# Bow Wow (rapper)
**Bow Wow** is the stage name of **Shad Gregory Moss** (born 1987 in [Columbus, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbus-ohio)), an American rapper and actor who debuted as a child star under the name **Lil' Bow Wow** and remained a charting artist into adulthood.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) His double-platinum debut *Beware of Dog* (2000), released when he was 13, made him one of the most commercially successful child rappers of his era, and he later built a parallel acting career in films such as *Like Mike* (2002) and *The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift* (2006).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Shad Gregory Moss, 1987, Columbus, Ohio[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) |
| Stage names | "Kid Gangsta" (age five), Lil' Bow Wow, Bow Wow, Shad Moss[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0510168/fullcredits) |
| Breakthrough | *Beware of Dog* (2000), double-platinum Top Ten album selling over 2.5 million copies[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) |
| Signature singles | "Bounce with Me" (No. 1 on US R&B and rap charts), "Let Me Hold You," "Like You," "Shortie Like Mine"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) |
| Key mentor | Jermaine Dupri, whose So So Def label produced his early hits[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) |
| Acting | *Like Mike* (2002), *Johnson Family Vacation* (2004), *Roll Bounce* (2005), *The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift* (2006), *CSI: Cyber* (2015–16)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) • [3](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/shad-moss/umc.cpc.2hlx1zphgqfu4vza0klntlflt) |
| Studio albums | Six through 2012, from *Beware of Dog* (2000) to *New Jack City II* (2009), with *Underrated*, planned for 2012, unreleased[4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6fd44ae7-097d-4979-94ba-5dfc40d9f7ad) |
## Early life and discovery
Moss began rapping at age five under the nickname "Kid Gangsta."[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0510168/fullcredits) At six he took the stage during [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg)'s Chronic Tour, impressed the rapper, and received the name Lil' Bow Wow; Snoop Dogg hired him as an opening act and introduced him to producer [Jermaine Dupri](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermaine-dupri).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0510168/fullcredits) A brief relationship with [Death Row Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/death-row-records), then the home of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, produced the moniker but little recorded output; the gangster-oriented label was unsure how to promote a child rapper, and several recording sessions came to nothing.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/bow-wow)
The partnership with Dupri proved more fruitful. Dupri had previously guided other child rappers, including [Kris Kross](https://www.edgepedia.org/kris-kross) and [Da Brat](https://www.edgepedia.org/da-brat), to mainstream success, and with songwriter-producer Bryan-Michael Cox he prepared Moss for his own career.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) Moss was signed by Dupri to the So So Def imprint of Sony in 1997.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/bow-wow)
## Recording career
**Debut success.** Moss's debut single, "Bounce with Me," released in summer 2000, appeared on the soundtrack of the [Martin Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-lawrence) film *Big Momma's House* and featured the So So Def R&B group Xscape. It became a Top 20 hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom and reached number one on the American R&B and rap singles charts.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) The single earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest rap star in American history.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/bow-wow) The album *Beware of Dog* followed, selling over two and a half million copies on the strength of the follow-up single "Bow Wow (That's My Name)," featuring Snoop Dogg, plus the minor hits "Puppy Love" and "Ghetto Girls."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329)
**The Dupri years.** The second album, *Doggy Bag* (2001), peaked at number six on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) album chart and went platinum, with the singles "Thank You," which samples the Cars' 1981 hit "I'm Not the One," and "Take Ya Home," produced by the Neptunes.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) For the third album, *Unleashed* (2003), Moss broke with Dupri and moved to Columbia; the record peaked at number three but sold fewer than a million copies, a commercial disappointment, though it produced the charting singles "Let's Get Down" with [Birdman](https://www.edgepedia.org/birdman-rapper) and "My Baby" with Jagged Edge.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329)
Dupri returned as executive producer for *Wanted* (2005), which went platinum and peaked at number three, with the [Top Five](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-five) singles "Let Me Hold You," featuring Omarion, and "Like You," featuring Ciara.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) *The Price of Fame* (2006) continued the hit run with "Shortie Like Mine" featuring [Chris Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-brown), "Outta My System" featuring T-Pain, and "I'm a Flirt" featuring [R. Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-kelly).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) In 2007 Moss teamed with the R&B singer Omarion, with whom he had toured, for the collaborative album *Face Off*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329)
