Shad Gregory Moss (born March 9, 1987), better known by his stage name Bow Wow (previously Lil' Bow Wow), is an American rapper, actor, and music producer. He released his debut album Beware of Dog at age 13, then under the stage name Lil' Bow Wow, which he carried until his 2003 album Unleashed, under simply Bow Wow. Two more albums followed, Wanted in 2005 and The Price of Fame in 2006. In 2007, he released the collaboration album Face Off with Omarion.^[1]

Early life

Bow Wow was born in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, the son of Teresa Caldwell and Alfonso Moss. His mother worked three jobs to care for him after Alfonso left the family. Teresa later married Rodney Caldwell, and Bow Wow has two half-sisters, Erica and Jasarah. Bow Wow was raised, and attended school, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, a small city in the Columbus metropolitan area, until his rap career took off.

At age five, he started his career in rap using the moniker "Kid Gangsta". One year later, in 1993, he performed at a Chronic tour in Columbus, and was noted by rapper Snoop Dogg and rapper Dr. Dre, who subsequently gave him a stage name, "Lil' Bow Wow". Dr. Dre later hired him as an opening act, officially gaining him a spot on the Death Row Records roster.^[1] Lil' Bow Wow then appeared on a skit on Snoop's debut Doggystyle, and on his music video of "Gin and Juice". In 1998, at the age of eleven, Bow Wow was introduced to record producer Jermaine Dupri, who helped shape his career.

Music

Beware of Dog

At the age of 13, he released his debut album, Beware of Dog which spawned four consecutive singles, "Bounce With Me", "Bow Wow (That's My Name)", "Puppy Love", and "Ghetto Girls". At this time, he was also featured on the "Wild Wild West" soundtrack, performing "The Stick Up" with his mentor, Jermaine Dupri.

Doggy Bag

In 2001, he released his second album, Doggy Bag. Singles from the album were "Take Ya Home" with Jagged Edge, and "Thank You". It went certified double platinum. Guest appearances include Xscape, Jagged Edge, and Da Brat.

Unleashed

In 2003, he released his third album, Unleashed. He dropped the "Lil" from his name, now calling himself simply "Bow Wow." The first single off the album was "Let's Get Down," featuring Birdman, the founder of Cash Money Records. This single became a success. The second single was then released, "My Baby", featuring Jagged Edge. Unlike his previous albums, this one was not produced under the mentorship of Jermaine Dupri, and solidly earned gold status in spite of Dupri's absence. Guest appearances include Jagged Edge, Birdman, Mario, and Amerie.^[1]

Wanted

In 2005, Bow Wow released his fourth album, Wanted. The first single was "Let Me Hold You", featuring Omarion. This song became a hit. Then Bow Wow released his second single, "Like You", featuring Ciara. After the single release, Bow Wow and Ciara began dating, but after a few months, they broke up. Wanted's third single, "Fresh Azimiz", features J-Kwon and Jermaine Dupri. The album was certified double platinum. Guest appearances include J-Kwon, Jermaine Dupri, Omarion, Ciara, Snoop Dogg, and T. Waters.

The Price of Fame

In 2006, Bow Wow released his fifth album, The Price of Fame. Like Busta Rhymes and Ludacris, Bow Wow shaved off his cornrows for a new look. His first single was "Shortie Like Mine", featuring Chris Brown. This became a hit. Then there was a conflict between choosing a second single. He wanted "I'm a Flirt" to be the single, but at the last minute changed it to "Outta My System", featuring T-Pain, which became a success. R. Kelly then used the song and created a remix which features T.I. and T-Pain, and made this his debut single for his album Double Up. This reached #12 on the billboard chart and Bow Wow shared credit. This went platinum only. Guest appearances include Chris Brown, T-Pain, Lil Scrappy, Lil Wayne, Short Dawg, Pimp C, Da Brat, R. Kelly, and Khleo Thomas.

Face Off

Bow Wow and Omarion released a collaborative album on December 11, 2007, Face Off. The first single was "Girlfriend," which peaked at #33 on the Billboard Top 100. The second single is "Hey Baby (Jump Off)". This album was not well-received, selling 343,559 albums to date in the U.S.^[2]

New Jack City Part 2

Bow Wow is currently working on his sixth solo studio album, "New Jack City Part 2". ^[3]The album is scheduled for released on December 9, 2008.

Film career

Bow Wow has had guest appearances on Brandy's TV sitcom, Moesha, as well as The Steve Harvey Show. He made his major acting debut in the film Like Mike which was released on July 3, 2002, in which he starred as a young orphan who gets a shot at playing in the NBA. Before Like Mike he made a cameos in All About The Benjamins, and in "Carmen: A Hip Hopera." Bow Wow also co-starred with Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa L. Williams, and Solange Knowles in Johnson Family Vacation. Since the success of Like Mike, Bow Wow has starred in several Hollywood films, including Roll Bounce and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. He has also made guest appearances on Smallville and Ugly Betty. He recently joined the cast for HBO's upcoming season of Entourage as Charlie and up and coming comedian and Eric Murphy's newest client. He is currently working on a new film called Hurricane Season.

Philanthropy

Bow Wow, along with other recording artists such as P!nk, Avril Lavigne, Eve, Kelly Rowland, ex-Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, joined actresses Brittany Murphy, Charlize Theron, Rosario Dawson and Eva Mendes in ads for "empowerment tag" for the ALDO Fights AIDS campaign. The tags, worn as necklaces or bracelets, sold at ALDO stores to benefit the YouthAIDS initiative.

Endorsements and projects

Bow Wow has appeared in commercials for (BET) "Rap It Up", Twix, Chewits Campbells, and Verbs. Bow Wow owns a shoe store in Atlanta, Georgia, and also franchises a McDonald's there, too. Bow Wow has started the process of buying a share of his local team, the Atlanta Hawks. He currently owns his own record label called LBW Entertainment, on which he has released "Price of Fame".

Personal life

On December 6, 2007, Bow Wow was rushed to hospital after a concert in Cincinnati, Ohio, due to loss of blood from a cut after his performance. At the time, the rapper lived with his mother (his manager), later moving out once he was older. He also had his appendix removed due to complaints of stomach problem.^[4]

Discography

Albums

• 2000: Beware of Dog
• 2001: Doggy Bag
• 2003: Unleashed
• 2005: Wanted
• 2006: The Price of Fame
• 2008: New Jack City Part 2

Collaboration Albums

• 2007: Face Off (With Omarion)

Filmography

References

External links

• Official website
• Bow Wow's Hoodstars Page

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