Nick Cannon Attempts to Get Close to His Lady in ‘Chi-Raq’

Nick Cannon is man of a million hats these days. Besides his recent gig as RadioShack's Chief Creative Officer (they'll be creating "cool things together in the coming months"), the rapper-turned-actor has a starring role in the new Spike Lee-directed film, Chi-Raq, a satirical look with a contemporary twist on the gang violence in Chicago.

In an exclusive clip from the movie, which hits select theaters today (Dec. 4), Cannon and co-star Teyonah Parris give a preview of what's to come in the new take on the mythological Greek comedic tale of Lysistrata -- a woman who gets the rest of the female force of ancient Greece to withhold sex from their husbands and boyfriends as a way to end the Peloponnesian War.

Cannon, who plays the fitting role of rapper Chi-Raq in the project, approaches Lysistrata, Parris' character, and he relies on his comedic nature to get things going -- peep the pec flex. She's counting the days since they've been intimate -- Lysistrata and her friends are on strike from having sex with their gang-affiliated boyfriends to stop the violence -- and it's been three months, 13 days and three hours, seven minutes and two seconds, to be exact. But Chi-Raq isn't feeling the distance and he attempts to get closer to her than he should.

Chi-Raq has already been steeped in controversy even before its debut. Rhymefest, a native of Chicago, claims "Spike Lee exploited poor people" with the film and failed to employ writers from the city to pen the script.

According to Lee, the effort was created with respect and its goal isn't to poke fun at the violence in Chicago. “In no way shape or form, are we not respectful of the situation that is happening in Chi-Raq,” he stated. “In no way shape or form, are we making light of the lives that have been murdered with this senseless violence.”

Watch Nick Cannon flex and reveal his hilarious nickname in this XXL exclusive clip above.