Lil Bow Wow rose to fame as a rap star at the young age of 13. He released tracks like "Bow Wow (That's My Name)," "Let Me Hold You," and "Let's Get Down." Throughout his career, he also ventured into acting and TV hosting gigs.
He dated Joey Chavis and Erica Mena, and even received a kiss from Tyra Banks. Despite his success, his estimated net worth is $1.5 million, which may not be enough to afford a private jet, let alone rent one.
However, Lil Bow Wow has faced embarrassing moments in his career. He has been known for misleading online posts, such as pictures of himself with a Ferrari he didn't own and money that wasn't his.
One of his biggest blunders was a post of a private jet on May 8, 2017, which sparked a social media firestorm known as the "Bow Wow Challenge." While he claimed it was a publicity stunt, his credibility has been questioned, considering his history of stretching the truth. For instance, he once tried to pass himself off as Snoop Dogg's nephew, but that claim was debunked.
Lil Bow Wow, whose real name is Shad Gregory Moss, was born on March 9, 1987, in Columbus, Ohio. His interest in rap began at the age of 3, and he started rapping for fun under the name Kid Gangsta.
With the support of his family, Lil Bow Wow aspired to become a rap superstar. In 1993, he caught the attention of Snoop Dogg after a performance in Los Angeles, and Snoop Dogg gave him the stage name "Lil Bow Wow."
In 1998, record producer Jermaine Dupri encountered the young talent, and at the age of just 13, Lil Bow Wow released his debut album titled "Beware of Dog."
The album featured his first hit single, "Bounce with Me," which reached number one on Billboard's U.S. R&B and U.S. Rap charts. "Beware of Dog" itself achieved the eighth position on the U.S. Hot 200 chart.
After his debut album, Lil Bow Wow released "Doggy Bag" in 2001. At the age of 15, he dropped the "Lil" from his name and released "Unleashed" in 2003, followed by "Wanted" in 2005.
"Wanted" reached number one on the US Rap charts and featured his most popular track, "You," which achieved number one on both the US R&B and US Rap charts and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
His next album, "The Price of Fame," didn't sell as well as "Wanted" but still earned a gold certification from the RIAA. Three years later, he released "New Jack City II," which had modest sales of only 31,000 copies in the US.
During this time, Lil Bow Wow expanded his creative endeavors beyond music and began appearing in films and TV shows.
He made early on-screen appearances in projects like "Carmen: A Hip Hopera" (2001) and had a cameo in the TV series "Militia."
He had a significant role in the film "All About the Benjamins" (2002) and starred in the family comedy "Like Mike" (2003).
He appeared in movies such as "Roll Bounce" (2005), "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006), and had TV appearances in shows like "Smallville" and a recurring role in "Entourage."
While his movie career was progressing, Lil Bow Wow's mother caused some embarrassment in early 2010 by making controversial tweets about him.
He engaged in a public dispute with his mother over Twitter, resulting in threats to delete his own account unless she deleted hers. He later became a father when his baby mama, Joey Chavis, gave birth to their daughter, Shai Moss, on April 27, 2011.
Lil Bow Wow claimed that his album "Underrated" faced delays due to his focus on raising his daughter. However, he also faced legal issues regarding child support payments and claimed financial difficulties.
In 2012, he was ordered to pay $3,000 a month in child support but later expressed financial constraints.
Despite these challenges, Lil Bow Wow signed on to host BET's "106 & Park" in 2012, replacing Terrence J and Rocsi. He continued in this hosting role until 2014, bringing some stability to his career and financial situation.
After appearing in the movie "Entourage," Bow Wow joined the cast of another CSI spin-off called CSI: Cyber in 2014, which didn't receive much attention.
He started dating Erica Mina after meeting her while hosting "106 & Park," and they announced their wedding plans in April 2014.
However, their wedding never took place, and they broke up by the end of the year. Erica made some harsh accusations against Bow Wow during their breakup.
In 2015, Bow Wow released photos of his supposed bride-to-be in a wedding dress, but it was later revealed that those photos were taken from a TV commercial.
Bow Wow faced criticism for exaggerating his lifestyle on social media. He posted pictures of himself with a Ferrari, implying it was his, but it turned out to be a rental car.
He also posted a picture of a private jet, suggesting he was traveling on it, but he was later seen on a regular flight. These incidents led to the "Bow Wow Challenge" trend on social media, where people mocked him for his false claims.
Bow Wow defended himself by saying that it was all part of a deliberate promotion for his upcoming show on WE tv, although WE tv's track record of successful shows is not particularly impressive.