The Kansas City Star, Mo., Steve Penn Column: A Better Way to Be Famous
By Steve Penn, The Kansas City Star, Mo.
Mar. 1–He’s an actor, rapper and the host of MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out.”
And during a recent visit to Kansas City, Nick Cannon took on some serious topics with local youths and left them with a bit of wisdom.
Cannon was brought to Kansas City by Phillips-West Public Relations & Communications as host when the documentary “No Joke: The 50 Funniest Black Comedy Movies (Ever)” was shown last Saturday at the Gem Theater.
During the day, Cannon took time to give advice and answer a few questions for an audience of young people at the theater.
Cannon said he gained a serious interest in politics after appearing in the film “Bobby,” a movie focused on the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
“What stuck with me from learning about that process in history was the people that were really behind those movements were young people,” Cannon said. “They were young college students, young high school students that led those marches. You think about everything young people were doing in the 1960s to give us the opportunities that we have today. That resonated with me. And it told me that I have to get involved. I truly have to use my voice for good.”
Cannon also expressed his respect for Harry Belafonte, who was also in “Bobby.” Belafonte became Cannon’s mentor during the shooting of the film.
“He told me that the way they defined art back in their day was that it had to make a statement,” Cannon said. “If it wasn’t making a statement, it truly wasn’t art.”
Belafonte’s reflections made Cannon start to consider his own work.
“Does my record ‘Gigolo’ make a statement?” Cannon asked. “Does ‘Dime Piece’? Do I make a statement on ‘Wild ‘n Out’? That had me step back and analyze a lot of the decisions that I make.”
At 27, Cannon is blessed to have gotten into the music and movie industry at a young age.
“I made mistakes,” Cannon said. “I was buying too many cars, partying and all that stuff. But luckily, I was able to have a few people in my life to guide me and show me the proper thing to do.”
For young people considering a career in music and film, his advice is, don’t wait for the career to come to you.
“If you sit around and wait, it will never happen,” Cannon said. “You’ve got to go out and create your own. You’ve got to have that entrepreneur spirit.”
—-
Every time Nathaniel Barnes, 1st District commissioner for Wyandotte County’s Unified Government, walks by the Huron Indian Cemetery in Kansas City, Kan., he can’t help but feel a bit weird. That’s because in the cemetery, there’s a tombstone that bears his name.
Buried in Huron Indian Cemetery is Nathaniel Barnes, a mayor of Kansas City, Kan., more than 100 years ago. Nathaniel Barnes was a Republican who was elected mayor in 1893 at age 46. He died in 1910.
“I kind of had an out-of-body experience when I first saw it,” the commissioner said recently. “It’s like looking at something out of the Twilight Zone.”
To reach Steve Penn, call 816-234-4417 or send e-mail to spenn@kcstar.com.
—–
To see more of The Kansas City Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kansascity.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Kansas City Star, Mo.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.