Actor, comedian, rapper, and entrepreneur, Nick Cannon is a highly successful performer known for his many roles, stand-up appearances, and sketch comedy shows. Born in 1980, in San Diego, California, Cannon first became interested in performing around age eight, and was encouraged to pursue his interest in music via his grandfather, who gave him his first musical instruments. While still a teenager, he moved to Los Angeles to further his stand-up career, appearing at such venus as the Laugh Factory, the Improv, and the Comedy Store. From there, he got his first big break starring in the Nickelodeon comedy sketch series All That. There were also appearances on shows like Kenan & Kel and the Parkers, before he made the jump to film, starring in 2002's marching band-themed Drumline.

Once Cannon firmly established himself on television and then in Hollywood, he expanded his reach into music, signing to Jive Records. The young multi-talent made his smash debut in late 2001 with a remake of DJ Jazzy Jeff the Fresh Prince's 1988 hit, "Parents Just Don't Understand," which appeared on the Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius soundtrack and also featured Lil' Romeo and 3LW. Cannon returned in early 2003 with his self-titled debut album for Jive and its leadoff single, "Your Pops Don't Like Me (I Really Don't Like This Dude)." The follow-up single "Gigolo," featuring R. Kelly, was a huge smash hit. In 2005, Cannon signed a deal with Motown Records to launch his own imprint, Can I Ball Records, but his second album, Stages, was never released.

Cannon's next disc, released three years after he married Mariah Carey, was a comedy album, Mr. Showbiz (2011), released on his N'Credible label. A second comedy album, the ribald F#ck Nick Cannon, arrived in 2013 on the New Wave Dynamics label. A year later, he returned with White People Party Music, an ironic EDM album that featured novelty dance numbers and appearances from Pitbull, Fatman Scoop, and others. Around this time, Cannon filed for divorce from Carey after six years of marriage, with the divorce finalized in 2016. That same year, he enrolled for classes at Howard University, and released the mixtape, The Gospel of Ike Turn Up: My Side of the Story. His third standup comedy special, Stand Up, Don't Shoot, premiered on Showtime in 2017. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi