Lil’ Bow Wow: Hottest New Teen Heartthrob To Hit Music Scene

 

DON’T be fooled by his name. Lil’ Bow Wow’s bark is as big as his bite, and he has become one of the biggest and hottest names to hit the hip-hop music scene in years.

 

The 14-year-old heartthrob excites young girls so much that they scream, faint and cry whenever he makes a public appearance. And his young male fans want to be like him. Lil’ Bow Wow is “the man,” they say.

 

Last year, the diminutive powerhouse forced officials to close down shopping malls when he made personal appearances there. His young fans could not contain themselves as thousands of hysterical admirers chased him down the corridors of shopping malls in Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

 

He is causing that same kind of wild frenzy on his first tour, appropriately called the Scream Tour. Tickets for his shows have sold out in just about every major city in less than an hour. He is so hot that promoters are adding extra shows to satisfy his fans. When he walks out on stage, his legions of adoring fans can hardly control themselves once they get a glimpse of the handsome rapper.

 

After a recent concert at Chicago’s Arie Crown Theatre, a Chicago Sun-Times critic noted, “It was hard not to be reminded of a young Michael Jackson, as the 14-year-old, freshly corn-rowed cutie took command of a stage he barely cast a shadow on physically, but covered from end to end musically….”

 

JET recently caught up with the popular heartthrob as he traveled on his tour bus to a sold-out concert in Richmond, VA. “It feels real good,” he tells JET on his cell phone. “I’m blessed and I’m just making it happen.”

 

He enjoys his fans’ reaction to him. “They try to get to me. They just want to touch me. They ask for hugs. I give them hugs. I just laugh. It’s an excellent feeling, a good feeling.”

 

Rodney Caldwell, Bow Wow’s step dad, said, “Every time he’s on stage, he’s going to do something new. You never know what you’re going to get. It’s a different show every night. If he performs five nights a week, it will be five different shows. I’m very proud of him.”

 

Adding to the success of the Scream Tour are Bow Wow,s buddies, Lil’ Johnny, Lil’ Zane, and B2K. “It’s like a family basically. We goof around. We egg each other’s buses,” laughs Bow Wow.

 

The talented performer’s debut CD, Beware of Dog, has sold more than two million copies thanks to the No. 1 selling songs Bounce With Me, Bow Wow (That’s My Name) featuring Snoop Dogg, and Puppy Love featuring Jagged Edge.

 

Solange Knowles, sister of Destiny’s Child singer Beyonce Knowles, is the leading lady in the video for Puppy Love. But, his female fans should be happy to know that he does not have a girlfriend right now. “I can have one now, but I am just ready for my career right now,” he says.

 

Bow Wow is not only a big hit with youngsters, but he’s also won over parents with his profanity-free raps. “He has a mass appeal and does it without cursing,” says Bow Wow’s mentor, hip-hop music mogul Jermaine “JD” Dupri. “That all goes to the fact that people respect Bow Wow. He’s a real rapper.”

 

His mother, Teresa Caldwell, who is also his manager-stylist and hair braider, says that her son displayed a love for performing as a toddler. She’s proud of her son’s success and has always supported his desire to perform. In fact, years earlier she got a tattoo placed on the left side of her chest with a dog and the words “Bow Wow” on it as well as on the bottom of her right leg.

 

“Bow is my best friend. He’s very mature. Mommy is Bow’s everything. We’re very tight. On stage he’s energetic, but at home he’s laid back. He’s boring really because he doesn’t do anything, but play his Play Station,” she laughs. “He also likes to shop. He loves diamonds. I started teaching him about stones at an early age and he loves them.”

 

In addition to music, Bow Wow has also had his paws in acting. He appeared on “The Steve Harvey Show” during its 100th episode and on “Moesha.” And just recently his fans got a chance to see him act in MTV’s Hip Hopera: Carmen. He’ll also make an appearance in Ice Cube’s upcoming movie All About The Benjamins.

 

His busy schedule hasn’t kept him in the doghouse. Bow Wow remains a hardworking, studious student. He says with pride that he got “all As and Bs” on his last report card. In fact, he made a deal with his parents and JD that he could stay in the music business as long as he maintains good grades in school. School is out now, but Bow Wow often travels with a private tutor so that he will not fall behind in his school work.

 

Born Shad Moss, he was given the nickname Lil’ Bow Wow by rap star Snoop Dogg after he met Snoop at a concert in 1993. A few years later he hooked up with JD who signed Bow Wow to his So So Def Record label.

 

Bow Wow jokes about his hitmaking mentor JD, “He doesn’t really teach me much. He already knows that I am ready.” And ready he was, maintains JD when he met Bow Wow. “I had never even seen him perform aside from a video tape, but I could see he had a hunger for performing. I brought him to Atlanta. It was during a show with Jay-Z in 1998. I had Bow Wow start rapping. Jay-Z commented that Bow Wow carried himself like a grown person and that he talked better than 50 percent of the rappers who are adults out here.”

 

Snoop-for whom Bow Wow named his box turtle-says that Bow Wow has a great future in the industry. “I think he’ll be in the game longer than me because he got an earlier start. Plus, he’s getting groomed by Jermaine Dupri who’s going to let him be a kid, but also teach him the business and give him the strong foundation he needs.”

 

Not one to rest on his laurels, the little hip-hop sensation plans to hit the studio to work on his next CD in the fall. Despite all the hoopla as Lil’ Bow Wow, Shad Moss is just a regular kid having a good time and following his dream.“I don’t have any idea how big I am. All I know is that I’m going in the right direction.”

 

February 1, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW'S KEEPIN' IT REAL CLEAN

 

Thirteen-year-old rapper rhymes about his basketball skills, being on Soul Train, on platinum debut, Beware of Dog. Lil' Bow Wow watches what he spits. Unlike some other rappers, who revel in profanity, the 13-year-old takes a stand against offensive lyrics."I do have a responsibility, and that is to always stay positive like I am,'' Lil' Bow Wow said. "I don't curse, so [fans] can just listen to the album. That's my main thing ... to say focused and positive.''

 

On his platinum debut LP, Beware of Dog (So So Def/Columbia), Lil' Bow Wow rhymes about such topics as his basketball skills and being on Soul Train. "I have to stay positive for the younger fans,'' Lil' Bow Wow said. "I do have a job, and that's to maintain that image.'' Lil' Bow Wow's current single, "Bow Wow (That's My Name),'' is at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

 

"[Lil' Bow Wow's] keeping it clean so far, and he's being creative, rhyming about situations,'' said urban music impresario B. Bernard Brown. "Being a child he has to keep his music clean, because no one's going to accept a kid cursing it up.'' The young rapper was dubbed Lil' Bow Wow by Snoop Dogg, when as a 6-year old, he got a chance to perform on Snoop's 1993 Chronic Tour stop in Columbus, Ohio, Lil' Bow Wow's hometown. Lil' Bow Wow was such a hit Snoop had him open the rest of the tour. In 1998 a Snoop Dogg associate sent Atlanta producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri a tape of Lil' Bow Wow. Dupri was responsible for the backward-pants-wearing teen act Kriss Kross in the early 1990s. Dupri became the executive producer of Beware of Dog, and Snoop Dogg, Xscape, Jagged Edge, R.O.C. and Da Brat contributed performances.

 

Despite his young age, Lil' Bow Wow distinguishes himself as an advanced rapper who uses melody and inflection. "I just created my own style, really,'' Lil' Bow Wow said. Dupri, Da Brat and others wrote Lil' Bow Wow's material on Beware of Dog, a situation he said will change on his follow-up. "I'm going to be writing my next album,'' Lil' Bow Wow said. "It's going to be similar, but hopefully we're going to make it better. Every time I sit down to write a rap, I'm going to try to make it better, so hopefully I'm going to make this album better than the first one.''

 

Lil' Bow Wow, who has performed selected dates around the country, is planning a tour, but he wouldn't disclose details yet. In the meantime, he's keeping himself busy with television appearances and his studies at Reynoldsburgh Junior High in Columbus. "School is #1 with me,'' Lil' Bow Wow said. "I'm always going to stay in school.'' The young rapper also plays plenty of hoops. His favorite play is to sink a three-pointer, but he's also a multi-talented player. "I'm a shooter, but they put me at point guard,'' Lil' Bow Wow said.

 

March 20, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW PLANNING KID-FRIENDLY TOUR

 

Lil' Bow Wow will be spreading some "Puppy Love" when he kicks off his first headlining tour next month. Shows will be held on weekends so schoolchildren can attend.

 

The 14-year-old rapper will perform on the weekends so school-aged children will be able to attend his concerts, many of which will be matinees. The two-month outing in support of Lil' Bow Wow's double-platinum debut, Beware of Dog, starts April 13 in Cincinnati and has dates lined up through a June 10 stop in New York, with more shows to be announced.

 

Lil' Bow Wow opened a series of shows for 'NSYNC late last year and plans to return to the studio shortly after his headlining tour wraps up. The rapper is also slated to perform next month at Nickelodeon's 14th annual Kids' Choice Awards, where he is nominated for two awards. Fans can also catch Lil' Bow Wow in the upcoming made-for-TV movie "Carmen: A Hip Hopera," a modern retelling of the 19th century opera "Carmen." The cast for the flick, which will air on MTV in early May, also includes Destiny's Child's Beyoncé Knowles, Wyclef Jean, Mos Def, Jermaine Dupri and Rah Digga.

 

April 16, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW MULLS BEING 'LIKE MIKE'

 

Teen rapper Lil' Bow Wow could have some pretty big shoes to fill in his feature film debut. The 14-year-old MC is in talks to star in "Like Mike," a movie about a kid who comes across a magic pair of sneakers once owned by NBA superstar Michael Jordan, according to publicists for the rapper. The shoes would then transform Lil' Bow Wow into a b-ball wiz whose newfound skills earn him a shot in the NBA.

 

Variety reports that former Source Entertainment President Michael Elliott successfully pitched the idea for "Like Mike" to Fox Pictures last week after working with Lil' Bow Wow on the MTV telefilm "Carmen: A Hip Hopera." Elliott served as one of the co-producers for "Carmen: A Hip Hopera," a contemporary retelling of the popular Georges Bizet opera that stars Destiny's Child's Beyoncé Knowles as the title character. The TV-movie is slated to premiere on May 8.

 

No other performers — including Michael Jordan himself — or potential directors are attached to the "Like Mike" film, which is considered to be in the early stages of pre-production. Lil' Bow Wow has just kicked off a headlining tour in support of his debut album, Beware of Dog, and the outing is scheduled to keep him on the road through a two-night closing stand in New York on June 9 and 10.

 

April 24, 2001

RAPPER LIL' BOW WOW PLAYS GAMES WITH YOUTHFUL AUDIENCE

 

“When I say bow, y’all say wow,” miniature rap star Lil’ Bow Wow commanded his Wiltern Theatre audience during the first of two sold-out shows on Sunday. “BOW!”

 

“WOW!” screamed back the mostly preschool-to-preadolescent fans, eager to connect with their 14-year-old hero. Some even sported homemade paw prints in homage to the Snoop Dogg protege, whose hit album “Beware of Dog” has yielded such hits as “Bow Wow (That’s My Name)” and the No. 1 rap song “Bounce With Me.”

 

The Columbus, Ohio, native (real name Shad Moss) didn’t curse, but his material covered most of the gangsta-rap bases: money, girls and personal badness. Backed by a DJ and an MC, he rapped with pint-sized incisiveness, and his hard-faced demeanor was determinedly authentic. Yet he disappeared so often during the unevenly paced, cliche-ridden 50-minute set that it was hard to tell much more.

 

Though meant to be cute and harmless (but serious, ya hear?), some moments were worse than hearing a teeny-bop rapper swear. When the audience was asked to decide which of four young girls brought on stage deserved to have Bow Wow’s big chestnut eyes locked on her during his tune “Puppy Love,” one was actually booed, while others waggled their backsides at the crowd responded with disconcertingly practiced oomph. For a pretend playa, that was keeping it a little too real.

 

May 14, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW PACKS STRONG BARK, SOFT BITE

 

In an era when child music stars are either way too cutesy or overly adult, rapper Lil' Bow Wow is carving out his own niche _ straight down the middle.

 

That, mixed with the fact that parents have been waiting for a rap artist they could feel comfortable with, has contributed to the 14-year-old's success.

 

His So So Def Recordings debut, Beware of Dog, recently went double platinum. His music videos are topping the request lists on the BET cable channel. His first U.S. tour is selling out, left and right.

 

Bow Wow was up for two awards _ favorite song for Bounce With Me and favorite male singer _ at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. He was pitted against pop music favorites Britney Spears, Sisqo and Ricky Martin and won the award for favorite male singer.

"He's genuinely talented," says Rudi Meyer, editor of Black Beat magazine. "But I think we've only seen part of his talent, so far."

 

Bow Wow, whose name doesn't appear on any of the writing credits for the songs on his debut album, is planning to take an active role in his next endeavor.

 

He returns to the studio at the end of his tour and is already preparing for the next album.

"I've just been sitting down and writing," says Bow Wow, who admits in his husky whisper that he prefers his rap moniker to his real name, Shad Moss. "I'm going to still keep it the same (as Beware of Dog). But we haven't really gotten started on anything."

 

Hip-hop observers believe the next record will be crucial for catapulting Bow Wow _ who says he plans to drop the Lil' by next year _ through the circle of MTV's Total Request Live.

The show serves as a barometer of popularity among the Britney generation, an audience that Bow Wow has yet to tap into despite his having opened for 'N Sync on tour last year.

Still, his audience is just as broad.

 

Some of his biggest fans can be found in the music community itself, beginning with Snoop Dogg. After hearing the then-6-year-old demonstrate his stylings on the Chronic Tour, Snoop Dogg dubbed the pint-size rapper Lil' Bow Wow.

 

At the Grammys in February, Madonna invited Bow Wow to chauffeur her onstage for the opening number. Backstage, his matter-of-fact answers about getting to perform with Madonna were a delight to reporters. "Everybody just thinks he's the cutest thing in the world," says Meyer. "I think that's the lure."

 

Despite his youth, however, Bow Wow is serious about his budding career. In addition to music, he will make his big-screen debut in Like Mike. The film is about a kid who finds a pair of magical sneakers worn by basketball great Michael Jordan and gets transformed into a slam dunker for the NBA.

 

This month, he appeared in the MTV movie Hip Hopera: Carmen, which starred Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child.

 

Whether Bow Wow will ever be top dog remains to be seen. "It'll be really interesting to see what happens with the next album," says Meyer. "I'm sure he'll get the (TRL) crowd, and I think he will grow. Then once he becomes a full-grown teenager, maybe we'll get to hear another perspective."

 

June 5, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW CELEBRATE THE MULTI-PLATINUM BEWARE OF DOG & SOLD OUT 'SREAM TOUR'

 

Following his two SRO appearances at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom (Saturday, June 9, 3pm/7:30pm), So So Def/Columbia Records will honor rap artist Lil Bow Wow with a star-studded party from 7pm-10pm on Monday, June 11, at a Manhattan location as-yet-undisclosed for security reasons.

 

The exclusive party is to celebrate Bow Wow’s incredible on-going successes: Beware Of Dog, his debut album, has sold more than three million copies around the world while “The Scream Tour,” Bow Wow’s first national tour as a headliner, has sold-out across the country. The guest list for the party includes some of the biggest stars in music, movies and sports and their kids.

The response to the announcement of Bow Wow’s first headlining tour was overwhelming: in Washington, DC, for instance, demand for tickets was so strong that two additional shows were added after a first sold-out in 20 minutes.

 

Lil Bow Wow was given the honor of opening the 2001 Grammy Awards presentation, taking the stage solo before being joined by Madonna. He was voted Favorite Male Singer in the 14th edition of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and walked away with two trophies at the 1st Annual BET Awards: Best New Artist and Viewer’s Choice for “Bow Wow (That’s My Name).” Lil Bow Wow’s very first single, the infectious “Bounce With Me,” hit the #1 slot on both the Rap and R&B singles charts and was featured in the hit film “Big Momma’s House.” Released on September 26, 2000, his first album Beware Of Dog debuted at #8 on the Billboard album chart.

 

A second hit single, “Bow Wow (That’s My Name),” secured his reputation as a master of rap, a potent chart force and a burgeoning teen idol. Lil Bow Wow in-store appearances in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago resulted in pure pandemonium with thousands of fans gathering in each city to catch a glimpse of the new dog in town.

Lil Bow Wow recently made his bow as an actor in “Carmen: A Hip Hopera,” a postmodern version of Georges Bizet’s opera which aired on MTV on May 8, 2001.

 

June 20, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW TO START WORK ON SECOND ALBUM

 

Lil' Bow Wow will begin sniffing out his second album in an Atlanta studio during the next couple of weeks. The 14-year-old rapper hopes to have the as-yet-untitled disc out in November, his spokesperson said.

 

In the meantime, he's still throwing bones from his double-platinum debut, Beware of Dog, releasing its fourth single, "Ghetto Girls," and accompanying video this week.

 

Meanwhile, "Bow Wow (That's My Name)" is #11 in its 26th week on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart after spending time at #1. That song won Lil' Bow Wow the Viewer's Choice award at the inaugural Black Entertainment Television Awards in Las Vegas Tuesday night. He is scheduled to perform "Ghetto Girls" Wednesday (June 20) during Fox's "Teen Choice Presents: Teenapalooza" show.

 

July 23, 2001

RAPPING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK

 

Lil' Bow Wow hangs out with Madonna and gets mobbed by teenage girls. All at the age of 14. Bryony Gordon Meets Him

 

In a boardroom at Sony's London headquarters, one of the company's employees is telling me about his new briefcase. ''It's about this big,'' he says, sketching a very small rectangle in the air, ''but it fits all my business cards and my organiser in it.

 

This sounds like a middle-aged executive talking but the owner of the  very small  briefcase is very small himself - 4ft 7in, to be precise.

 

The 14-year-old rapper Lil' Bow Wow - real name Shad Moss - is not your average teenager. For a start, he counts Madonna, Will Smith and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst as his fans; his friends include the members of Destiny's Child. He has sold three million records in America and Britain alone and when he releashed his first single in America, it went straight to number one in the rap charts. But if you really want proof of Lil' BOw Wow's superstar status, then you need look no further than the fact that Eminem has name-checked him on his latest album - and honour reserved for serious celebrities such as Britney Spears.

 

Not that any of this seems to faze Lil' Bow Wow. He was clearly destined to be a star: he oozes confidence from his corn-braided hair down to his nike-clad feet and has a showbiz past that's on a par with Michael Jackson's.

 

At the age of four, while most of his peers were learning their times tables, Lil' Bow Wow was modelling, appearing in television commercials and honing his rapping skills at talent shows, where he performed as ''Kid Gangsta''. Aged six, he got his big break, after being spotted by drug dealer turned hip-hop star Snoop Dogg when his Chronic tour rolled in Shad's hometown of Ohio.

