Nick’s music career started when he formed his rap group in 1999. He first signed with Jive Records in 2001 and was featured in the cover song for the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius soundtrack, 'Parents Just Don’t Understand. In 2003, he released his first album, 'Nick Cannon,' on Jive Records, which peaked at #15 on the US R&B chart.
In 2005, he started his own record label, Can-I-Ball Records, and in the same year released his first single, 'Can I Live?'. In 2009, he canceled the Can-I-Ball label, replacing it with another record label, 'N'Credible Entertainment'. Under the new record label, he created a parody of Slick Rick, calling himself 'Slick Nick. After the release of his debut mixtape 'Child of the Corn', 'The Gospel of Ike Turn Up: My Side of the Story' and his Eminem diss single, 'The Invitation,' were then published in 2016 and 2011, respectively.
Nick Cannon began hosting in 2005 on the MTV improv comedy series Wild ‘N Out. It was also in the same year when he became a host of Nickelodeon’s 2005 Kids Choice Awards, followed by Nickelodeon’s HALO Awards in 2009. Also in 2009 when Nick Cannon hosted the world-famous talent show, 'America’s Got Talent,' which he handled for 7 years, he announced his withdrawal as the show’s host for the 2017 season because of creative differences with NBS executives. This issue almost got him sued for breach of contract, but the network decided to accept his resignation and replace him with a former ‘America’s Next Top Model host, Tyra Banks.
Nick also hosted the popular eating competition ‘Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest’ in 2011 and, in the next year, hosted his own comedy television series, ‘Incredible Crew.’ It was in 2013 when he became the master of ceremonies at the ‘Ebony Magazine Power 100 Awards’, where he is also an honouree.
Along with this, he also hosted a morning radio show on 92.3% NOW FM with Southern Sarah Lee and Nikki in 2010. He was then assigned to a new program, 'Cannon’s Countdown,' and in the same year, he announced his comedy tour for the 'Just Laughs' festival in Montreal, followed by his stand-up comedy special, 'Mr. Showbiz' in Las Vegas. In 2014, Nick started working as a host on NBC’s 'Caught on Camera', and was also featured in the American film 'Drumline: A New Beat' in the same year.
In 2019, Nick hosted a reality show, The Mask Singer, but in the 5th season that aired in 2021, his job was temporarily filled by Niecy Nash as he tested positive for COVID-19. However, his return on the fifth episode of the season surprised the audience and the judges. In the episode’s wild card, Nick identified himself as one of the contestants under the mask of Bulldog. On his elimination, Nick unmasked himself, surprising the audience and the judges who missed his charms and banter on stage.
Apart from his hosting and music adventures, Nick Cannon also tried acting and was spotted in films like 'Roll Bounce,' 'Drumline, ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing,' and 'Men in Black II.' His first film, ‘Bobby’, brought him the ‘Breakthrough Actor of the Year' award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.