Photos & Videos: Nick Cannon's white face for album promotion causes controversy

On Monday, Mariah Carey’s husband posted a photo and videos on Instagram showing him disguised with body makeup, a wig, and surfer guy accent to take on the made-up persona “Connor Smallnut.”
One clip shows Cannon mockingly interviewing a bystander who seemingly has no idea about the performer’s true identity.
Asked on Twitter how it “feels to be white,” he replied, “Great, I’m no longer afraid of the Police!! LOL.”
But when Vanity Fair tweeted that Cannon’s stunt makes the world “cringe,” he snapped back, “Not really the World, just you guys! LOL.”
“Don’t get your fancy panties in a bunch!” he wrote, adding, “It’s funny how people take themselves so seriously. People love drama! We feed off of it. Just relax and have fun!!”
Cannon went on to post a photo of Robert Downey Jr. in black face for Tropic Thunder, with the caption, “This is one of my favorite characters of all time! Hilarious!!! There is a big difference between Humor and Hatred.”
White People Party Music, Cannon’s second studio album and his first in more than 10 years, will be released on April 1. He captioned the pic below on his IG: “It's official... I'm White!!! #WHITEPEOPLEPARTYMUSIC#Wppm in stores April 1st!!!!!!Dude Go Get It!!!Join The Party!!!! #GoodCredit #DogKissing #BeerPong#FarmersMarkets #FistPumping#CreamCheeseEating #RacialDraft "Bro I got drafted!!"

Needless to say, the online reaction to Cannon's whiteface has been fiery with comments reaching every side of the spectrum. Cannon has addressed the uproar and applause via his Twitter account.

Here he is defending Connor Smallnut on Twitter: 

It's funny how people take themselves so seriously. People love drama! We feed off of it. Just relax and have fun!!

— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) March 24, 2014

I love this conversation though. It’s showing a lot of people’s true colors… #punintended #wppm woooo!!!

— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) March 24, 2014

"@jamesjoe: @NickCannon let me relax, have fun, & wear black face. Lets see how everyone reacts" Do it! I dare you.

— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) March 24, 2014

"I think we should have a million white man march and protest @NickCannon album!! Somebody call @rushlimbaugh" LOL

— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) March 24, 2014