 

''My mum took me to the concert and Dr. Dre - producer and former member of NWA - was playing. Then someone asked me if I wanted to go on stage, so I got up there and started rapping,'' he says, in a manner that suggests that being talent spotted at six by one of the biggest rappers in the world is perfectly normal. ''Sno and Run DMCop heard me and got security to take me backstage and he asked me to finish the tour as the opening act.'' And, just like that, Snoop transformed Shad Moss into Lil' Bow Wow.

 

You may be wondering how on earth a parent could let their child join a tour with some of the most notorious rappers in the music industry, but Lil' Bow Wow insists that Snoop was the epitome of good manners in front of his protege. He doesn't really do anything negative around me,'' he says. ''He's just like any other person.''

 

Nevertheless, Snoop did put a swearing six-year-old Shad on his album Doggystyle. ''My mum was like: 'Oh man!' ''Was she angry? ''Nah, she was laughing. It was kind of funny''.

 

While Snoop put him on a record rapping expletives, it was renowned hip-hop and R'n'B producer Jermaine Dupri - who has worked with Mariah Carey and Run DMC - who saw not swearing at all as Lil' Bow Wow's unique selling point and signed him to his record label in 1997.

 

''These days in rap,'' says Dupri, ''Kids don't have any role models. I Knew it was time for him to come out, because little girls from 11 to 16 don't have anyone that they can claim as their own. I want Bow Wow to represent a young black superstar.''

 

And to his debut album, Beware of Dog - written and produced by Dupri - is perfect for those who are too young or too prudish to buy the Eminem albums slathered in Parental Advisory stickers.

 

''I like to keep it positive, you know, no profanity,'' he says, in a husky voice that sounds as if it's the product of a 40-a-day cigarette habit (although, with his clean-cut image, it is obviously not). Instead, he raps that he's ''the flyest thing walkin' through junior high school/So make room next to your lil' Backstreet poster/Cause Bow Wow's here and it's over''.

 

And mak room they have - when you ask him if he gets mobbed, he reels off a list of countries where teenage girls can't help but throw themselves at him: ''I get mobbed here, I get mobbed in Sweden, I get mmobbed in Holland, mobbed in Paris, mobbed in Germany, mobbed back home.''

 

Even so, he says he doesn't have time for a girlfriend - if he did, his ideal woman would be Jennifer Lopez. So does he enjoy being a pin-up? ''I love it. It's excellet!''

 

He's rather cooler when I ask him what it was like having Madonna ask him to open this year's Grammy Awards with her (''It was fun. She was real nice,'' he breathes, the antithesis of starstruck) or how it felt to meet his favourite rapper Eminem (''He's real cool'' is all he will say on the matter). Either Lil' Bow Wow thinks his own name is big enough to rank with theirs or he's just thoroughly bored with the whole thing.

 

It's probably a bit of both, although when questioned about whether he misses the company of his contemporaries (his 10-string entourage is made up of PRs, hhis mother, wo is also his manager and stylist, and several adults who seem to serve no purpose at all) he curtly replies ''no''.

 

One of the less exciting aspects of Lil' Bow Wow's life is school, because even teenage pop stars have to get an education. He works on a computer, e-mailing his work to a tutor and says: ''I like all my subjects. Everything but maths''. This is evident in his results because, as well as being a multimillion selling rap artist, Lil' Bow Wow is a straight A-grade pupil. But then, he has little choice in the matter.

 

If I don't maintain my grades, I et in big trouble with my mom. I can't do fun things like go-karting,'' he says. (He has just bought a house for his parents in Ohio with a karting track - as well as a basketball court and swimming pool - in the back garden.)

 

Apart from go-karting and playing on his GameBoy Advance, Lil' Bow Wow's free time doesn't seem to be filled with the kind of ''fun'' most people his age enjoy. He says he doesn't watch films and that he's ''not a big TV person''. In his free time, he plays basketball and ''I talk business'', which is where his briefcase comes in.

 

''I write down everything in my organser so I know what I have to do and when I have to do it. But my mom does all the money stuff.''

 

So will Lil' Bow Wow go the distance and avoid the problems that have beset so many other child stars? He hopes so - he wants to go to college, he's not bothered which one - and in 10 years' time, when he will be just 24, he can see himself ''having gone so far, being so big, that I won't have to work. I'll just sit there and watch the walls.''

 

And the irony is that, even in a genre of music so closely associated with drugs and violence, he's sensible enough to avoid both and achieve his ambition.

 

October 25, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW PUTS DOWN VIDEO GAMES LONG ENOUGH TO FILL DOGGY BAG

 

Jermaine Dupri says fame has not gone to his protégé Lil' Bow Wow's head. On the contrary, in a couple of weeks the rhyming teen titan will be letting everyone know just how grateful he is for his success when he releases "Thank You," the first single off his Doggy Bag album.

 

"It's a song directed to the fans," Dupri said Wednesday from his Atlanta studio. "The song is thanking everybody, not just the fans. [He's thanking the] mom-and-pop retail stores, just everybody who had a hand in helping Bow sell 3 million records." The producer said he's been working to make sure Doggy Bag, which was originally slated to drop around Thanksgiving, is released in time for Christmas. "The album will be out December 18," he said. "We're about two songs left."

