Nick Cannon has been elevating and dominating the entertainment space since his Nickelodeon days with “The Nick Cannon Show” and numerous guest appearances. He even served as the chairman of TeenNick. The multihyphenate gave us iconic roles in films like Drumline and Love Don’t Cost a Thing before creating one of the culture’s biggest variety shows, “Wild ‘N Out.”
The iconic series has birthed many stars and helped push talent like DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, Pretty Vee and many more to mainstream success. Cannon has been able to keep things fresh and timeless by branching off to create a new series, his show on Tubi called “Nick Cannon’s Big Drive,” which merges the industry vet’s love for cars and conversations with celebrity friends.
In an interview with REVOLT, Cannon discussed how the new series came about, why he decided to work with Tubi, and who has the most gigs between himself, Shaquille O'Neal, Snoop Dogg and Keke Palmer. Check out the exclusive chat below.
Authentically connecting with people through different mediums seems to be one of your purposes in life. In what ways are you hoping this new series will resonate with audiences?
Ty, you hit it on the nail — it’s about connecting with people in an authentic way. Over the years, everyone knows my affinity for cars, and I’ll be honest, I originally came up with the show through hanging out with another car enthusiast by the name of Jay Leno, and I was doing his show. He told me how I have so much love for cars like him and recommended I have a series for this generation, and this was years ago when we had this conversation.
Anytime I get a new car, or a friend gets a new car, and I go check it out, I say how we need to film this or put something together. It’s less about how fly the car is, but what stories the car tells or [tales] you have to tell -- like first dates, first time driving, etc. [The show] has this underlying, inspirational approach even within the title — what drives you? Because you have to have a big drive to achieve your dreams. Whatever walk of life they come from, they can come on this show and share their story.
People tend to have mixed reactions regarding Tubi. What about the platform made you feel comfortable and confident enough to collaborate?
It’s all about perception and perspective — there’s no other platform that embraces our culture like Tubi. There [are] so many other streaming platforms that could care less about us. The beautiful thing about Tubi — if you ever truly experience it, despite what people say — [is that] it has some of your favorite blockbuster movies and new films. It’s the only place that embraces the DIY community and the new creator, which is super dope. It’s the same thing when it comes to the places we like to be [in] and participate in on social media — the best social media content is the content we create ourselves, for ourselves.
Anybody who embraces our culture, I’m going to rock with you from the gate — I've been in this game for a long time, and I’ve watched companies embrace us from the beginning that we took to the top. Think about FOX and what it was like in the original days, which was the only place you [could] see “Martin,” “In Living Color,” and “Married… with Children” — things that were so obscure -- and then became one of the biggest networks ever. There are streaming platforms very similar to Tubi in their beta mode and have content for us, by us. Once we make it hot, then everybody else [comes], so Tubi is that exact same formatting and if you know how I get down in my career, I love being the first to the party. I’m going to always rock with whoever rocks with me and always give people who are trying to do something different and embrace our culture — I’m rocking with them all day.
You’re great at being in the driver’s seat, directing conversations with peers and tastemakers. If you were the passenger, who would you put in the driver’s seat to chop it up with for a vulnerable yet safe chat?
Michelle Obama because she’s our first lady and I love her interview style. It could even be Barack Obama, too — we’re just seeing Michelle write these dynamic books and becoming a leader in what she represents, especially for Black women. I don’t want any smoke with Barack — he could be in the car while we chop it up, too.
If you could drive to any past moment in your life, which would you revisit and why?
Maybe going back to kindergarten because I have vague memories from it, but I remember being very excited.
Which city or country would you love to drive around in for sightseeing, and which friend are you taking with you?
I love Jamaica; it’s my favorite place on the planet. Or maybe Egypt. Who do you think I should take, Ty?
I would suggest Karlous Miller.
Ooh, that’s a good one — I’ll rock with that answer.
You, Keke Palmer, Shaquille O'Neal and Snoop Dogg stay with a job. Who do you think has the most out of you four?
It’s between Shaq and Snoop I would say – Keke and I do things in the same realm. Shaq is one of the greatest basketball players ever and is on television, movies, platinum albums, etc. As for Snoop, he’s one of the greatest rappers to touch a microphone, but then does everything else. I would have to give it to Shaq.
After your chairman role at TeenNick, can fans expect a Nick Cannon-owned network in the future? What about another iconic era like your multifaceted run at Nickelodeon?
Two great and different questions, Ty. I’m working on something right now, so getting a network owned by me is a possibility. We’re in a time where so many people will own their own networks because that’s the way culture is shifting. Your social media page is your own network if you have a lot of followers, which is something a network wishes [it] could attain these days. It’s coming, not only from me but from everyone. So many of your favorite people in the next five years will have their own networks and make millions of dollars on them.
As for Nickelodeon, it was such a time and era to be a part of, but I hope so. It probably won’t happen over television — the way we had love for Nickelodeon is the same way the youth will have love for TikTok. I guarantee you there's about to be this new resurgence of, like, a Disney button on your phone or something like that, that will speak to this generation.
Be sure to stream “Nick Cannon’s Big Drive” exclusively on Tubi.