Nick Cannon put a lot of time and effort into creating what essentially seems to be a music video about racism and injustice, which he posted on Instagram. It was quite eloquently presented, with some ferociously accurate lyrics and solid historical reference points, but it seems he has missed the mark on this one.
This would have likely been more well-received by his fans and critics had it been presented in advance of the remarkably racist comments that he made in recent days. The timing of this post seems way off and is now presenting itself as being more tone-deaf than informative.
Nick Cannon's Video Fail
The timing of this post is truly a shame. The video was well constructed and the lyrics contained some solid, valid moments in which racism was depicted with a modern-day connection and a truly personal account that is relatable to so many.
Cannon was on a role with excerpts such as; "I Can’t Breathe... Again! Gaht Damn!! I can’t breathe! Our voices have been quarantined COVID 19-60s to 1619. Jamestown choked me, sold me, shackles hold me tightly, by my neck and I can’t breathe..." Current events were cleverly woven in with significant references to history. You'd think this would be all the rave... but it wasn't.
However, it hasn't even been two weeks since Nick Cannon was slammed for his clear and apparent comments of anti-Semitism, which quickly led to the cancellation of his show by Viacom CBS. His comments were so wildly and arrogantly racist that there was nothing for him to do but admit his wrongdoing. He quickly released a profuse apology, but the wound is too fresh, and the cut was too deep for fans to just simply forget this ever happened.
Victim Of Racism, Or Perpetrator?
To go from making clearly racist comments to then releasing a rap about anti-racism is way too much of a stretch for fans to embrace. Adding fuel to the fire was Cannon's choice to put himself into the music video as the lead character. He depicted himself in the position of the victim, and was seen laying on the ground, and mouthing the words; "Please, I can't breathe."
Cannon is now being slammed for playing both sides, with fans outraged that he could make hateful comments about Jews and then swiftly transition to a conversation about how Black Lives Matter. Flipping from one side to another depicts irrational behavior, making his message undeliverable and unbelievable to fans, with one fan commenting; "Nah I’m good on your empty words ✌🏽✌🏽✌🏽and you let them Jews aka white people distract you so we good 🤷🏽♀️🤷🏽♀️🤷🏽♀️."
If releasing this video was an attempt to distract fans from his own racist rant, it sadly took Nick Cannon in the polar opposite direction, once again shining the spotlight on his poor behavior and unforgivable racist commentary.