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Though he's only 14, Lil Bow Wow (nee Shad Moss) is already a seasoned
veteran in the rap game. At the age of 6, the pint-sized rapper
made his first stage appearance on the Chronic Tour where his verbal
prowess made a deep impression on the legendary Snoop Dogg. Called
to Snoop's dressing room a few hours later, he was dubbed "Lil
Bow Wow" and hired as the opening act for the rest of the tour.
He soon went on to make guest appearances on Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle,"
Will Smith's "Wild Wild West" and Jermaine Dupri's "Big
Momma's House."
His inaugural 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, Lil Bow Wow's first album Beware
Of Dog debuted at #8 on the Billboard album chart, SoundScanning
more than one hundred thousand copies its first week in the stores.
Produced by Jermaine Dupri and featuring guest appearances by R.O.C.,
Xscape, Jagged Edge, JD, Da Brat, Big Duke and Snoop Dogg, Beware
Of Dog has gone on to sell more than two million copies
in the United States alone.
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.
Two of Bow Wow's videos--"Bow Wow (That's My Name" and
"Puppy Love"--were voted #1 Videos on BET.
In November 2000, Lil Bow Wow hit the road as the opening act on
the *NSYNC tour, which foreshadowed his four-month-long SRO "The
Scream Tour" which began in April 2001. The response to the
announcement of Bow Wow's first headlining tour was overwhelming:
in Washington, DC, 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.
On April 21, 2001, he was voted Favorite Male Singer in the 14th
edition of the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Lil Bow Wow won
the Viewer's Choice Award for "Bow Wow (That's My Name)"
at the 1st Annual BET Awards in June 2001.
Lil Bow Wow made his bow as an actor in "Carmen: A Hip Hopera,"
a postmodern version of Georges Bizet's opera which first aired
on MTV on May 8, 2001.
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