**Later albums.** The mixtapes *Half Man, Half Dog, Vol. 1* (2008) and *Vol. 2* (2009) led to the album *New Jack City II* (2009).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) *The Greenlight* followed in 2009, and *Underrated*, planned for release in 2012 on Birdman's Cash Money label with labelmate [Lil Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-wayne) on the lead single "Sweat," remains unreleased.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6fd44ae7-097d-4979-94ba-5dfc40d9f7ad) • [9](https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bow-wow-from-lil-guy-to-renaissance-man-1.1095533) In 2016, at age 29, Moss announced on Twitter that he would retire from rap after 23 years in entertainment, saying his album *Nylth* with Snoop Dogg would be his last because he did not want to rap at 30 years old; he also hosted BET's *106 & Park* during this period.[6](https://time.com/4443013/bow-wow-shad-moss-retires/) The retirement did not hold: in 2026 he co-headlined the Boys 4 Life Tour with B2K, a 28-city run presented by Black Promoters Collective, and announced plans for a completed collaboration album with an unannounced artist and a solo record.[7](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644)
## Acting and television
Moss found regular Hollywood work beginning with *Like Mike* (2002), a star vehicle for which he recorded the soundtrack; he adopted the shortened name Bow Wow around the time of that first starring role.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0510168/fullcredits) Successive film appearances included *Johnson Family Vacation* (2004), *Roll Bounce* (2005), and *The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift* (2006), in which he played the street-smart Twinkie.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329) • [3](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/shad-moss/umc.cpc.2hlx1zphgqfu4vza0klntlflt) After guest spots on shows such as *Moesha* and *The Steve Harvey Show*, he later dropped the Bow Wow name entirely for series television, playing a regular role opposite [Patricia Arquette](https://www.edgepedia.org/patricia-arquette) and [James Van Der Beek](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-van-der-beek) in the CBS procedural *CSI: Cyber* (2015–16).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0510168/fullcredits) • [3](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/shad-moss/umc.cpc.2hlx1zphgqfu4vza0klntlflt)
## Legacy
Moss's early career coincided with a wave of commercially successful child rappers, including Lil' Romeo, who reached platinum sales with a teen target market.[8](https://mtosmt.org/issues/mto.19.25.1/mto.19.25.1.bungert.pdf) In a 2026 interview with the Associated Press, Moss argued that his early success was tied to its moment: with social media giving young audiences quicker access to adult entertainment, he said, "I don't think Lil Bow Wow could pop now."[7](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644) His family-friendly films, including *Like Mike* and *Johnson Family Vacation*, have found new audiences on streaming services.[7](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644)
## References
1. [Bow Wow – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic (Jason Birchmeier)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000093329)
2. [Shad Moss – Biography and credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0510168/fullcredits)
3. [Shad Moss Films and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/shad-moss/umc.cpc.2hlx1zphgqfu4vza0klntlflt)
4. [Bow Wow (rapper fka Lil Bow Wow), MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6fd44ae7-097d-4979-94ba-5dfc40d9f7ad)
5. [Lil' Bow Wow, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/bow-wow)
6. [Bow Wow Announces He's Retiring at the Ripe Age of 29, Time](https://time.com/4443013/bow-wow-shad-moss-retires/)
7. [B2K and Bow Wow's Boys 4 Life Tour is powered by forgiveness and accountability, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644)
8. [Bungert, "...with content aimed at selling records...", Music Theory Online 25.1 (2019)](https://mtosmt.org/issues/mto.19.25.1/mto.19.25.1.bungert.pdf)
9. [Bow Wow: From Lil guy to renaissance man](https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bow-wow-from-lil-guy-to-renaissance-man-1.1095533)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Discographies and musical catalogues › Artist and group discographies › Hip-hop and rap artist discographies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license