Nick Cannon: How I ACCIDENTALLY Built A $1.3 Billion Business!

1. 0:00 – 0:14

   Intro

   1. NCNick Cannon0:00

      I didn't think Wild 'N Out would be the billion dollar conglomerate. (cash register ka-chings) I was just creating a show because Kevin Hart needed money to pay his rent. (laughing) Please welcome Nick Cannon. Entrepreneur and- Rapper, actor, host, comedian. True superstar.

2. 0:14 – 1:57

   🚀 Nick Cannon started his entrepreneurial journey early, making millions from various ventures like headphones, tours, and restaurants.

   1. NCNick Cannon0:14

      Who's Nick Cannon? I'm me.

   2. SBSteven Bartlett0:17

      Nick, you've been a pioneer. I read that one of your companies has generated more than a hundred million dollars.

   3. NCNick Cannon0:22

      That was just in our headphone sales. We have a tour that makes millions, a cruise line, restaurants. As a kid, I learned that I may not be the most talented person in the room, but I'll be the hardest worker in the room. That's how you get it. Some people play basketball. Then there's the basketball players. (laughs) Don't try it. If you try it, it's not gonna work. Do it as if there's no other option. So by the time I was 17, I started writing for Kenan & Kel.

   4. SBSteven Bartlett0:45

      The youngest staff writer in TV history.

   5. NCNick Cannon0:47

      Yeah. I was like Harry Potter with the pen.

   6. SBSteven Bartlett0:49

      (laughs)

   7. NCNick Cannon0:49

      And then Will Smith signed me. (piano music plays) I was living my dream life, but I always felt like I had a ticking clock. The latest on the health scare from Nick Cannon. Nick Cannon... Has lupus. If you don't catch it and control it, you, you could lose your life pretty quickly.

   8. SBSteven Bartlett1:04

      You said that you wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for Mariah Carey.

   9. NCNick Cannon1:08

      Yeah. It makes you question what are you gonna do with the time that you have on this planet? What impact are you gonna make? When you're not afraid of dying, you focus on living.

   10. SBSteven Bartlett1:17

       And then you dealt with the loss of your son, at just five months old, due to brain cancer.

   11. NCNick Cannon1:26

       You never know how strong you are till it's the only option. (hip hop music plays)

   12. SBSteven Bartlett1:37

       Nick, what do I have to understand about your earliest years to understand the man that you are today?

   13. NCNick Cannon1:44

       I'ma steal that question. (laughs) Uh, I'd have to say that, uh, optimism, youthful optimism.

3. 1:57 – 3:07

   🌟 Nick Cannon's early optimism, imagination, and determination led him to believe that he could achieve anything, even when facing challenges and growing up in a less privileged environment.

   1. NCNick Cannon1:57

      You know, some call it imagination. Uh, but I, the world was just so big, but yet so tangible for me. You know, uh, I felt even as a y- I fe- I felt like I had this magic that I could just manifest anything, uh, good or bad. You know what I mean? It was, uh, I, I lived this life to where as small as the community was, as disenfranchised and maybe not as upwardly mobile as, as, uh, one would see from the outside, I had this big imagination, and in my mind this superpower that I could be, do, or whatev- whatever I wanted, I, it was all in my grasp, and I could... I don't know where I got it from, but I was just, as a kid, as a teenager, always felt like I had this ability to, to walk in a room and get whatever I wanted.

   2. SBSteven Bartlett2:56

      Uh, but the environment that you were raised in wasn't one of-

   3. NCNick Cannon2:58

      Yeah. (laughs)

   4. SBSteven Bartlett2:59

      ... great abundance.

   5. NCNick Cannon3:01

      Yeah, that's what was so crazy about it. Like, I would, you know, even growing up in the projects, growing up in scenarios

4. 3:07 – 7:51

   🏡 Nick Cannon's upbringing, although not traditional, was filled with love and shaped his resilience and drive to make something out of nothing.

   1. NCNick Cannon3:07

      that we didn't have a lot, but I felt like I had a lot. I felt like I was always destined for, to... And it wasn't even, like, about fame. It wasn't about, um, money. It was just about, I like my life. I'm gonna have fun. I'm gonna have a good time. I was always that, you, you know, let's, let's smile about it. You know what I mean? Uh, even in some difficult and e- uh, tumultuous times, I would still find, you know, a silver lining. I would still find a way to smile through pain, and I, it's, it's worked. You know, it's always kept me level-headed, you know, um, even in the midst of having a, uh, uh, a abnormal and extraordinary (laughs) life. It's like even the thing that humbles me is the fact that I'll just enter spaces with gratitude and optimism.

   2. SBSteven Bartlett4:11

      Even in pain. What was your family home like?

   3. NCNick Cannon4:17

      See, that's the thing, like, probably looking back at it, more than would be like... It, it definitely wasn't orthodox, you know. Uh, we didn't come from much, but it was joyous. It was filled with love. You know, my parents had me, you know, as teenagers. They were young. I went to m- my dad's high school graduation. (laughs) Like, uh, but, you know, his parents helped raise me. My mom was constantly working, you know, um, school and work. My dad went off to college. Uh, and then, you know, I kind of felt like I grew up with my parents, uh, and their parents assisted in raising us all. So it, but it was households filled with love. Um, but, you know, wasn't traditional by any means. So there, there were the obstacles of, you know, trying to figure it out, and parents and grandparents putting food on the table. Uh, but that, I think that also gave me a different type of drive to say, "All right, we gonna, we gonna have to make something out of nothing."

   4. SBSteven Bartlett5:25

      Your parents separated when you were very young?

   5. NCNick Cannon5:27

      I would say I feel like my parents had sex once. (laughs)

   6. SBSteven Bartlett5:30

      (laughs)

   7. NCNick Cannon5:31

      Just one time, and then I showed up. Uh, 'cause they were kids, man. You know, like, I don't really know the intricate details of their relationship, but I definitely know they weren't together. Um, it was, uh... But not, not enemies by any means. You know what I mean? They were, they were just teenagers. They were kids. So, uh, after, you know, I was born, they kind of went their separate ways. But my dad's parents kind of kept...... kept everyone together and it was a close-knit thing. You know, when, when my mother needed assistance, uh, uh, my grandmother would, would be there to help her out, my father's mother. And even though my father necessarily wasn't physically present for, you know, he was, you know, actually doing good things for himself where, you know, getting a college degree and trying to figure it out and have a family infrastructure elsewhere, um, his mom would help my mom kind of keep me afloat.

   8. SBSteven Bartlett6:35

      He turned his life around quite significantly, didn't he?

   9. NCNick Cannon6:37

      Yeah, yeah, yeah. My dad was definitely headed down a path, uh, of destruction early on and then it clicked for him, you know, through some experiences of, you know, incarceration. You know, being able to kinda leave some of those substances out there that were, you know, kinda the downfall of, you know, the community in the 80s. He, he was, he was able to escape and put his life on the right path and, you know, dedicated his life to his ministry and helping others. It worked.

   10. SBSteven Bartlett7:11

       When you were, you were a young man, you nearly went down the wrong path.

   11. NCNick Cannon7:14

       Yeah. I went down there, figured like ... made a U-turn-

   12. SBSteven Bartlett7:18

       (laughs)

   13. NCNick Cannon7:18

       ... went back. You know what I mean? Like, uh, I, I think human nature, we all kind of gravitate towards the unknowing sometimes and s- that usually is the paths that are, are sometimes the darkest, sometimes like you just wanna ... you don't wanna do the responsible thing. You don't wanna do what your parents may suggest. So I, I definitely have a rebellious nature. I'm definitely a anti-authoritarian. I'm definitely the kid that has to feel that the pot is hot,

5. 7:51 – 18:10

   🔥 Nick Cannon had a rebellious streak during his youth, but his creativity and desire to explore helped him avoid going down the wrong path.

   1. NCNick Cannon7:51

      you know?

