Albums That Deserve Another Chance". Each week, an album commonly seen as "wack" by the hip-hop community will be featured here, with Burmy making the case as to why they should give each album another listen.)
Last week, I talked about a sense of distrust in the hip-hop community for superstars in other lanes to foray into rap, and how it caused them to automatically slam John Cena's album despite its quailty rhymes. Motivated by the "Attitude Adjustment" I seem to have given the crowd, I'm moving on to another album which was looked down upon for a similar reason, by a man who is still hated to this day-though for entirely different reasons. I am of course speaking about Nick Cannon's self-titled debut album.
At the time of release, he had already made himself a star on Nickelodeon's "All That" as well as "The Nick Cannon Show" before branching out into films such as "Drumline" and "Love Don't Cost a Thing". What many did not know at the time was that he had done his first forays into hip-hop as one half of "Da Bomb Squad," which had some success opening for Will Smith, LFO, 98 Degrees, and Montell Jordan.
Signed to Jive in 2001, he burst onto the mainstream rap scene with his cover of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's '88 classic "Parents Just Don't Understand" with Lil' Romeo and 3LW. Because of this (and his prior work with Nickelodeon), many perceived that it would be a "kids' album," and thus gave it accompanying negative reviews. However, at the Hype, we strive to be as neutral as possible, leading us to ask the question: Was it really that bad? Let's give it another chance!
#1 "Get Crunk Shorty (ft. Ying Yang Twins & Fatman Scoop)"
The album kicks with its lead single, an ideal club banger reaching out to all regions. This West Coaster smoothly glides over the beat as before, as his Dirty South hitmaker collaborators pump the crowd as usual ("SHAWTY GET YO ASS ON THE DANCEFLOOR!" is bound to get attention). Top that off with Northeast legends Fatman Scoop (invoking the crowd to "Turn the Lights On" five years before Rico Love made it big) and Just Blaze (whose beat's in the same vein as those he did for Joe Budden's "Pump It Up" and Freeway's "Flipside", filled in with a sample of Labelle's "Goin' On A Holiday") and you have something which can truly get the club moving with the proper speakers.
#2 "Feelin' Freaky (ft. B2K)"
Now here is where the true radio airplay started off. Though the whole B2K crew is credited, frontman Omarion does the lion's share of the vocals, while Nick puts in a few witty bars. However, not many paid attention to the part where he targets his haters:
"Why them cats saying that Cannon should stick to acting
Kill you in two bars, Daddy its quick to happen
Wont know what caused it, But Nick will get you dancing
You dudes in the closet, you know you think I'm handsome"
As this permeated my radio back in my high school's junior year, I had slept on the actual lyrics. Now, I can really appreciate the high-life appeal mixed in with the witty bars and R. Kelly's guitar-hype beat (sounds like one of the radio singles Jay-Z woulda done in his post-"In My Lifetime"/pre-"Black Album" era).
#3 "Gigolo (ft. R. Kelly)"
And this is the song most people think of when they hear Nick Cannon. Once again Kellz (as I said before, he pretty much IS Jive) lends his support towards this pimp-hop track, just as it was starting to enter the mainstream. The video enhances the theme, with Kat Williams' cameo in his "Money Mike" persona and Cannon holding the pimp cup & staff while wearing a Wilt Chamberlain jersey (a tribute to the ULTIMATE player-one who is certainly bound to score, but is never rude or disrespectful towards these women). If you can just turn your brain off for a moment and get to enjoying the music, this certainly completes the first triad of the album quite well. In retrospect, I bet Cannon wishes he hadn't made that song (similar to Jay-Z's "Me give my heart to a woman?/Not for nothin', never happen, I be forever mackin'" on "Big Pimpin'")
#4 "When Ever You Need Me (ft. Mary J. Blige)"
This is where it gets personal. Nick speaks of his true desire to find a woman, however lamenting always being in the limelight-so out of respect, he decides to wait until he's fallen back a bit to commit. Mary J. Blige puts the icing on the cake, completing a true hip-hop treasure that many of Nick's haters will unfortunately miss out on.
#5 "You"
As the ladies' man, he knows he's the center of attraction, so for one chick to stand out and get his attention is quite an honor. I guess it's a compliment to tell a woman "Many others were checked out and rejected, so congratulations on being on my list!" Complete with the violins in the background, I would have been requesting it regularly had it been chosen as a single.
