Nick Cannon began working for Nickelodeon by working as a stand-up to warm up the audience of All That. He quickly landed a starring role on the show in 1998. He landed his own show on the channel, The Nick Cannon Show, which he starred, executive produced, created and composed the theme song for.

He has also appeared in films, such as the lead role in 2002's Drumline, Love Don't Cost a Thing, the 2005 Underclassman and many more.

Cannon is the producer and host of MTV's improv comedy show Wild 'N Out which debuted in 2005, and features actors such as Katt Williams. He also released his first single, "Can I Live," featuring Anthony Hamilton, from Cannon's upcoming album, Stages, the same year.