 

Dupri said he's trying to get Jay-Z and Fabolous to jump on board before production wraps. The rest of the So So Def family, including Dupri and newcomers ROC and Tigah, has already laid down verses with Bow Wow. While Dupri handled most of the beats for the LP, he said the Neptunes also made a contribution.

 

In September, while working on the "What's Going On" charity project, Dupri explained the title of Doggy Bag. "[It] came from the fact that girls say, 'He's so cute, I just wanna take him home.'" Dupri said the name also would have been fitting because of its original release date and the feasting that goes along with it. "When you eat, whatever's left over, they bring you a doggy bag for, and that's what you take home with you."

Although Dupri, whose own ''Instructions'' album drops Tuesday, was too busy to meet Doggy Bag's first deadline, he said that he and Bow Wow have gotten into a groove.

"It's like a step above his last album," Dupri said of the LP. "He's grown up a little bit. He's gonna talk about girls more than he did on his last record. It's going to be fun for the kids growing up with him."

 

While Bow is evolving as an artist, the triple-platinum tyke isn't penning his own lyrics yet. "He has a lot more ideas," Dupri said. "Sitting down, taking time to write, for a 14-year-old is not the fly thing to do right now. I don't push that on him. If he wants to take his time out to sit down and write a song, I'll let him do that. You could barely get Bow Wow in the studio. He likes to play basketball and video games." It's all good with Dupri, though. He wants Bow Wow to enjoy his childhood. "That's the beauty," J.D. reasoned. "Bow don't care [about record sales]. He asked me, 'Jermaine, do you think we can go gold the first week?' but he don't care as long as people like him."

 

November 16, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW HANGS WITH THE KIDS IN CHI-TOWN HOOD FOR ''THANK YOU''

 

For Lil' Bow Wow, there is no time to be shy in Chi-town. The 14-year-old is in Chicago this week shooting the video for "Thank You," the first single off of his December 18 release, Doggy Bag, and he's trying to interact with his fans. "I'm loving it, I'm feeling it," he said of the shoot via cell phone Thursday. "So far so good. The kids are everywhere. They're waving to me right now."

 

Directed by Mark Klasfeld, the clip will keep with the song's theme of the teen titan going around thanking everyone for his success. A source within the So So Def camp said to expect scenes in the video where Bow Wow performs at popular Windy City record store George's Music Room and pops at a female fan's birthday party. The whole So So Def family, including newest member Fundisha, makes cameos in the video, and production should wrap up on Friday (November 16).

 

Bow Wow said that like shooting the video, making his second album was a breeze. "I'm hoping it's gonna do better than the last one," he said. "I was more comfortable, it was a lot easier, too. Plus, I wrote some stuff. I had a lot of fun with this one." Last month, So So Def CEO Jermaine Dupri said Bow Wow hadn't written any material as of yet for the album, but the youngster said he was able to pen some of his own lyrics before Doggy Bag's production wrapped. "It feels good because I put all my effort in, all my hard work, all my time into it," he said about writing rhymes. "For me to go in the booth and record, it's excellent to say 'I wrote that' and get other people's compliments. I'm not nervous at all. I come out hungry, ready to do it."

 

"We did a sick record for Bow Wow," said one half of the Neptunes, Pharrell Williams. "The hook is sick. It's got little girls going, 'I said a Lil' Bow Wow/ You just don't know/ How you move so fast, across the floor/ 'Cause you be running through my mind like all the time ... ' It's sick, yo. That little kid is focused. He wants to win, man."

 

Bow Wow, who has a small role in the upcoming Ice Cube and Mike Epps action/comedy, "All About the Benjamins," will go back in front of the cameras next month for his first big screen starring role. "[It's called] 'Like Mike.' I play this kid that switches back from foster home to foster home and I go to the NBA at a young age. Its gonna be a real good movie." Before he bolts off for Hollywood, though, he has to finish getting love in Chi-town. "We're in the 'hood right now," he said. "The kids are going crazy, they never seen nothing like this, so they're having a real good time. I'm having a real good time with them."

 

November 19, 2001

LIL BOW WOW RETURNS WITH 'DOGGY BAG'

 

Teenage rapper Lil Bow Wow (real name: Shad Gregory Moss) will follow up his multi-platinum debut album with "Doggy Bag," due Dec. 18 via So So Def/Columbia. Produced by Jermaine Dupri, the guest-packed album features appearances by Jagged Edge, Da Brat, Xscape, Fundisha, Khim Davis, Aaliyah Minter, Lil Corey, R.O.C., and Tigah.

"Doggy Bag" is led by first single "Thank You," which debuted at No. 7 on Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart this week. Behind-the-scenes footage of the video shoot for the track will be seen Dec. 4 on BET's "Access Granted."