   2. SBSteven Bartlett7:52

      Mm-hmm.

   3. NCNick Cannon7:52

      And then like, okay, I'm not gonna ... I, I know what getting burned feels like. So, um, I think it's probably just my, you know, nature of exploring and wanting to understand things and ... It's cool, it's cool to be a bad boy when you're young. Uh, and, and especially when for me the mold wasn't necessarily presented that way. So I, I definitely went through a stage of I wanna prove to people that, you know, I'm, I'm not a, a goody two-shoe all the time. And that, that took some maturing to do. Um, but then it's also a lot of it is environment. When you grow up in especially southern California, you know, there was times where, uh, the life of gang violence was glorified and, you know, whether it's through music, through entertainment, through our culture, you know. Uh, when you come from the trenches, you get a certain level of respect. You get a certain level of, uh, reverence. So I, I grew up admiring a lot of that and therefore kind of took that path a few times but, you know, luckily I didn't get caught up, you know, like some of my oth- my other friends and associates did.

   4. SBSteven Bartlett9:10

      What, what saved you from that path?

   5. NCNick Cannon9:12

      Creativity. Like I said, that optimism, which then obviously was transmuted into entertainment.

   6. SBSteven Bartlett9:21

      When, when you were a young man, say you were like between the age of 10 and 14, if I'd asked you what you wanted to be and what you thought you'd be when you were 42-

   7. NCNick Cannon9:35

      Yeah, yeah, yeah.

   8. SBSteven Bartlett9:36

      ... what would you have told me?

   9. NCNick Cannon9:38

      Uh, same thing. A rapper. You know, uh, probably that ... If it was just as simple as like at 10 years old what I was focused on, I loved hip-hop. I loved ... I knew I was ... In my mind I was famous in the hood. Like I just wanted to be ... 'Cause I was already doing stuff then, you know what I mean? I already had demo tapes and I was already connected to our, to our streets and our blocks just as being in the community, somebody with a voice. Not always a positive voice. I was, you know, I was considered a, uh, uh, I'm trying to think. I wasn't a bad kid, but I was a kid that everybody knew about, (laughs) you know? But luckily my art, my creativity allowed people to appreciate me, um, even at 10 years old like within my family, within my community, like-

   10. SBSteven Bartlett10:32

       What did your art and creativity look like at that stage? Uh, rap music? Or-

   11. NCNick Cannon10:35

       Yeah, it was loud. It was ADHD-ish. It was the kid who could do it all, you know, kind of also had a church background, so I was, you know, I was always ... I was a class clown at school trying to be funny, starting to just figure out, oh, there's careers in that space. I started to look up to a lot of people like the Eddie Murphys, uh, even the, you know, at the time the, the Fresh Prince as we know as Will Smith, but he was just, he was just this charismatic funny rapper at the time. So those were, you know ... But at the same time I was looking up to the Ice Cubes and Too Shorts and, you know, which was a whole different energy. Um, so that was kind of like my makeup of like, ooh, I want to be like these guys.

   12. SBSteven Bartlett11:24

       And you started doing standup comedy at 11 years old I heard. You-

   13. NCNick Cannon11:26

       11. Yeah.

   14. SBSteven Bartlett11:27

       Dad's TV.

   15. NCNick Cannon11:27

       Officially doing it at 11. I had been, you know, doing stuff in church and stuff, you know, trying to make people laugh. But like first standup stage I got on was I was 11 years old.

   16. SBSteven Bartlett11:37

       You strike me as someone that grew up very quickly.

   17. NCNick Cannon11:40

       Yeah.

   18. SBSteven Bartlett11:41

       'Cause-

   19. NCNick Cannon11:41

       I, I was always called a old soul. Uh, and I think it was because I grew up around older people b- with, uh, my grandparents kind of being, you know, patriarchs for me. Um, their children were my siblings. My father who was, you know, a teenager was-... somewhat more of, like, a, a big brother type of, uh, thing. So, like, even the way he dealt with me and even the people that I dealt with in my community, I just, I kinda had mannerisms and a jargon that was a little, little wise beyond my years.

   20. SBSteven Bartlett12:19

       You were a big brother as well, right?

   21. NCNick Cannon12:21

       Yeah. And then, you know, ultimately my dad had, uh ... I'm my mother's only child, but my dad had five g- five boys in total. So, you know, I was th- and I was the oldest. And he and I's connection was different than, you know, the connection with my younger brothers 'cause I was almost somewhat, you know ... I was closer to my father than, you know ... He, his parenting style was different with me than it was with, you know, his younger children.

   22. SBSteven Bartlett12:49

       I- it boggles my mind that someone at 11 years old starts doing standup comedy.

   23. NCNick Cannon12:52

       Yeah.

   24. SBSteven Bartlett12:53

       'Cause it takes, takes some guts and some confidence to do that. But I guess that speaks to who you were at 11 years old.

   25. NCNick Cannon12:58

       Yeah.

   26. SBSteven Bartlett12:58

       By 15 years old, you're at the Comedy Store where you met Jamie Foxx.

   27. NCNick Cannon13:02

       Yeah. I mean, I met so many comedians, but Jamie was definitely one of the ones that kinda ... Just 'cause he's such a giving and loving individual, kinda saw this kid and, and was like, "I love it." Like, "Come hang out." Like ... And because, you know, Hollywood was miles away from my neighborhood, so, uh, figuratively and literally, like, it was just, like, I needed a place to stay a lot of times. So, you know, catching, catching car rides or even once I had got my own vehicle, I, I had nowhere to sleep, so people would know that I was sleeping in my car or wouldn't have a place to sleep, so people like Jamie Foxx would let me sleep on their couch or brothers like Kai Torrey, if you've seen the Fat Tuesday documentary about, you know, the, the Black side of the C- Comedy Store. He had a night that, you know, he would let me open up and as people were coming in, I'd be entertaining the audience at like, as a teenager, you know, and the guys like Chris Tucker and Damon Wayans and Eddie Griffin, all these guys would be going on later on in the night, but I was the guy, I was the kid that was welcoming, you know, everybody into their seats. And it'd be like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant and Snoop Dogg and, like, all of these people in the audience, and there's this 15-year-old on stage, you know, rapping and telling jokes and, you know, everybody else saw something that I was just, I was just having a blast. I was ... I didn't think about what the future was going to, uh, to offer up. I was just like, "Yo, this is, this is a dream come true right now."

   28. SBSteven Bartlett14:37

       People might hear that and go, "Oh, he, he got lucky. 15 years old." Whatever, you know?

   29. NCNick Cannon14:41

       Yeah.

   30. SBSteven Bartlett14:43

       What was the int- talk to me about the intentionality behind that. Like, if there's a 15-year-old listen to, listening to this right now-
6. 18:10 – 23:14

   🎭 Nick Cannon learned storytelling and captivating a room from Jamie Foxx, and the importance of hard work and dedication from Will Smith during his formative years in the entertainment industry.

   1. NCNick Cannon18:10

      part of my career ...I always acknowledge and big up Will Smith.

   2. SBSteven Bartlett18:14

      Yeah.

   3. NCNick Cannon18:14

      'Cause he was so influential to me, uh, from-

   4. SBSteven Bartlett18:17

      You met him from J- by- through Jamie?

   5. NCNick Cannon18:19

      Not ... Well, yeah. Yeah. I guess, yeah. (laughs) But it wasn't directly. Like, Jamie didn't introduce me to Will, but Jamie had a comedy festival called Laffapalooza that, uh, Will Smith's company, Overbrook, saw me at that comedy festival and gave me a holding deal at the time, what they were called, and kind of signed me to Will's company, which then I got to meet Will, you know, few months later after getting that opportunity in Atlanta at Laffapalooza. Um, and then that's when Will and I's relationship, uh, began, when I was about 16 years old. So it's like, I met Jamie when I was 15 and then I met Will when I was 16.

