Bow Wow

About Bow Wow

Bow Wow AKA Shad Moss has hip hop in his veins. Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest solo rapper to ever hit #1, the rap world first saw Bow Wow (then appending the apt 'Lil to his stage name) in Snoop Dog's genre-defining "Gin and Juice" video. The precocious Bow Wow also shows up in a skit on Snoop's debut Doggystyle and uncle Dogg got him a slot on the prestigious Death Row Records roster. Bow Wow embraced producer Jermaine Dupri as a mentor, and the two collaborated on penning Bow Wow's full length debut Beware of Dog. Bow Wow's hit record traded in age-appropriate party anthems that, despite his heavy Death Row associations, came across as scampishly adorable rather than menacing. His single "Bounce With Me" was a huge hip hop radio hit. The savvy Bow Wow also parlayed his youthful charm into a successful acting career, appearing on the big screen in the hit Like Mike. Like many child stars, Bow Wow has had some difficulty escaping the Nickelodeon set. You'd think growing up with Snoop Dogg would be enough to establish any young rapper's credibility, but harsh critics have panned his most recent album, Wanted, as being the work of a poser. Wanted sees Bow Wow embracing profanity and rapping about a lot more than "calling when I'm 16." But the critics haven't been able to stop album sales, and Wanted peaked at a respectable #3 on the charts. Bow Wow continues to diversify with his own clothing label, Shago. He accepted a more mature acting roll in this summer's blockbuster The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and hit it off with the director Justin Lin. With his highly anticipated fifth full length, The Price of Fame scheduled to drop in December 2006, the prince of hip hop Bow Wow has already seen more action than rappers twice his age.