Lil Bow Wow: success in a dog-eat-dog world
Despite the ferocious competition in rap, Lil Bow Wow managed to survive the artistic jungle. Identifying himself first as “Kid Gangsta”, he became officially known as Lil Bow Wow when fellow rapper Snoop Dogg gave him that stage name. Lil Bow Wow’s success lies in his 4-5 albums, the first two under the mentorship of Jermaine Dupri who helped him launch his career. These first two albums were Beware of Dog, released in 2000, and then followed by Doggy Bag in 2002 which contained the hit songs “Thank You” and “Take You Home.” This was the time when he decided to remove “lil” from his name. After the release of his second album, he decided to go on his own, and went ahead to release Unleashed, his third album, without Dupri’s supervision. It was not as successful as the first two albums.
In 2002, Bow Wow went into acting and his first film was Like Mike, a film about a young orphan who makes a try for the NBA. He made it to commercials as well – Twix, Campbell’s, and Verbs. He also appeared in the Nickelodeon in 2006 with Chris Brown, specifically for the Kids’ Choice Awards.
Then Bow Wow and Dupri reunited and both worked to launch the fourth album, Wanted, where two of the songs were instant hits: Let Me Hold You and Like You. After Like Mike, Hollywood beckoned again, and this time Bow Wow starred in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, a film very recently released this year.
You’d think that Bow Wow would hardly have any time left for other things because of his acting and singing commitments, but he actually initiated his own clothing line called Shago. “The most exciting crossover artist” is an award that will be given to him by Hollywood Life soon.
Bow Wow is currently working on his fifth album – slated for an October 2006 release and he considers this album to be his most mature album to-date. He has also committed to star in two more films, one of which is entitled The President. The script is currently being revised.
Ciara and Bow Wow were once upon a hot couple, but the two are no longer dating.