American rapper Shad Gregory Moss is also referred to as Bow Wow. Formerly known as Lil’ Bow Wow, he has also proved his mettle as an actor. He hosted shows on TV host, was a broadcaster and a producer.
He is the classic example of a child prodigy, as he found his calling when he was just three years old. Showing some serious affinity towards rap music, he started rapping on a recreational basis when he was just six years old.
He was noticed by rapper Snoop Dog during a 1993 concert in Los Angeles. Rechristening him as Lil’ Bow Wow, Snoop Dog triggered Shad’s rise to fame.
Table of Contents
Early Life
Shad was born on the 9th of March 1987 as the only son for Alfonso Preston Moss and Teresa Rena Caldwell. Shad was brought up by his mother and stepfather Rodney Caldwell, as his biological father left him and his mother even before he was born. He never got to meet his real father.
He was born and brought up in Ohio. He has two step-sisters Erica and Jasarah. His mother is his biggest supporter as she encouraged him to pursue music. Considering his passion for rap music at a very early age, his mother realized that he was destined to be a musician.
She encouraged him to participate in various music competitions and shows. At the age of six, Shad was into recreational rapping, naming himself as Kid Gangsta. His meeting with Snoop Dog in 1993 turned out to be the turning point of his career.
Snoop was the one who helped Shad to be introduced to record producer Jermaine Dupri in the year 1998. He released his debut album when he was just 13. Titled “Beware of Dog”, Lil’ Bow Wow’s album went on to become a huge hit selling more than 3 million copies, thereby catapulting him to superstardom.
Personal
His family has been very supportive of him in choosing music as a career. He currently resides in Atlanta along with his mother Teresa. Bow Wow is not married, but he has been into various relationships. He has a daughter Shai from his relationship with Joie Chavis. He pays about $3,000 a month for supporting his daughter who now stays with her mother.
Age, height, and weight
Shad is 33 years old as of now. His height is 1.73 meters and he weighs around 65 kgs.
Bow Wow Career
His meeting with Jermaine Dupri inspired him to start working on his solo album. Dupri was so confident about Shad’s skills that he had him signed up for his company So So Def Recordings right away. Even before his debut album was released, his single “The Stick Up” that he did for Jermaine was featured in the 1999 movie Wild Wild West’s soundtrack.
The new millennium witnessed the release of Lil’ Bow Wow’s debut album “Beware of Dog”. Released in 2000, the album had chartbusters like “Bounce With Me”, “Ghetto Girls” and “Puppy Love”. One of the songs in the album “Bow Wow”, in which he collaborated with his mentor Snoop Dog went on to win a double platinum rating from RIAA. The album was listed as one among the top 10 in Billboards 200 list.
The first album’s massive success paved way for his second. Released in 2002, the album was named “Doggy Bag”. Selling more than 1.1 million copies and winning RIAA platinum certifications yet again, this one proved to be a worthy successor for his first album. Featuring blockbuster songs like “Thank You” and “Take Ya Home”, his second album reached 11th position in the Billboards 200 list.
At the age of 16, Shad started calling himself Bow Wow instead of Lil’ Bow Wow. He said he was growing up and the prefix Lil’ was not needed anymore. He was also not very happy with the same prefix used by many other fellow rappers. He left So So Deff and released his third album after joining Columbia Records. Titled “Unleashed”, his third album was released in 2003. As expected, this album too became a huge success hitting the third position in the Billboard 200 list. It also won the RIAA gold certification.
During the 2005-2009 timeframe, Shad released albums like “Wanted”- a joint venture by Sony Urban Music and Columbia Records, “The Prince of Fame”- released in 2006, “Face Off”- a collaborative venture with Omarion and “New Jack City II”- released in 2009. All these were massive hits and proved Shad’s worth as a star entertainer.
However, he has not released any albums after 2009, although he kept himself busy with mixtapes and getting featured on tracks by other artists. Despite making multiple announcements about various projects, no album has come through after the year 2009. He made it official during the year 2016, stating publicly that he was retiring from rapping following the release of his album “NYLTH”. The so-called swansong album hasn’t come out, despite the announcement.
He is also an actor and a prominent TV host. Starting his acting career in 2002, he was cast in the movie “Like Mike”. The success of this movie inspired him to take up more acting assignments- the most noted one being a supporting role in the Hollywood blockbuster “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”. He also acted in “Entourage”, an HBO TV series. A documentary about him, titled “Who Is Shad Moss?” was released in the year 2011. He has also hosted famous shows like “RnB Friday Nights” and BET’s “106 and Park”.
Bow Wow Total Net Worth
Shad’s life is a perfect example of building success by believing in ourselves. He found his calling at a very early age and pursued the career that he believed in. Unlike many others who struggle to build a career, Shad was very clear about what he wanted in life. He believed in his talent and invested in sharpening his skills.
He has had a very successful career. Not just as a musician, he has been a smashing success as an actor and a presenter. His earnings mainly come from his music along with his hosting and acting gigs. This, along with his assets would total up to a net worth of more than $1.5 million.