The 14-year-old's 2000 debut, "Beware of Dog," bowed at No. 3 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 8 on The Billboard 200. The album was certified double-platinum in March of this year by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. sales of 2 million copies.

"Beware of Dog" saw three singles released, "Ghetto Girls," "Bow Wow (That's My Name)," and "Bounce With Me." The latter two topped Billboard's Hot Rap Singles charts, a feat that earned Lil Bow Wow a listing in "The Guinness Book of World Records" as the youngest solo rapper to hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts.

The pint-sized star will make his big screen debut in the 20th Century Fox film "Like Mike," due in June in U.S. theaters. The plot has Lil Bow Wow's character finding a pair of sneakers that give him the basketball skills of Michael Jordan. The budding actor previously appeared in MTV's "Carmen: A Hip Hopera," and has made guest appearances on both "Moesha" and "The Steve Harvey Show" dating back to 1996. Around the same time as the film's release, Lil Bow Wow will launch Bow Ware, his own line of clothing.

 

December 7, 2001

LIL' BOW WOW WANTS YOU TO TAKE HIM HOME IN A DOGGY BAG

 

Most of Lil' Bow Wow's Christmas wishes aren't too extravagant. Granted, his list includes an airplane ("I'm serious," he says, "an airplane!"), a life-sized wax figure of Batman, and a winning season for Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers, but the adorable tyke who rocks the mic really just wants you to take him home. His album Doggy Bag even has a theme song for those who wish to do so.

 

On the Neptunes-produced "Take Ya Home," Bow Wow's backup singer belts: "I said, Lil' Bow Wow/ You just don't know/ The way you move so fast across the floor/ I mean, you run through my mind like all the time/ To the point where I just wanna take you home." Bow rhymes on the track about avoiding the fate of former child star Todd Bridges, the rumor that he dated a member of 3LW ("Girls in groups saying we go with each other") and being a greater family attraction than the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. He's hoping to prove that last boast sometime in 2002.

 

"Next year I'm 'a be hitting off with my headlining tour called Scream 2," Bow said before a taping of "NBA's Inside Stuff" on Friday. Although Bow said he hopes to kick off the tour after he finishes filming his first Hollywood starring role in "Like Mike," which ramps up on Monday (December 10), he's still not sure who'll open up for him. "I really don't need nobody, but it's whoever wants it bad," he said, revealing clear braces on his teeth. "I like to take new artists nobody ever heard of."

 

Bow is too young to remember New Edition's 1984 hit "Candy Girl," but he was down to sample it for "All I Know" after hearing it in the movie "Love & Basketball." "All I Know" features Bow rapping about falling for a girl who is truly "off the heezey." "Both got cornrows/ Two bags each/ Roll so fresh from our heads to our feet," he rhymes about a trip to the mall with his girl.

 

Outside of the studio, Bow's not letting himself get caught up in any females. "I'm focused, maaan," he declared, taking a line from Jay-Z. "If I get a girlfriend, I won't be that focused. I'm trying to concentrate on things right now." "We Want Weezy" (as in Bow Weezy) borrows from Eazy-E's "We Want Eazy." "Weezy, we want Weezy," children's voices chant on the chorus. Meanwhile, Bow pilfers from the late OG's rhyme book: "A miracle minor creation/ Bow Wow on the set/ Hyped up with the bass and/ A little bit of what you love."

 

Bow recently shot a video in Chicago for the song "Thank You," in which he gives props to everyone who has supported him. "That was real cool, just sitting with the fans and getting to know them," he said. "They got to know me, too. It was beautiful."

 

December 14, 2001

'BEWARE': BOW WOW IS BACK

 

In between receiving BET and Nickelodeon awards, headlining a national tour, and receiving the key to the city of Camden, N.J., Lil' Bow Wow (aka Shad Moss) managed to record the follow-up to his debut album, "Beware of Dog."

"Doggy Bag" -- the strong 13-track sequel due Dec. 18 on So So Def/Columbia -- is led by the single "Thank You." It was sent to R&B and crossover radio Nov. 8 and pop radio Nov. 21. The vinyl version of the single, featuring labelmates Jagged Edge and Fundisha, is also commercially available Dec. 18.

Another track, "Take Ya Home" -- co-produced by So So Def chief Jermaine Dupri and the Neptunes -- was released exclusively to mix-show radio and club DJs Dec. 1. Dupri produced the rest of the album in collaboration with Bryan-Michael Cox. Highlights include "Get Up" featuring Fundisha and "The Wickedest" and "Pick of the Litter" featuring So So Def newcomers R.O.C and Tigah.

"'Thank You' is the most powerful song I've released in my career so far," says the 14-year-old Columbus, Ohio, native. "It's about thanking all the fans, DJs, and people who made this all happen." His gratitude is understandable: According to SoundScan, the young rapper's freshman effort has sold 2.4 million units to date. In March, the set was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. sales of 2 million copies.