   6. SBSteven Bartlett19:05

      It's hard to think of many more-

   7. NCNick Cannon19:07

      Yeah.

   8. SBSteven Bartlett19:07

      ... greater multifaceted entertainers than Will Smith and Jamie Foxx.

   9. NCNick Cannon19:11

      Man, that's what I'm saying, like, they, they trained me, like ... And it's, it's so crazy 'cause two of the nicest human beings you would ever wanna meet, like never seen ... Like, it's what you see on camera, that's who they are. You know what I mean? Like, like walk in a room, everyone gravitates towards them. They, they're, they're loud. They, they know how to have a good time. Like, that's just who those guys are, so ... I don't think I'm naturally like that. Like I, I, I, I talk to Kevin about that a lot. Like when I come in a room, I'm quiet. Kevin Hart. Like, like, uh, he's one of those guys that like, they, they're loud, they're like everyone loves 'em. Like, I'm more like I'm in the corner, I'm watching, I'm observing. I know how to be that. I can, you know, I can joke with the best of 'em and get as much attention and stuff, but I'm, I'm a little more reserved. Uh, and that's like to finally answer your question in a very long-winded way, like, the things I probably learned from Jamie is I observed him so much that he's such a great storyteller. I've stolen all of the tricks of when he can get everybody around a table and tell this story. He's, he's such a great impromptu type of guy, can sit down at a piano and, you know, sing a song and get everybody ... Like, I know all of those tricks and I've probably learned that from him. You know what I mean? Just watching how to, you know, captivate a room in a very jovial manner, um, no matter what's going on. But, uh, man, yeah, he's ... And just his, his, his thespian muscle is so strong. You know what I mean?

   10. SBSteven Bartlett20:51

       Mm-hmm.

   11. NCNick Cannon20:51

       And I think from whether he's being a silly character or he's being something that's so tuned in, uh, and understanding the subtleties and really embodying, you know, all of his characters, I, I learned a lot of that from him as well too.

   12. SBSteven Bartlett21:04

       And Will? So you described Will as your ... Mentoring you from 16 years old.

   13. NCNick Cannon21:08

       Yeah. The thing I learned from him is hard work. And, and really, like obviously I- I've heard, he said this quote so many times, like, "I may not be the most talented person in the room, but I guarantee you I'll outwork the most talented person (laughs) in the room." Or, or I also heard him say, um, "You know, I may not be the most talented person in the room, but I'll be the hardest worker in the room." Uh, and he, he just ... If he wants something, he's not gonna stop until he figures it out, you know, and he, he dedicates himself in that manner. And you know, when this job is done, he's gonna stop, where everybody else is gonna go to sleep, he's gonna go work 10 more hours to either perfect that craft or on to the next thing. And I saw that at, you know, as a teenager and I'm like, "Okay, that's how you get it. That's what I'm gonna do." I'm ... If he not sleeping, I'm not sleeping, you know? And there'd be times like up in the studio all night and then be on set early in the morning and you just, you're so grateful and appreciative of the opportunity that you wanna be the best you could possibly be.

   14. SBSteven Bartlett22:15

       Did he correct any of the errors in your ways when you were a young man? You're 16 years old, you've got a perspective.

   15. NCNick Cannon22:19

       Yeah. He taught, I mean, every ... I mean, before I met Will, I didn't know how to ... Even musically, I didn't know how to rap 16 bars. I didn't even know what that was. Like, I knew, I knew music counting, you know what I mean? But I didn't know a verse, uh, specifically a rap verse was supposed to be 16 bars. And I think that culture mighta had just started to happen, because everybody wasn't writing 16 bars in the '80s. You know what I mean?

   16. SBSteven Bartlett22:46

       (laughs)

   17. NCNick Cannon22:46

       Sometimes a song would be seven verses or sometimes ... You know, like people would just w- ... But I feel like there, there ... In the '90s, there began this, uh, infrastructure of songwriting. Um, obviously most choruses and hooks are about eight bars.

   18. SBSteven Bartlett23:03

       Mm-hmm.

   19. NCNick Cannon23:03

       Uh, and then therefore you had to have a hot 16, double that, was your verse.

   20. SBSteven Bartlett23:10

       Mm-hmm.

   21. NCNick Cannon23:10

       Uh, and Will taught me how to write, 'cause I was just writing. I, he would give me a beat

7. 23:14 – 24:09

   📚 Learnings from Will Smith: Nick Cannon gained valuable lessons from Will Smith, including the importance of infrastructure for creative work, integrity, character, and perseverance.

   1. NCNick Cannon23:14

      or I'd get a track and I would just write and just memorize it-

   2. SBSteven Bartlett23:17

      (laughs)

   3. NCNick Cannon23:17

      ... and then be like, "Oh, uh, let me spit this for you." And he's like, "You need some infrastructure around that."

   4. SBSteven Bartlett23:23

      (laughs)

   5. NCNick Cannon23:23

      He's like, "You, you got some good stuff there." So even as, you know, simple as something like that is, but then he also just ... Life ways, man. I l- I learned a lot about integrity, character, um, obviously perseverance from him. And then stuff that he went through as a teenager, he passed on to me, and even I didn't listen, but I learned, you know. He went broke, you know, at 19, um, after winning a Grammy and having a platinum album, just spending it all on cars and living fast. He ga- ... I think my first check was somewhere, from him, like 150, $200,000, and I went and bought, uh, the exact same Range Rover he had. And he's

8. 24:09 – 26:57

   💰 Financial Lessons: Nick Cannon shared a lesson he learned from Will Smith about managing money wisely, advising against frivolous spending and impulsive purchases.

   1. NCNick Cannon24:09

      like, "I'm the biggest movie star in the world." (laughs) L- like, "I'm ..." He's got millions.I got $150,000 and I went and bought a Range Rover. He told me, "Don't do it." He's like, "Man..." I- he's like, "I... Don't do that." Like, "You gotta... There's other things to do with that money." And this is from the person who gave it to me. Um, and he was right. I, I totaled that Range Rover six months within having it and ended up having to move back to my mom's house probably a, a year later because... Thinking that, you know, all the, "I'm signed to Will Smith," the opportunities, but you don't... Like, that's money that you're supposed to survive on. Those, everything that, you know, uh... That was a time I, I had wrote, uh, and created a, a television sitcom through Will's company called Loose Cannon and it was like me in a military school, a teenager in a military school, thinking it was gonna get picked up. We got a six-episode commitment. Will Smith's the executive producer, Quincy Jones is on set, like everything... Stan Lathan is the director of the pilot, like everything... I'm like, "Oh, I'm set." The entire network at the WB makes a shift and they don't pick up the show. So I was like, "I thought I was..." I was... And it's so funny, I don't never even think about these correlations. The, one of the executive producers and writers was Bentley Kyle Evans who's the writer and creator of Jamie Foxx. I had... I... My time slot was scheduled to come on... My show was gonna air right after The Jamie Foxx Show. So it was like, it was all together and it didn't happen.

   2. SBSteven Bartlett25:45

      And you were how old at that point?

   3. NCNick Cannon25:46

      19.

   4. SBSteven Bartlett25:47

      19.

   5. NCNick Cannon25:47

      Same age Will was when he had to fig- re-figure it out. I think we shot it when I was 18, uh, but 19 is when they let me know that it wasn't, it wasn't gonna move forward. Probably one of the biggest heartbreaks of my life. I probably... I cried for days, uh, 'cause I didn't... You know, that's the thing when you're... You think you're, you've arrived, uh, and then it's snatched from under you and there's no plan. I had nobody there. Even the people like, "It's gonna be all right," I didn't believe them. Like, I was like, "I was just on the Warner Bros lot with..." You, you know, in my Range Rover and... (laughs)

   6. SBSteven Bartlett26:26

      (laughs)

   7. NCNick Cannon26:27

      You know, like, I, I, I saw the millions. I saw me being the biggest young star in the world, everybody was rocking with me until everybody's gone like that. And it was just, uh... And it wasn't like they abandoned me. It was more like, everybody had to move on to their next thing. I had to be the one to figure it out. So that was, uh, that was probably one of my greatest life lessons that Will even taught me indirectly. I mean, 'cause he was warning me the

9. 26:57 – 35:40

   🌟 Synchronicity and Like-Minded Individuals: Nick Cannon discussed how he believes like-minded individuals are naturally drawn to each other, leading to collaborations and shared experiences in their careers.

