Bow Wow (rapper)

Shad Gregory Moss (born March 9, 1987), better known by his stage name Bow Wow (formerly Lil' Bow Wow), is an American rapper and actor. His career began upon being discovered by rapper Snoop Dogg in 1993 at the age of six; five years later, he signed with record producer Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings, an imprint of Columbia Records. As Lil' Bow Wow, his debut studio album, Beware of Dog (2000), was released at the age of 13, and followed by his second album, Doggy Bag (2001). Both commercial successes, the albums peaked at numbers 8 and 11 on the Billboard 200, respectively.

Moss then parted ways with So So Def and signed with its parent label, Columbia Records, to release his third album, Unleashed (2003). It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was his first release after dropping "Lil'" from his stage name. His fourth album, Wanted (2005), spawned the singles "Let Me Hold You" (featuring Omarion) and "Like You" (featuring Ciara), which peaked at numbers four and three on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, and remain his highest-charting songs. His 2006 single, "Shortie Like Mine" (featuring Chris Brown and Johntá Austin), peaked within the chart's top ten and preceded the release of his fifth album, The Price of Fame (2006). His sixth, New Jack City II (2009), was met with trailing critical and commercial response, serving as his final album on a major label. He briefly signed with Birdman's Cash Money Records in 2009 to release a series of promotional singles—including "Ain't Thinkin' 'Bout You" (featuring Chris Brown) and "Sweat" (featuring Lil Wayne)—for his seventh album Underrated, which remains unreleased.