An essential element of Lil' Bow Wow's success is his online community of young consumers. "The Internet has been a powerful vehicle for Bow Wow," agrees Monica Hooks, director of product management at Columbia Records. "Since Bow Wow's site was launched, he has been a top-5 artist at Sony Music. He even has an online street team. We've been able to sign up 20,000 kids to spread the word for us online."

Mark Ghuneim, Columbia Records senior VP of online and emerging technologies, also attributes the online success to a reciprocity strategy. "[The kids] get signed pieces of merchandise, free CDs, free posters, or access to live performances before anyone else," Ghuneim says about the site, which was relaunched Dec. 4. "There's definitely some added value for them to work for us."

Kids can also pick up points for voting for Lil' Bow Wow videos at BET's Web site. As a result, they've helped him maintain No. 1 runs on the network's "106 & Park." "I call BET 'Bow Wow Entertainment Television,' " Lil' Bow Wow jokes about his popularity on the network.

BET VP of music programming Stephen Hills adds, "Bow Wow succeeds in that he is precocious. He's been here before. He gets this and understands what he's doing. We've done a number of shows with him. All of them have been extremely high in the ratings."

Lil' Bow Wow appeared on "106 & Park" Dec. 4 in support of "Doggy Bag" and will return Dec. 17. He's already turned in appearances on BET's "Access Granted" and "Rap City," and MTV's "TRL." He'll also host "BET's Top 25 Countdown" Dec. 22 and appear on MTV's New Year's Eve countdown program.

The rapper kicked off a promotional tour on the East Coast Nov. 26, hitting Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; and New York, and then the West Coast -- where Lil' Bow Wow began filming the 20th Century Fox film "Like Mike." The remainder of the promo tour is being booked around his filming schedule and will run through the early part of 2002.

"Doggy Bag" is due out in Europe in the spring. At that time, Lil' Bow Wow will tour as either a headliner or as part of a So So Def extravaganza. Lil' Bow Wow is also preparing to launch his own clothing line, Lil' Bow Wear.

 

19 december 2001

LIL' BOW WOW TANTALIZES TIKES AT NEW YORK SHOW

 

Lil' Bow Wow gave some of his fans an early Christmas gift Tuesday — a free concert to celebrate the release of his new Doggy Bag. There was a small catch, however, for the hundreds of screaming kids who showed up — it was advertised that you had to purchase a copy of his LP to come inside the show’s venue, the Hammerstein Ballroom.

For some, just to see the 14-year-old pull up to the concert hall in a convertible red Hummer wearing his matching red sweatshirt and skullcap was well worth the price of admission. "I just saw Lil’ Bow Wow, he’s really here," said one little tike, looking no older than eight years old, running back to his mother inside the Hammerstein. Others couldn’t wait to see the young star do his thing onstage.

 

Chants of "Bow Wow, Bow Wow," went out around the venue a little after the scheduled performance time of 5 p.m. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to many, Bow Weezy (his new nickname), his mother, and his mentor Jermaine Dupri were running the gauntlet of press interviews in the VIP section.

 

The rapper said, "This is great," and "I’m just happy to be here," about the turnout while being dragged from one end of the room to the other promoting his album. Around 6 p.m., some kids caught wind of the proceedings in the VIP room and huddled around the door, causing Bow Wow to make a swift exit through a side entrance to the stage.

After his intro to the album, "We Want Weezy," played and faded out, J.D. walked on, asking, "Who’d y’all come to see?"

 

Being beckoned with more chants of "Bow Wow," the main attraction stepped on to the sounds of Doggy Bag’s "Get Up." "All they do is skip skip when the beat comes on," he rhymed with the crowd rocking. At the track's ending, Dupri told everyone to hold up all their posters and albums, and Bow Wow segued into "Thank You." "Y’all still got a little time to still make it to the stores," he told the crowd, urging whoever didn’t have the new record to go cop it. When the bass dropped at the beginning of the next number, "Take Ya Home," Bow garnered cries of "Go Bow Wow" while he did a 30- second exhibition of the Harlem Shake.

 

Then the kid who’s "Not trying to go out like Todd Bridges on ‘Different Strokes’ " took it easy with his finale, "Bow Wow (That’s My Name)" from his last album, 2000's Beware of Dog, letting the excited crowd rhyme most of the first verse. "Hair nappy but I'm happy/ Pocket full of doe/ From the C-O representin' So So," said the unified front as they bounced. As the song ended, Bow showed off his happy feet again with a version of the Crip-walk.

 

In the next few weeks, Bow Wow will head to Los Angeles to shoot his first Hollywood starring role in next summer’s "Like Mike", where he plays a kid who has skills in basketball parallel to Michael Jordan’s when he puts on a pair of magic sneakers. In March, he’ll pop up in Ice Cube’s "All About the Benjamins" in a cameo role. 2002 will also see the launch of Bow Wow’s clothing line, Lil’ Bow Wear, which is geared to "the ladies," according to the rapper.