   1. NCNick Cannon26:57

      whole time, uh, and he held me down, you know, time and time again since then. You know what I mean? It was a, a... You know, I wouldn't have got Drumline if it wasn't for him. It was, wouldn't have... Like I said, I wouldn't have my first record deal if it wasn't for him, so... There was... I, I truly... It's funny. I am getting a little esoteric real quick, but I, I have this... When it comes to, like, akashic records and, and, you know, energy, I feel like you're placed in certain... It's, it's the Law of Synchronicity. Like, I feel like certain things just happen, uh, because they are constantly happening. There are certain energies that just are attracted to each other. And I, for whatever reason... People like Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, like they're... Throughout my career, they're always there, they're always... Even when they're not... Like, we may not speak every day, we may... But they, we always connected, like even the same thing, like, you know, I call Kevin Hart my best frenemy. Like, it's just, like, we've all since day one, even when we're not trying to be connected, we're connected. Like, we're, we're doing projects together, we're, we're thinking alike. He might, he might create a car show and I would create a car show. He has a restaurant, I have a restaurant. Like, and it's not like... It, it looks like competition-

   2. SBSteven Bartlett28:19

      Mm-hmm.

   3. NCNick Cannon28:19

      ... but it's like, oh no, like, we just... We're on the same frequency.

   4. SBSteven Bartlett28:22

      Mm-hmm.

   5. NCNick Cannon28:22

      Like, we're just, we just operate the same.

   6. SBSteven Bartlett28:25

      And those people kind of attract each other.

   7. NCNick Cannon28:26

      They attract each other. Like, and I think that's... Like, when people talk about, like, secret societies and... I think it's like, it's not, it's not like this formed meaning. It's just, like, like-minded individuals, like, people who operate on the same frequency. They, they don't... There doesn't have to be this written rule book. It's just like, oh no, we... Intuitively this is... We, we move like this. We gravitate towards certain things and it's, it's unfortunate because people who operate in low frequency, that it's the same way and it's like, you know, you, you always like, "Damn, that person not, can't, can't catch a break." It's like, ah, that's 'cause they living in that frequency, that-

   8. SBSteven Bartlett29:04

      What does that frequency look and feel like?

   9. NCNick Cannon29:07

      It's slow, it's thick, it's heavy.

   10. SBSteven Bartlett29:09

       Blame?

   11. NCNick Cannon29:10

       Yeah.

   12. SBSteven Bartlett29:11

       Victimization?

   13. NCNick Cannon29:11

       Yeah. Victimization, it's anger, it's, it's, it's... You know what I mean?

   14. SBSteven Bartlett29:17

       Yeah, yeah, yeah.

   15. NCNick Cannon29:18

       It's like one of those things where-

   16. SBSteven Bartlett29:19

       Jealousy.

   17. NCNick Cannon29:20

       Yeah, all of that said-

   18. SBSteven Bartlett29:21

       Yeah.

   19. NCNick Cannon29:21

       ... like it, and I... It's unfortunate because people who operate in it, they don't know that they're in it and it's almost like they, they almost desire that and they feel like they have to have angst and anger to, to get their point across. And like, man, you're, you're doing so much more damage to yourself-

   20. SBSteven Bartlett29:39

       Mmm.

   21. NCNick Cannon29:39

       Uh, and y- you're digging yourself deeper by pointing fingers at people who are on a completely different frequency than you, they don't even hear you.

   22. SBSteven Bartlett29:50

       (laughs)

   23. NCNick Cannon29:51

       And y- you're, you're clouding up your existence instead of just, like, stepping out of that frequency.

   24. SBSteven Bartlett30:00

       You were the youngest ever staff writer, right? At 17 years old.

   25. NCNick Cannon30:03

       Yeah, I think. I mean, unless somebody's beat it before, like, I think-

   26. SBSteven Bartlett30:06

       In TV history.

   27. NCNick Cannon30:07

       Yeah, I think because-

   28. SBSteven Bartlett30:10

       Working on Kenan & Kel-

   29. NCNick Cannon30:12

       Yeah.

   30. SBSteven Bartlett30:12

       ... which, by the way, was massive in the UK.
10. 35:40 – 41:00

    🎭 Developing Skills: Nick Cannon attributed his skill development in writing and entertainment to his early start in stand-up comedy, emphasising the importance of mastery through practice.

    1. NCNick Cannon35:40

       13, I'm seeing Def Comedy Jam, Comic View, I'm seeing all of these things happen, and I'm watching these individuals become their own intellectual properties, becoming their own business, becoming their own producers. One thing about standup, you have to write, direct, perform, promote, market all by yourself. It's a one man show. So I think by the time I had honed those skills at like 15, 16, I knew how to do it. I knew how to write a script. I knew how to write a great joke. I knew how to, you know, hours of sitting in libraries and figuring out words, hearing stories, like all of that stuff was starting to pay off.... uh, and I knew, like, I just zoned in, like you kind of like, a- again, like, when you know this is my space, this is my flow, you operate in your gift. So, I think just, you know, trial and error as well too but, like, I just figured it out. You know what I mean? Like, this is what I- is a gift that I have, so I'm gonna continue to operate in it.

    2. SBSteven Bartlett36:44

       They say you gotta put in 10,000 hours to become a master at something.

    3. NCNick Cannon36:46

       Yeah.

    4. SBSteven Bartlett36:47

       And actually, when I run the numbers, I go, "Listen, you started at 11."

    5. NCNick Cannon36:50

       Yeah. (laughs)

    6. SBSteven Bartlett36:50

       And then you wrote your own show at 22.

    7. NCNick Cannon36:52

       Yeah.

    8. SBSteven Bartlett36:52

       That's more than a decade-

    9. NCNick Cannon36:53

       Yeah.

    10. SBSteven Bartlett36:54

        ... of repetitions in the gym.

    11. NCNick Cannon36:55

        Yep. And then e- and to me then, even then, I was still just getting started. You know what I mean? Like a- a- again, the beauty of, like, even Nickelodeon, like, even I... I mean, it was 'cause I think the Nick Cannon show was, I was from, I did it from like age, started at 19 and it ended right when I turned 22. Um, I was a baby. I looked like I was 15. Like, everybody thought I was much younger than I wa- I even was so, you know, that's when everything else from like Drumline and my music career began and I was a baby then too. And then so, it just, like I said, I lived so many lives and learned so many lessons early on that even as I sit here before you today I'm like, "I'm still just getting started."

    12. SBSteven Bartlett37:41

        Mm-hmm.

    13. NCNick Cannon37:41

        Like, I still got, still got so many more movies that I gotta do. I still got so much more music I gotta produce. I still got so many more television shows I gotta write so, like, um...

    14. SBSteven Bartlett37:52

        If your kids come to you though and they say, "Dad, how do I become the master of my craft? How do I become the top of my industry?" Not only have you become the top of your industry in many facets, but you've been around people that have got to the top of their in- industry, so the things you point out and the similarities and the people that get there, what are those sim- similarities? If I'm your kid and I come to you and say, "Dad, I wanna, I wanna get to the top of the industry," wh- what's the advice you give to them?

    15. NCNick Cannon38:16

        Do it. (laughs) I think especially now it's a- as simple as that s- sounds, that's what it is today. Like, do it and stick to it. Like, m- don't give up. Like, do it efficiently, do it because this is... Don't try it. If you try it, it's not gonna work. If you do it, like, that's even like even when people always talk to me about acting, like, "How do you know or become a great actor?" Do it. Like, it's not like, it's not believe it.

