Before he was acting in "Fast and Furious" movies, before he even made music under the name Bow Wow, Shad Moss was a 13-year old rapper known as Lil Bow Wow.
The concept of a kid rapper is an interesting anomaly. On one hand, rap is a young man's sport, but on the other side of things, how much knowledge can a boy give you before he can even drive a vehicle?
At any rate, Lil Bow Wow was a great success. Not only did he jumpstart a fruitful career in music and film, but he went 2x platinum with his debut album Beware of Dog. With songs about being "The Future" and looking for "Puppy Love," Bow Wow was able to appeal to a huge market. The music was PG enough for parents, but was also musically modern enough with the help of Jermaine Dupri. Let's throw it back to his old-school cuts.
Lil Bow Wow - Bounce With Me ft Xscape
Lil Bow Wow's debut single was featured in both Big Momma's House and Hardball, the movies. It's safe to say that this one started it all, as the young'n flows strong over a hyphy beat by Jermaine Dupri.
Lil Bow Wow - Puppy Love ft Jagged Edge
Our subject watches TV and plays ball with his date, and although he's "just too young to get down like that," you can tell that a young player was in the making with "Puppy Love."
Lil Bow Wow - That's My Name ft Snoop Dogg
On "That's My Name," Moss linked up with his mentor Snoop Dogg, who helped to launch Lil Bow Wow's career by introducing him to Jermaine Dupri.
Lil Bow Wow - The Future ft R.O.C.
Despite the fact that a 13-year old rapper looks like a gimmick, Lil Bow Wow actually had a pretty great flow for a youngster. Peep his bars on "The Future":
"Ya heard of me
Had to I'm that lil bad dude
Runnin around puttin it down with JD
I'm the A in the hit
I'm the prince of the click
What you think keep makin shorty have them fits
It's the b capital O-W Wow
Like Moe Dee how you like me now
Tryna do it real big like Chris an nem
But if this thing dont work i'm above the rim
Between the legs and behind the back
Yeah i'm small but I got that
Now tell me"
Sammie - Hardball ft Lil Bow Wow, Lil Zane, Lil Wayne
Here's a posse cut of lil homies on a cut from the 2001 flick Hardball.
Lil Bow Wow - Ghetto Girls
On "Ghetto Girls," Bow Wow was spittin' some tough game for a little teenager.
Lil Bow Wow - Basketball ft Jermaine Dupri, Fabolous and Fundisha
Like Mike transitioned Bow Wow from a rapper to an actor, and the cut "Basketball" sort of linked those worlds together.
Lil Bow Wow - Thank You ft Jermaine Dupri, Jagged Edge and Fundisha
From the bottom of his heart, Lil Bow Wow thanks his fans and supporters. This one was off his sophomore album, Doggy Bag.
Bow Wow - Let's Get Down ft Birdman
A little bit grown up, Bow Wow dropped the "Lil" from his name before releasing his third album Unleashed. The 2003 record featured the lead single "Let's Get Down" featuring Birdman.
Lil Bow Wow - Take Ya Home
The second single from Doggy Bad was also the theme song for Bow Wow's movie Like Mike. The video takes cues from Hype Williams, who would go on to work with Bow Wow on two videos in 2009.