘The clock is ticking.’ I gotta leave something.
On what critics say about his marriage:
Being married to my wife is one of the easiest things about my life. It’s so natural and it’s rooted in love, so when you hear stuff, that doesn’t even resonate. It’s laughable at times. Obviously, like I said in my last stand-up special — I get it. I see how [our marriage] came out of left field and people were like ‘Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon? That don’t go together!’ But that’s what love is all about — especially the type of love we want to represent.
SOURCE: ROLLING OUT MAGAZINE
