The Rundown: Nick Cannon, White People Party Music
A look at rapper's comedic venture into race music.
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The Rundown: Nick Cannon, White People Party Music - It may be April 1, but Nick Cannon's not fooling around. It's been 11 years since his last album, so he's going straight for the top of the charts — where dance music has long ruled — and he's acknowledging that stat overtly with his sophomore LP, White People Party Music, a collection of the most formulaic electro-pop sounds of mainstream dance floors worldwide. It's a comedically self-aware move for a rapper, but Nick's always been wild like that. Read on for a track-by-track look at how he gets down, calling on the likes Akon, Fatman Scoop, Future, and Migos for support. (Photo: N'credible Entertainment)
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"Looking for a Dream" Featuring Afrojack - Mr. Cannon cracks open this project with a unadulterated euro-dance pop anthem, replete with dramatic clap-filled builds, stuttering vocal intros and hop-til-the-dawn 808 kicks. The subject matter: it’s all about the epic (and euphoric) club experience. There’s no doubting Nick’s humorous connect-the-dots pop formula á la Bruno Mars or Katy Perry. (Photo: Nick Cannon via Instagram)
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“Unbelievable” - For this inspirational rock-pop love tune, Nick mines inspiration from late ‘90s-early 2000s groups like Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth. Nick sings of an unimaginable love (most likely his hooking up with Mariah) accompanied by middle-of-the-road guitar chords that rock safely and happily. (Photo: Nick Cannon via Instagram)
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"America" Featuring Pitbull - Nick recruits reggaeton king Pitbull to perform this formulaic 808 club banger celebrating the U.S.A. Taking a page from '70s Canadian rock group the Guess Who, Nick uses an attractive woman as a metaphor for discussing "The Greatest Country in the World." "She'll change your life," praises Pitbull. "She'll give you the freedom to be what you want." (Photo: Brian Killian/Getty Images)
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"Pajama Pants" Featuring Future and Migos - This jam — an ode to big butts in jammies — adopts the form of a booming Southern hip hop track. As the LP’s ringmaster, Nick transforms into a gruff Southern MC who slings lyrics about “dem guls” and how he loves them all. (Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Oakley)
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"Dancefloor" Featuring Ryan Bowers and Khelani - With its slow, sensual booms and pseudo love raps, the cut “Dancefloor” moves the album into hard-core slow-jam phase… The kind of song that, when it comes on in a popular club, has the women running to the floor saying, “That’s my jam!” (Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)
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"OJ" Featuring Polow da Don - "You can run as fast as you can," sings a female singer. "But you’re never gonna catch me.” Armed with a thundering Lil' Jon synth-rhythm, Nick uses the infamous former football player (who white America will never forget, after he was acquitted of murder charges in a highly publicized racially-tense trial) as inspiration for a club dance. (Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)
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“Ph****** Awesome” - Taking a phrase made popular by white dudes nationwide in the ‘80s (and a back beat inspired by Toni Basil’s 1984 hit “Hey Micky”), Nick crafts an infectious pop anthem that celebrates being cool with folks from every walk of life. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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“Birthday Interlude” - Accompanied by two giddy white girls celebrating their birthday in a club, Nick plays party MC/DJ, who rhymes the ladies’ night away. (Photo: Mike Pont/WireImage)
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"F*** Yo Birthday" Featuring DJ Class and Fatman Scoop - From the angle of this cut, it’s obvious Nick's been to enough parties where the DJ has been hounded by the b-day girl to play her favorite song because of the special occasion. But in making this anti-birthday track, Nick has turned this electro-funked hip hop song into the perfect 21st-century born-day anthem. (Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)
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“Stadium” - “Celebrating. Getting nasty,” Nick raps. “Getting paper like an athlete.” It’s another Miami-influenced Euro-dance track running down the laundry list of an ideal night out at a huge club. (Photo: Tyler Golden/BET Networks)
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“Pete’s Interlude” - On this skit, Nick encounters Pete, a white dude who’s informing him about his arsenal of crass rhymes about, well, doin’ the do… with everybody. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
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"Me Sexy" - Don't let the title fool you. This song's definitely about you, too. Nick cranks out another synth-heavy club-banger on this track, this time getting folks to chant, "We Sexy!" (Photo: Donald Bowers/Getty Images for Samsung)
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"White Lady" - Sixties rock pop was the inspiration behind this brash, Las Vegas-esque cut, which pays homage to the way white ladies move. (Photo: Bobby Bank/WireImage)
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"Feel the Music" Featuring Colette Carr - No other way to describe this… it’s another brassy bombastic cut to get a star-studded club bumpin'. (Photo: WENN.com)
Photo By Photo: WENN.com
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“So Turnt Up” - Nick finds an excuse to use this soon-to-be-played-out phrase over yet another Euro-dance blast track. (Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
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“F*** Nick Cannon” - Nick acknowledges his haters on this playfully boastful cut. “Haters is comedy, I’mma be laughing at ya,” Nick teases. “I’m on my Dave Chappelle s***, n**** I’m in Africa (I’m rich, b****!)” (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for BET)