#6 "I Used To Be In Love (ft. Joe)"
A sad story of love lost...imagine how stupid this woman can be, cheating on her man who was ready to do everything for her and gave her the VIP treatment! The depths of his lament are expressed here:
"No more me and you
No more us
No more 'we can cruise,' hit the city bus
Can't believe that i fell for you
I guess its true gigolos get lonely too"
Jive labelmate Joe chips in well to carry the grown man sound...haters, you are truly missing out!
#7 "My Rib (ft. Anthony Hamilton)"
Basically a litany of what Nick sees in his woman, with the first verse being devoted to what he calls her ("My (insert pet name here)"), the second verse to what he loves about her ("Yo (insert feature here)"), and the third to everything he feels ("I (insert action) you"). Though it might sound corny to some, you have to give him credit for thinking up of so many descriptors. Another note: Anthony Hamilton is not capable of making (or being on) a bad song. Truly a must-listen, one I bet Mariah hears on a nightly basis. (P.S. In case you're wondering why it's called "My Rib", just check out the Bible and how Eve was made)
#8 "Attitude"
Living proof that "Women who play hard to get, don't get gotten" is a crock. They only don't get gotten by those who give up easily-something Nick doesn't do. Continuing to spit game even when that woman gives her first insecurities, he seemingly has a sixth sense which enables him to pick up that lady. Though I'd question his "I'm as big as Elvis" line (Jay-Z is the only rapper who comes close to Elvis status), it still makes for a powerful club track. In fact, I'm beginning to notice a pattern here...All his songs are fit for radio & clubs! (Did the people at Jive just draw tracks out of a hat to see which ones would be singles?)
#9 "Main Girl (ft. Nivea)"
Yet ANOTHER Jive signee chips in. Nick officially puts out a musical "want ad" for the qualities he wants in a woman. Nivea holds it down on the smooth, silky vocals, but the key component is undoubtedly the production, which I could see being used in a blend with Drake's "Best I Ever Had" (truly ahead of its time!) Yup, MC definitely fit the app to a T!
#10 "My Mic (ft. Biz Markie)"
The true test of an MC's skill is how he displays an allegory. For Nick, he talks about his microphone like his best friend, by his side everywhere and helping him catch on in the music world. You can tell a track's truly special when it brings a hip-hop legend out of the shadows if only for a few vocals, and Biz Markie does just that on the hook, adding a bit of legitimacy to Cannon's MC aspirations. Top that off with a "classic-NYC" beat, and you get something that hip-hop heads should carry, if nothing else, with them from Nick Cannon's album.
#11 "I Owe You"
Nick Cannon gives thanks to everyone who helped him out in his rise to the top. His first verse pays tribute to his grandma for raising him when his parents weren't there, his second verse is to his mom for working her two long jobs just so they could keep living. Yet the last verse is my favorite, as, in my local auxilary bishop emeritus is known for saying, "gives thanks to God, who makes this and all things possible," even citing 1 John 1:9 as proof of the good Lord's forgiveness and protection from a shooting that nearly claimed his life. Even if you can't stand him, you gotta respect his gratitude-something not many other hip-hop artists have.
#12 "Your Pops Don't Like Me (I Really Don't Like This Dude)"
If there's one constant roadblock to any would-be wooer, it's the lady's dad. An old-school hip-hop vibe permeates Nick's annoyance with parental control, while encouraging that lady to step out on her own because she's grown. Trust me, I can certainly relate to these scenarios!
FINAL SCORE: No doubt, this is hip-pop. No "in the streets" tracks with superlyricism are to be found. However, Nick finds a way to get in where he fits in, and that's with the female and younger audiences. For that crowd, this album's a certain winner! With that, I give it a 3.5 out of 5 - ABOVE AVERAGE.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: Though Nick's faded into the background with hip-hop (after a few more films, plus "Wild'n Out"), he has a much better full-time job now...as Mariah Carey's husband. Everybody now has a reason to hate him...because he made one of the finer catches in the lake! Although I know Nathan can't stand him (his Eminem diss fueled the flame), I can respect him for who he is-just a regular, devoted husband and soon-to-be-father of twins. As always, what you think of him depends on which crowd you're part of.
Read more: Features, Albums That Deserve Another Chance
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