    16. SBSteven Bartlett38:51

        (laughs)

    17. NCNick Cannon38:51

        It's not, uh, act it. You gotta actually every, embody every aspect of it. Like, do it as if there's no other option. Like, if you try something, that's you sticking your foot in it, uh, if you believe it, you're kinda like, "I, I think I, yeah, like okay." (laughs) But when you do it, when you live it, when you operate in it, when there's no other option of like, like you know it's like it's some people who like, you know, they play basketball and then somebody's like, "Oh no, they, they're a basketball player." (laughs)

    18. SBSteven Bartlett39:25

        (laughs)

    19. NCNick Cannon39:25

        You know what I mean? Like there's some people who, who train or try to box and like, "No, that's a boxer." (laughs)

    20. SBSteven Bartlett39:32

        (laughs)

    21. NCNick Cannon39:32

        You know what I mean? Like they embody it. They live it. You gotta... And that's what my... And, uh, even with my own kids, I'm like, "All right, what do you just naturally do? Where's your swag naturally at?"

    22. SBSteven Bartlett39:43

        Why naturally?

    23. NCNick Cannon39:44

        It, b- I- 'cause it's like some of my kids are just natural athletes. Their physical build, their, what they gravitate towards and then I, all right, I'ma water that. I'm s- I'ma, um, I'm gonna cultivate that seed and that's what... Because they have fun at it. Then there's some of my kids that are just like natural musicians. They just gravitate towards the piano. Like, they just, they-

    24. SBSteven Bartlett40:07

        They have fun at it.

    25. NCNick Cannon40:08

        Yeah.

    26. SBSteven Bartlett40:08

        Why does that matter?

    27. NCNick Cannon40:09

        Yeah, and then it's like, "Okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna help you with that."

    28. SBSteven Bartlett40:12

        Why does the fun matter?

    29. NCNick Cannon40:14

        Well, I mean, that's, that's the, that's the battery. Like, that's... And that's what if they ever lose the fun, at least for me, like when it's no longer be fun, uh, becomes fun, then why are we doing it? You know, are you doing it for money? Are you doing it for... Like, no, you gotta do it 'cause you enjoy it.

    30. SBSteven Bartlett40:31

        I find that fun part so important but a lot of the time people don't appreciate it and I love your, your ref- reference of the battery because a lot of people will be orientated because they come from tough upbringings to go what's gonna make the most money.
11. 41:00 – 45:27

    💡 Pursuing Your Passion: Nick Cannon stressed the significance of pursuing a career with genuine passion and joy, as it leads to mastery and long-term success, as opposed to solely chasing money.

    1. NCNick Cannon41:00

       makes you money." And then it goes to the concept of happy money or good money because there's s- definitely the opposite of there's bad money and there's sad money. The... And I've seen so many people live in that frequency. And it-

    2. SBSteven Bartlett41:20

       Sad money.

    3. NCNick Cannon41:21

       Sad money. It's like stingy, fear that people are only want you for your money.

    4. SBSteven Bartlett41:31

       Loneliness comes.

    5. NCNick Cannon41:32

       Loneliness in this big glass castle by yourself, like you got all the money in the world. Like we, we know those entertainers. You know what I mean? Like man, they, they put themselves in this, this glass tower and everybody can see them and they hate that everybody can see them and they're so lonely and it's like they got more money than they know what to do with and then everything becomes about a transaction.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett41:59

       Mm-hmm.

    7. NCNick Cannon42:01

       Like, and you can see they, they have the biggest yacht in the world, they got the most diamond-studded watch ever and they're miserable and it's like that's sad money. That's... And it becomes bad money. You know what I mean? Like they're making... And it's, it's vindictive and they're, they're not honest. They, they get it in a way and you're like, "Man, how do you sleep at night?" Like the music industry is filled with bad money.And I've, I've seen people, they take advant- like, it's literally designed in these contracts. That's why I never really wanted to be... I didn't wanna thrive in it. Once I saw it, I'm like, "Oh, it's so manipulative." It's about... It's one person robbing another, robbing another, robbing another. And it's like, that's not a fun industry to be in. Like clearly there's some people who figure it out, but even as a, as a music executive, I'm like, I don't, I don't wanna operate in dishonesty. I don't wanna operate in manipulation, and it's just like, that entire industry is designed off of that. And but, it's, it's ways to, you know, far and few between, but you can operate with happy money and good money because the crazy thing specifically about music, it brings so much joy to the world-

    8. SBSteven Bartlett43:18

       Mm.

    9. NCNick Cannon43:19

       ... that the industry shouldn't be in a low frequency place. Like everybody should be able to thrive and win and provide for their families, but there's a lot of people who aren't musically inclined, who aren't musically talented, who don't know how to have happiness with music that latch on and control the artist. And then therefore, they run the industry, and they operate on a lower frequency of like, you know, I'm gonna control your, your intellectual property, and I'll make more money off of it than you did even though you made it from such a pure and happy place.

    10. SBSteven Bartlett43:59

        There's a balance. It almost feels like there's a bit of a balance act or, or a, I don't know, a conflict between being selfish enough that you, you get on and you get what you deserve, but being generous and kind enough so that you can stick around and-

    11. NCNick Cannon44:13

        Yeah.

    12. SBSteven Bartlett44:14

        Do you think a- about that a lot?

    13. NCNick Cannon44:15

        It's the beauty of narcissism.

    14. SBSteven Bartlett44:17

        (laughs)

    15. NCNick Cannon44:18

        I, I am a... Uh, that balance, I am a narcissist. I, I believe there's the balance of narcissism, um, because you can go too f- you can go to an extreme of narcissism and it becomes dangerous. It becomes, uh, maniacal. It becomes, uh, uh, where you can be a psychopath with it, or even a sociopath with it where you have no empathy. That level of narcissism is unhealthy. That's to the extreme of the, the spectrum. But, uh, the balance of confidence, of self-love, of there's no other option but me, I am the m- I'm him. (laughs)

    16. SBSteven Bartlett45:02

        Mm-hmm.

    17. NCNick Cannon45:02

        You know, like LeBron James is him. You know, Kobe Bryant, him. Michael Jordan, him. Michael Jackson, him. You know, Mike Tyson, him. You know, like all the Mikes.

    18. SBSteven Bartlett45:14

        (laughs)

    19. NCNick Cannon45:14

        You know, the, the, uh, Will Smith is him. Chris Rock is him. Jamie Foxx is him. You know, and e- uh, Mariah Carey is her. Mary J. Blige is her. Beyonce

12. 45:27 – 48:21

    💡 Self-love, self-promotion, and self-dedication are crucial for success.

    1. NCNick Cannon45:27

       is her. You know, like all of those people know that there is, there will never be another them on the planet, and that is worth its weight in gold. So you have to have a level of self-love, self-promotion, self-dedication. All... Self is the key word, the common word in all of these things. You have to love self, you have to know self. Not so much that you hurt others or you think less of others. It's not... 'Cause I have some people who are like, "Oh, you think you're better than everybody else." I don't care about everybody else. (laughs)

    2. SBSteven Bartlett46:02

       (laughs)

    3. NCNick Cannon46:02

       Like it's not... I don't think I'm better than y'all. I'm me, like and that to, to a point, you, it's, it's a fine line because you don't wanna disrespect anyone. You still wanna have compassion, you still wanna have empathy, you still wanna enter the space of gratitude, but this is my show. This is my party. This is my, this is my block.

    4. SBSteven Bartlett46:21

       Mm-hmm.

    5. NCNick Cannon46:22

       That you, you have to... That's where that success lies, because without these narcissists, we wouldn't have, you know, electricity.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett46:31

       Mm-hmm.

