On the day he dropped his latest album, Nick Cannon posted online a video of himself wearing whiteface, playing a character named Connor. “It’s official … I’m white!!! #RacialDraft,” he wrote on Instagram.
The record's name? White People Party Music, the 33-year-old singer's tongue-in-cheek take on electronic dance music.
It wasn’t a coincidence that it was April Fools’ Day.
The opening track, Looking for a Dream, follows the standard pattern of novelty numbers: synthesised beats, a rap verse and an upbeat repetitive chorus ("I must be looking for a dream").
Down the line are collaborations with Pitbull, Akon, Future and Afrojack, curiously the very people he’s making fun of.
All 17 tracks sound like sunny Auto-Tuned baloney – catchy and shallow. The synths soar and the bass drops. Unbelievable has lyrics such as "I don't know astrology, but baby, I saw the signs". Me Sexy features an extended Spanish spoken-word verse. The song OJ – referring to, yes, O J Simpson – has the embarrassing refrain "You can run as fast as you can, but you're never gonna catch me".
OK, we get it. But why a work of parody for your first record in 11 years?
Cannon, also a comedian and TV host, is not new to satire. He hosted MTV's Wild 'N Out, which mocked rap battles. His inspirations are legitimate: David Bowie, Andy Kaufman and Sacha Baron Cohen, whom he calls "true artists not afraid to make themselves part of the art even if it's an uncomfortable situation".
The question is whether Cannon is starting a conversation or simply sensationalising.
"I thought it would be the funniest thing in the world," he told Rolling Stone last week.
"I knew it would spark some controversy," he told Good Morning America.
But, aside from making headlines, his intentions are unclear. If Cannon wanted to make a statement, wouldn’t one song (and a viral video) have sufficed?
Had he shamelessly jumped on the craze, did a serious dance album with a straight face, and then reflected on why he did it, the results would have been different. The songs would have evoked nostalgia, a hallmark of the musical genre in question.
For now, in all his lampooning, Cannon has made himself the punch line.
jgabrillo@thenational.ae
