Playing the dozens requires a quick wit and the ability to take what you dish out. Nick Cannon built Wild ’N Out around that competitive spirit, with hip-hop at its heart. Now, with Wild ‘N Out Live: The Next Generation Tour, he’s bringing fresh talent into the mix and keeping his standing with a particularly tough audience: his own kids.
“My kids make me want to get on that stage. I mean, Wild ‘N Out makes me the cool dad. They love the show,” the father of 12 told EBONY.
“It keeps me young. It keeps me understanding and knowing what the young people are doing, keeping my finger on the pulse of the energy of this next generation. So that’s why I’m here.”
Wild ‘N Out Live brings the franchise’s signature comedy games, freestyle battles and musical performances to the stage. But plenty of new faces give the format a fresh feel.
“Gen Z is bringing much more than just talent. They’re bringing business acumen. They’re bringing a different frequency of DIY. They do it all on their own. They shoot it, they film it, they edit it, they write it, they produce it,” he said.
He can relate to that scrappy, entrepreneurial spirit. “I feel like I was probably one of those people who was a pioneer of ‘do it all on your own, and they will come,’” he offered. “And now that’s the status quo of how you have to be an entertainer: you have to be able to do it yourself. And this Gen Z got it locked.”
That new generation includes rapper and content creator Zeddy Will. “Zeddy Will is a movement,” Cannon exclaimed. “This dude is writing and producing and starring in his own sitcoms that look amazing. He got hit records, a list of hit records on Spotify, millions and millions of streams. He has that hunger and that drive — this dude is phenomenal.”
Cannon also has Love Island USA alum Bria Bryant, who has appeared as a Wild ‘N Out Girl. “That fearlessness, being able to get in front of the camera and be all that you are unapologetically. That’s what we all about. So whether it’s the Wild ‘N Out Girl Girls, all the way to the comedians to the rappers, we got space for everybody.”
The tour’s November 12 stop at Intuit Dome in Inglewood will pit Cannon’s crew against an LA team captained by rapper Blueface. The announced lineup includes Ray J, Adam22, DJ Vlad, Trap Lore Ross, Compton AV and Joe Moses, with Wild ‘N Out favorites DC Young Fly, Chico Bean, Justina Valentine, Hitman Holla and Conceited on Cannon’s side. Sexyy Red is also scheduled to perform. DJ D-Wrek, who helped develop the show and has served as its DJ/emcee since its 2005 debut, remains part of the tour’s mix of familiar faces and emerging talent.
Cannon sees a connection between the show’s improvisational energy and today’s streaming culture, including Kai Cenat’s Streamer University.
“Salute to Kai. We had Kai on Wild ‘N Out early on before his massive blowup. My son is the one who put me on to Kai,” Cannon shared.
“I just saw this young brother that was inspiring. I saw this young brother that was getting it on his own. The entire streaming culture is built on that same energy of Wild ‘N Out. Like I said: Do it yourself. Don’t wait for anybody. Turn the camera on, freestyling and going off the top.”
While it’s Gen Z’s time in the spotlight, Gen Alpha isn’t far behind, and Cannon won’t have to go far to assemble that team.
“I’m building this for my kids. All my kids could be cast members. Like 6-on-6 right now, we got the whole Wild ‘N Out cast. They all are characters,” he said with a chuckle.
“They all got something. But obviously the teenagers right now, specifically my son, everybody says he’s a spitting image of me. Not just on the external, but internally—he got my cadence, he moves, everything is just, he has his pops’ energy. So he’s ready to take over whenever I’m done.”
Now that’s legacy building.
Learn more about the Wild ‘N Out Live: The Next Generation tour.