    7. NCNick Cannon46:31

       We wouldn't have iPhones. We wouldn't have great music. We wouldn't have great sh- to... Like the director of the movie is the director for the reason he's a boss. He knows he's the shit. He knows his vision is the one that everyone else has to align with to make a great film.

    8. SBSteven Bartlett46:48

       Was there a point in your career where you realized that you needed to change in some way to get what you deserved and to get what you're worth?

    9. NCNick Cannon46:54

       Ah, nah, I don't think so.

    10. SBSteven Bartlett46:55

        Really? Really?

    11. NCNick Cannon46:56

        I had to learn lessons.

    12. SBSteven Bartlett46:58

        'Cause you're 15, I see you coming up, I go, "He's got talent."

    13. NCNick Cannon47:01

        Yeah.

    14. SBSteven Bartlett47:01

        Oh, I could, you know, get him to sign a bad contract.

    15. NCNick Cannon47:03

        Yeah.

    16. SBSteven Bartlett47:04

        And I could take his money.

    17. NCNick Cannon47:05

        Yeah. That's what it's like I've learned, I've learned all of those lessons, um, and people have tried to forewarn me and stuff like that, but, uh, the thing th- I think the beauty that, you know, the, the aura that everybody has seen is that's been consistent.

    18. SBSteven Bartlett47:20

        Mm-hmm.

    19. NCNick Cannon47:20

        It's what you do with it. You know, I've never let no one put out my flame. You know, it, it's, it's constantly burned for the type of individual that I wanna be, that I, you know, the... my purpose. Um, so, you know, we all have trials and tribulations. Uh, I, you know, you gotta learn how to bob and weave, but you're still the, the fighter in which you're s- supposed to be. You know, like the, the r- whatever made you jump in the ring from that day one, you gonna cultivate those skills. You know what I mean? You may be a d- defensive fighter, then that's how you win your fights sometimes. And you know, uh, you... But early on in your career, you know, you were a puncher, you know? Uh, then you had to be more of a thinker, you know? But at the end of the day, you're still a fighter. So I think as... Whatever I, I am the... I still have this desire in me to, to be a winner. I have this desire in me to, to beat the odds, to

13. 48:21 – 49:03

    💪 Overcoming challenges and persevering fuels the desire to win.

    1. NCNick Cannon48:21

       some- there's something about like when someone tells me I can't do something or tells me no, um, that fuels me. And it's been that way since...... day one since, you know, my, my ADD, since my anti-authoritarian behavior. Like, it's just like, I'm gonna push through, I'm gonna persevere. I'm gonna do what I want and I'm not gonna let society or individuals tell me I can't.

    2. SBSteven Bartlett48:49

       22 years old you start writing Wild 'N Out.

    3. NCNick Cannon48:52

       Yeah.

    4. SBSteven Bartlett48:53

       You start writing at that point at, I think it, you, you then self-fund the pilot-

    5. NCNick Cannon48:58

       Yeah.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett48:58

       ... at 25 years old?

    7. NCNick Cannon48:59

       Yeah. Probably w- before that because I self-funded it

14. 49:03 – 52:34

    🎬 Self-funding a pilot for a TV show can lead to creative control and success.

    1. NCNick Cannon49:03

       in, in 2004. So, that might've been, I might've been 23. Uh, and again, I had just seen some success with film and music. And, um, I just started, I w- I was kind of one of those guys whose Drumline was out and had, you know, an album and stuff. So people ... But I was still doing standup and I was like, everybody was like, "Oh, he does so many things. He hosts." And I had a, uh, a deal with, you know, Viacom at the time. Obviously they had Nickelodeon and then you kinda like graduate from Nickelodeon and go to MTV. So I was in that stage of developing things for MTV. Uh, and they didn't understand what I wanted to do and I was saying like, "I wanna get all my comedian friends together and all my rapper friends together and we just like do improv and play games." And they're like, "We don't get it." So I was like, "All right." So I rented out one of the comedy clubs that me and my guys would normally frequent, uh, got some cameras together. Uh, I think I, man, I, I wanna say it was somewhere around like $100,000 that I had put into like that night. Uh, promoted it, had everybody come out. You know, got some beautiful people to stand around and look beautiful and-

    2. SBSteven Bartlett50:17

       You put $100,000 of your own money into the pilot?

    3. NCNick Cannon50:19

       Yeah, into the pi-

    4. SBSteven Bartlett50:20

       To send, to show MTV?

    5. NCNick Cannon50:21

       Yeah. And then, uh, once we put it all together, you know, edited, created logos, showed it to them and they're like, "Oh, we get it now." But, you know, I had c- by then I had created the intellectual property. Had, you know, copywritten and patented the name of Wild 'N Out, uh, the logo. So when it was time to negotiate, when I knew that they wanted the show, we, we had the, you know, the, the strong side of the table because we knew they wanted it and we had already created it. And that instantly was like, oh, this is the business model that I wanna continue to operate under.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett50:56

       Most people don't figure that out until much later in life, if at all, that owning their IP (laughs) is key to getting the value that they deserve for their work.

    7. NCNick Cannon51:05

       Yeah. Well now I feel like everybody knows. The secret's out, right?

    8. SBSteven Bartlett51:09

       (laughs)

    9. NCNick Cannon51:09

       You know what I mean? When you look at YouTube and-

    10. SBSteven Bartlett51:12

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    11. NCNick Cannon51:12

        ... you know, the ability of that we could create great content, you know, for a very cost-effective amount. Like, you know, Wild 'N Out, that probably wouldn't cost me 100,000 today.

    12. SBSteven Bartlett51:24

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    13. NCNick Cannon51:25

        You know, because everything e- back then they, to get a cameraman-

    14. SBSteven Bartlett51:29

        Yeah.

    15. NCNick Cannon51:30

        ... that was a couple thousand dollars. You know what I mean? And, you know, just-

    16. SBSteven Bartlett51:33

        Do it on the iPhone now.

    17. NCNick Cannon51:34

        Yeah.

    18. SBSteven Bartlett51:34

        (laughs)

    19. NCNick Cannon51:34

        Like, exactly. Um, yeah, everybody knows now to, if they create it and they'll come and then you build your fan base on your own and then you can sell it to a larger corporation. So, I feel like that motto is being, you know, kinda ... Like, like the, look at MrBeast. You know what I mean? Like, I'm s- I'm so jealous.

    20. SBSteven Bartlett51:52

        Mm-hmm.

    21. NCNick Cannon51:52

        I'm so in awe. Like, everything that he's doing at 24, 25, like, I was trying to do back then but there was no, there was no YouTube.

    22. SBSteven Bartlett52:00

        (laughs)

    23. NCNick Cannon52:00

        Like, I, I was doing this, you know, on VHS, you know?

    24. SBSteven Bartlett52:04

        Yeah, yeah.

    25. NCNick Cannon52:05

        But, uh, I love it. You know what I mean? I, I love watching what even ... I mean, the beauty of my brand now is what I started in 2004, it's still going strong and probably more popular today going into 2024.

    26. SBSteven Bartlett52:22

        It's crazy.

    27. NCNick Cannon52:23

        You know what I mean?

    28. SBSteven Bartlett52:24

        You're, you're about to film series 21? Or-

    29. NCNick Cannon52:26

        We just filmed 21 so we're going into-

    30. SBSteven Bartlett52:28

        2-
15. 52:34 – 1:02:10

    🌟 "Wild 'N Out" has become a billion-dollar brand with various business ventures.

    1. NCNick Cannon52:34

       um-

    2. SBSteven Bartlett52:34

       Most shows don't last for a season, let alone 21 seasons, 22 seasons.

    3. NCNick Cannon52:38

       Yeah. I think my goal is 25. So ...

    4. SBSteven Bartlett52:42

       What happens at 25?

    5. NCNick Cannon52:44

       It'll be the 20th year. 25, like, do I gracefully bow out? It's 25. 25 seasons. Like, do I hand it off to somebody else? Do like ... I'll probably be getting close to 50 by then. Like, hmm, I can't while out forever.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett53:01

       Nope.

