Be More Like Kevin Hart, Not Nick Cannon
Nick Cannon’s firing from ViacomCBS is not a race story. On the surface, it may appear as such due to his “anti-Semitic” comments (thanks to DeSean Jackson, that’s the buzzword of the month). Unfortunately, the Black liberals and race-baiters among us are missing a critical lesson to be learned here. Ownership equals freedom in America.
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out debuted in 2005. It seemed to be a harmonious relationship between Cannon and Viacom. The media giant had a culture-changing hit show on its hands, while Cannon was getting paid very handsomely for his efforts. Like many other Blacks in his position, the former Nickelodeon teen star traded ownership and equity for cash. He made millions while helping his employer make billions. In fact, many other famous Blacks share this same story. Just look at Hip-Hop. The White men who largely own Hip-Hop act as jockeys to the Black male racehorses who pump out music for the masses. The relationship is lucrative for both parties, one more so than the other of course, until a massive sales slump happens, like in the case of 50 Cent. Or an artist has to serve a prison sentence like Pimp C. Then the label cuts ties and finds a new racehorse to hop on the back of. While signed with the label, most artists do not acquire any equity with the label or create their own music entities. They essentially become a former employee and out of work.
Kevin Hart, despite all of his self-deprecating humor and chuck-and-jive comedy, is an astute businessman. Hart is never a spokesman for a brand or an employee for a company. He is always a partner. Madeline Berg wrote a Forbes article in 2018 titled “How Kevin Hart Makes Deals -- And Why Touring Is Still His Best Bet” explaining this. She writes, “With one of the largest celebrity social media following--he counts over 23 million followers on Facebook and over 35 million on Twitter--Hart can command seven figures to tout products. But, he says, he does it for more than the money. Successful partnerships act as resume builders.” In the article, Hart says, “I am not in the position in life where I need to go take a money grab. I’m more about the partnership--a brand that I can grow, evolve, and do something special with.”
Kevin Hart understands how important it is to work with someone rather than for someone. Working for someone means they can dispose of you at any moment of their choosing. It happens quite often, especially in federal occupations when an employee starts to approach retirement and a nice comfy pension. When you work with someone else, however, each side has something to lose if the deal goes sour. To a degree, the success or failure of one side affects the other. It is similar to a romantic relationship. You never want to commit to a spouse who has significantly less to lose than you do if things do not work out. That’s how a person finds themselves in a situation similar to Dr. Dre’s. More importantly in today’s society, when working as a partner it becomes tougher to be canceled by the mob. America’s keyboard “activists” wanted to cancel Kevin Hart so badly after they dug up some homophobic tweets years ago, but the way Hart conducts his business curtailed their plans.
Being an employee has its benefits. It is somewhat safe and very comfortable. An employee is able to cut corners, rely on other co-workers for help, or not be on their A-game at all times and still get their money and benefits. However, that is not real freedom. In order to have the freedom to say and do as you like, you have to seek ownership. Nick Cannon found this out the hard way.
