Nick Cannon Wants Mariah Carey Back & Samples Her Hit In His New Song “Alone”

Eight years after their divorce, Nick Cannon wants Mariah Carey back. On Feb. 14, Cannon unveiled his new song, “Alone,” which samples his ex-wife’s 1990 hit “Love Takes Time” from her self-titled debut album. “This is for anybody else who is #ALONE on Valentines Day,” he wrote on Instagram and Twitter. “I had to come raw from the heart on this one.” In a press release, he described the song as “the gospel of my broken soul” and reiterated that “this is as raw as it gets.”

The 41-year-old, who married Carey in 2008 and had twins with her in 2011, kicks off the song by acknowledging that he “ain't got nothing but love” for her, but planned to stay away for her benefit. He even nods to Carey’s boyfriend Bryan Tanaka, singing, “I keep my distance, stay in my lane / ’Cause I know you got a man, it’s a little too late.”

The rapper goes on to acknowledge that he’s welcomed multiple children with numerous women in recent years, and how that could hurt any potential reunion. “As much as I want you back, it’s probably better where you at,” he sings. “I’m still running the streets, I’m still all in the sheets / Having babies, models and singers and actresses saying they pregnant by me.”

While Carey hasn’t publicly responded to Cannon’s ode to her, she did share a selfie with Tanaka on Instagram, revealing that they extended their Valentine’s Day celebrations to Feb. 15. “Valentine’s marathon continues. Hour 23!” she captioned the post. Many of her followers saw her photo as a hilarious response to “Alone,” with one fan writing “Nick Cannon wishes” and another calling her the “Queen of Petty.” Carey has proven she is a master of shade, after all, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if this is the only way she reacts to the song.

The five-time Grammy winner met the Wild’N Out host in 2005, but it took them a few years for them to officially start dating, making their public debut in Carey’s “Bye Bye” video in 2008. The couple then shocked the world by revealing they got married in April 2008. Three years later, in April 2011, they welcomed twins Monroe and Moroccan — also known as Carey’s adorable nickname, “Dem Babies” — marking the first children for both Carey and Cannon. The couple eventually split in 2014 when Carey filed for divorce, which was finalized two years later.

Since the divorce, Cannon has become father to 4-year-old son Golden and 1-year-old daughter Powerful Queen, who he shares with Brittany Bell, and had 7-month-old twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir with Abby De La Rosa. Nine days after Zion and Zillion were born, Cannon also welcomed a son with Alyssa Scott, Zen, who died on Dec. 5 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Most recently, on Jan. 30, he announced that he was expecting a child with model Bre Tiesi — his eighth — news that inspired Cannon to become celibate.

In January, a source told US Weekly that Carey was “happy” for Cannon after he revealed the news of his eighth child. “They’re in a good place and they’re supportive of each other no matter what,” the outlet reported. However, Carey has rarely commented on her relationship with Cannon or his other children. In December, she laughed off a question of whether “Dem Babies” would spend time with their step-siblings over Christmas. “Is it step? I don’t think it’s step if you’re not married to the person,” she asked, laughing. “I don’t know about that. That’s a different interview for you.”