    7. NCNick Cannon53:02

       Nah, I gotta stop at some point.

    8. SBSteven Bartlett53:04

       (laughs)

    9. NCNick Cannon53:04

       I think I'm probably too long in the tooth now. I mean, that's why I even created the Old Skool, New Skool. It's funny, everybody, when I first created it, all of the Wild 'N Out girls, all of the cast members, all of the crew were older than me.

    10. SBSteven Bartlett53:18

        (laughs)

    11. NCNick Cannon53:18

        And it was weird that everybody was listening to this kid tell them what to do. And like, even the, my, my OGs, like, you know, Katt Williams and, you know, a lot of the guys who are on the show and wri- Chris Spencer and Daryl Heath. Like, these guys were guys that I looked up to, uh, that were on my show. Uh, and now I'm the old head and I got all of these other young kids like the DC Young Flys and every- I'm like, it's so crazy to have the same brand and I literally grow up on-

    12. SBSteven Bartlett53:52

        Yeah, it's crazy.

    13. NCNick Cannon53:52

        ... you know, like I remember being a kid trying to get these comedians to listen to me and they're like, "What do you know?" And now I'm the guy telling-

    14. SBSteven Bartlett54:01

        With the platform.

    15. NCNick Cannon54:01

        Yeah. So.

    16. SBSteven Bartlett54:03

        Give me a view into, into that platform that you have and that you've built. The entertainment company that sits behind it, the talent that you have, 'cause it's not so obvious to people.

    17. NCNick Cannon54:11

        Yeah.

    18. SBSteven Bartlett54:11

        You know, people kind of probably think, okay, Wild 'N Out, he's, he does this, whatever, he's the host, whatever. But when I did the research on the company that you've built behind it, it's a pretty, it's a huge business behind all of that.

    19. NCNick Cannon54:22

        Yeah.

    20. SBSteven Bartlett54:22

        You're involved in a lot of things.

    21. NCNick Cannon54:24

        Yeah. I mean, there's so many aspects of it. I mean, I, I truly look at it as a blessing. I'm, I'm so grateful for it because it was on-the-job job training. I didn't s- I didn't think Wild 'N Out would be the billion dollar conglomerate that it is because...I was just creating a show to give my friends jobs to-

    22. SBSteven Bartlett54:41

        Mm-hmm.

    23. NCNick Cannon54:41

        ... because Kevin Hart needed money to pay his rent. (laughs)

    24. SBSteven Bartlett54:44

        (laughs)

    25. NCNick Cannon54:44

        (laughs) Like, because he's be... Like, it's just real, you know? Like, we were trying to create something 'cause I was the only one that was, you know, seeing some success out of our, you know, our generation at the time, and I was like, "Oh, let's, let me shine a light on these dudes that are way funnier than me, that are way more talented than me." You know, like, uh... And then I built a business out of it, of incubating, of, uh, cultivating young talent, so much so that when they're ready, we, we see Pete Davidson go on to become one of the biggest stars in SNL and a movie star. We, we see same thing with, like, Mikey Day and Taran Killam and, you know, uh, the Katt Williams and Kevin's to become some of the biggest standup comedians to ever tour the world. Like, they, they got their, you know, their, their feet wet, their, their skills honed on one of the toughest stages. Like if you look at what Wild N Out is, if you, if you excel and survive there, you're gonna be a star-

    26. SBSteven Bartlett55:49

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    27. NCNick Cannon55:49

        ... because you're in a... This is the gauntlet. This is the combine. This is the best of the best and the grimiest of, of... This, we gonna test your insecurities. We gonna test your anxiety. And then you succeed and you get the love from people that you respect. And then once the industry sees that, do whatever you want. So I, I didn't... I couldn't have designed that, but it, it happened. And I was like, "Wow, I didn't know..." I was literally... I, I didn't... We were just in the trenches. But it's like, it's so much so, like, we created an environment that most entertainers are scared to come to.

    28. SBSteven Bartlett56:28

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    29. NCNick Cannon56:28

        They're like, "Man, I don't wanna go to Wild N Out. They gonna talk about my mama."

    30. SBSteven Bartlett56:31

        (laughs)
16. 1:02:10 – 1:07:17

    🚀 Nick Cannon's company, Incredible Entertainment, generated over $100 million in revenue, with diverse ventures beyond entertainment.

    1. NCNick Cannon1:02:10

       we're curators, we're, uh, incubators. Uh, and so a lot of the, the content that I've created, um, I found my niche.

    2. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:22

       I was gonna say you're the S- Simon Cannon of the entertainment world, but you're in fact just the Nick Cannon of the entertainment world. (laughs)

    3. NCNick Cannon1:02:27

       Yeah. That's right. Funny, me and Kehlani is a, um ... Me and Simon talk about that often 'cause I found her on America's Got Talent, on his show, my show, our show. But (clears throat) he wasn't paying attention. You know what I mean? And it was like-

    4. SBSteven Bartlett1:02:43

       (laughs)

    5. NCNick Cannon1:02:43

       ... you know, he was focused on One Direction or whatever on one of his other shows and I was like, you know, Kehlani came in, um, and it was ... She was an amazing talent. She wa- ... And I, I hate to say found because she was already talented. Once you get to America's Got Talent, you're already proven, you know. Uh, and she was, uh, the, the lead singer for a group called Pop Life-

    6. SBSteven Bartlett1:03:07

       Mm.

    7. NCNick Cannon1:03:08

       ... which was put together, I believe, by Dwayne Wiggins from Tony! Toni! Tones! His sons were in there too, but she was clearly the, the star of this group. And I remember Piers Morgan, uh, was being an asshole, as he does so very well (laughs) and he was, he, he was telling a 15-year-old little chubby Kehlani, uh, to that she should leave the group, and the only way that he would put her through and not buzz her off is if she left her band because she was the talent. Clearly he was right, but like how do you put a 15-year-old in that scenario? And she stuck to her guns and she said, "I'm not leaving my brothers." And everybody else on the panel was like, "We're gonna, you know ... We, we love that you stuck to your guns." So even though Piers was being an ass, they put through, they went all the way through to, um, to the finale. I think they performed with Stevie Wonder on the finale as Pop Life, and then unfortunately, you know, when you don't win, life goes on. She had to go back home to Oakland, and probably met some hard times. Uh, and I remember, it's funny, uh, the father of her, you know, as everyone know n- I knew as Gabby, uh, who also grew up in that same musical vicinity, called me and said, "Hey man, you know that girl that was on America's Got Talent? She's homeless now. She's not doing so well." And I was like, "What?" He's like, "Yeah. She's d- you know, not doing ... You know, she's being a, a teenager, but like she needs help." Like, I didn't really know her background of, you know, her father, you know, being murdered when she was a child and her mother st- you know, uh, dealing with substance abuse and a lotta ... She has a very compelling story of just the resilience of her and her family, and he, they were explaining all that and I was like, "Yo. Give me her information. Find who's her guardian," and kinda went and talked to the family and said, "Yo. I'll move you to LA, but first you gotta finish school." Like, the one promise, finish school, I'll take care of everything else. A year later, her mixtape was nominated for a Grammy. So it's just like ... Just and you know, so it's stuff like that to where, you know, I was like, I put in the work to, you know, help her out. I was, tell Simon, "Yeah, you missed that one. You, you got a lot of other ones right, but you missed y- you know, you missed that one." And uh-

    8. SBSteven Bartlett1:05:27

       Did you sign her?

    9. NCNick Cannon1:05:29

       Uh, see that's the thing how I feel about signing. I don't ... I'm weird about that. I don't like signing people. Uh, and people, everybody in my life is like, "That's what you have to do." I, I would say I didn't ask for anything. I, I, I, uh, I was the, uh, impresario (laughs) you know what I mean? I, I funded scenarios because I could, so she didn't have to worry about anything. You know what I mean? She had, uh, roof over her head, food on the table, anything she wanted, studio time, you know, we, we figured it out. I, I introduced her to, you know, the good people over at Atlantic Records, uh, and the rest is history. So-

    10. SBSteven Bartlett1:06:14

        Hindsight's a wonderful thing.

    11. NCNick Cannon1:06:15

        Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

    12. SBSteven Bartlett1:06:16

        (laughs)

    13. NCNick Cannon1:06:16

        I didn't want no money from it. You know what I mean? I do, I do that for a lot of people. Uh, and it's created, you know, me and Craig Kallman over at Atlantic, d- that's my man. You know, uh, but where a lot of people would be, you know, Kehlani would be signed to them forever, w- why would ... I don't, I don't want that. You know what I mean?

    14. SBSteven Bartlett1:06:36

        Right.

    15. NCNick Cannon1:06:36

        I want her to be able to provide and do ... Like, I always tell everybody I work with from the beginning, whether you make it or you don't make it, my life is still gonna be the same.So, I don't want anything from you but to see you win. I just wanna see, like... I-

    16. SBSteven Bartlett1:06:52

        But you could've, you know-

    17. NCNick Cannon1:06:53

        I could've. There's a lotta people and that's, that is their business, to where like, "I need my percentage of every song that you write from here on out because I found you, I discovered you, I signed you." My spirit... That don't sit well with my spirit. I, uh... And that's... This Future Superstars show, m- my inner struggle when you watch it, 'cause I'm on the show as well, I struggle with

17. 1:07:17 – 1:08:00

    🎶 Nick Cannon supports local artists by giving them $5,000 to $10,000 in each city he visits, paying it forward and correcting industry practices.

    1. NCNick Cannon1:07:17

       signing these kids. It's funny because we go from city to city and I give a local artist anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 a city and a lot of times that's what these record labels are signing these kids up for. Someone signed my publishing away when I was a teenager for $10,000. One of the biggest mistakes, one of the biggest lessons I've ever learned. So now, I'm giving that $10,000 away to these kids and I don't want nothing from you but to see you win. And that's m- me paying it forward. That's me correcting what this industry has done to people

18. 1:08:00 – 1:09:23

    📝 Nick Cannon prefers not to sign artists to his label but instead collaborate and share publishing to empower them and challenge the traditional music industry model.

    1. NCNick Cannon1:08:00

       so... for so long. So, I don't want... If you wanna sign with Incredible, that's your choice. That's... I'll give... You, uh, you can sign to me if you want to, but I'm good. (laughs) Like, I'm gonna still be rich so I don't need anything from you. If you wanna join the gang, let's go. Like-

    2. SBSteven Bartlett1:08:20

       (laughs)

    3. NCNick Cannon1:08:20

       ... you know, there, there's benefits and perks to-

    4. SBSteven Bartlett1:08:23

       (laughs)

    5. NCNick Cannon1:08:23

       ... to being incredible. But, um, I don't... I, I... It's... A lot of people even, you know, from my attorneys and people in my, my circle are like, "Man, you gotta sign these people. How you gonna, how you gonna function? How you gonna allow your business to thrive if you don't sign?" Well, it's been working thus far. So I don't, I don't wanna... I don't like signing people. I don't like having ownership in someone else's brand. Now, we can be collaborative. We can write a song together and we can split the publishing. We can, you know... Yeah, it costs money to keep the lights on. You can use my studio. Yeah. Like, and you... I'll get reimbursed, you know, down the line when it's time but I'm not gonna take something from you. I'm not gonna charge the artist. Like, that's a, that's a fucked up concept-

    6. SBSteven Bartlett1:09:13

       (laughs)

    7. NCNick Cannon1:09:13

       ... that we just been operating in and no one's ever corrected it. Like, why should we... This is... This is an artist who's making brilliant art

19. 1:09:23 – 1:10:20

    💼 Nick Cannon criticises the traditional music industry for owning artists' work in perpetuity and believes that changing technology and a more empathetic generation will drive change.

    1. NCNick Cannon1:09:23

       and someone who had nothing to do with it gets to own it forever in perpetuity? The fuck does perpetuity mean? (laughs)

    2. SBSteven Bartlett1:09:31

       (laughs)

    3. NCNick Cannon1:09:32

       (laughs) Like, like, there's these terms and these words that we just signed up for that is just... It's wrong. But it's made a lot of people a lot of money so they don't want it to change, but it has to change. Like, technology is making it change.

    4. SBSteven Bartlett1:09:46

       Mm-hmm.

    5. NCNick Cannon1:09:46

       These next generations of people who have more empathy and giving spirits are gonna m- allow it to change because I don't p-... I don't believe people are, are, are as animalistic or, or... They're not... They don't have a savage mentality like it once used to require.

    6. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:03

       Mm-hmm.

    7. NCNick Cannon1:10:03

       I believe we're more empathetic, we're more compassionate and it's starting to show even in business.

    8. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:09

       I think you're right though. I think because of platforms that middle man has less power than ever.

    9. NCNick Cannon1:10:15

       Yeah.

    10. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:15

        So you say like, "Oh, maybe they're becoming more empathetic." Maybe they have no choice.

    11. NCNick Cannon1:10:18

        Yeah.

    12. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:19

        Because a Kehlani

20. 1:10:20 – 1:21:13

    🌐 Nick Cannon emphasises that technology and social media platforms empower artists to go viral and connect directly with their audience, reducing the need for traditional networking.

    1. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:20

       or a you or whatever now has all these platforms where if you've got art and you've got talent, that shit's gonna go viral.

    2. NCNick Cannon1:10:25

       Yep.

    3. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:25

       And you're gonna have the followers-

    4. NCNick Cannon1:10:26

       Yeah.

    5. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:27

       ... on your account with... and you own the password.

    6. NCNick Cannon1:10:29

       Exactly.

    7. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:30

       So they gotta come with a different value proposition.

    8. NCNick Cannon1:10:32

       B- before it was like, "Oh, I can introduce you to that person." I was telling people like, networking is stupid. Like-

    9. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:38

       (laughs)

    10. NCNick Cannon1:10:38

        Like, if you're... Like, focus on being the best you, they'll come find you.

    11. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:44

        Mm-hmm.

    12. NCNick Cannon1:10:45

        But there are some people who've made a lot of money by networking. That concept is like, "Oh, this... I know this person, I can introduce you to them." God bless you. You know what I mean?

    13. SBSteven Bartlett1:10:57

        (laughs)

    14. NCNick Cannon1:10:58

        Like, if that's how you... Like, connecting, I'll get it. But if we're really trying to get the artist or the IP or the genius to the people, now technology is doing it for us.

    15. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:13

        I have this debate with my assistant all the time 'cause she tells me to network more and I say to her, I say like, "My networking is doing my thing."

    16. NCNick Cannon1:11:21

        Yeah.

    17. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:21

        And then you become a peacock or a magnet versus me having to small talk in a room for three hours-

    18. NCNick Cannon1:11:25

        Exactly.

    19. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:26

        ... which I can't do

    20. NANarrator1:11:27

        (laughs)

    21. NCNick Cannon1:11:27

        I hate small talk and maybe we're just different type of individuals-

    22. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:30

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    23. NCNick Cannon1:11:31

        ... because there are other people that be like-

    24. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:32

        You get it. Yeah.

    25. NCNick Cannon1:11:33

        ... your network is your net worth.

    26. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:34

        Yeah, yeah.

    27. NCNick Cannon1:11:34

        Um, I don't care who, who I know. It's more about who knows me.

    28. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:40

        Mm-hmm.

    29. NCNick Cannon1:11:40

        It's a... It's... I'm... I'm gonna go over here and figure it out and you're welcome to the party-

    30. SBSteven Bartlett1:11:47

        (laughs)

Episode duration: 1:46:48