American rapper, actor, and television presenter Bow Wow (formerly known as Lil’ Bow Wow) has been in the limelight from a young age. He has had a long and successful career in the entertainment industry.
Currently, Bow Wow net worth is estimated at $1.5 million. This figure is derived from his album sales, movie deals, and various investments.
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Early Life
Bow Wow was born Shad Gregory Moss in Columbus, Ohio 1987, on March 9. His mother is Teresa Rena Caldwell and his father is Alfonso Preston Moss. His parents separated and Bow Wow grew up with his mother in a low-income, single-parent household of East Columbus.
Music Career
Bow Wow began his rap career at the tender age of five and began to perform in various talent shows. His stage name ‘Lil’ Bow Wow’ was coined by Snoop Dogg, who happened to hear him freestyle at a Los Angeles concert. Formerly he was known as Kid Gangsta.
By the time of their meetup, Snoop Dogg had yet to drop any debut albums, and so he welcomed Bow Wow onto one of his singles. The album, “Doggystyle,” went out in 1993 and featured Bow Wow on the single “Gz and Hustlas.” Following this appearance, he was featured on The Arsenio Hall Show becoming more well-known.
Bow then met record producer Jermaine Dupri five years later, who took an active role in developing the then-pre-teen. This led to his feature in the Wild Wild West soundtracks in 1999, setting him up for his debut album as a thirteen-year-old the following year.
His career really took off in 2000 when he released his debut album ” Beware of Dog”. It contained hits such as “Bow Wow” featuring Snoop Dogg and “Bounce With Me”. The album sold more than 3.5 million copies and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Bow Wow’s follow-up album, was called “Doggy Bag,” was released in 2002 and featured the hit single, Take Ya Home The song earned him his first number-one on the R&B/Hip Hop chart. The album also featured collaborations with Jermaine Dupri and Fabolous. It sold 1.7 million copies in its first year and was certified Platinum.
Bow Wow released four more albums – Unleashed (2003), Wanted (2005), The Price of Fame (2006), and New Jack City II, which featured an advisory warning due to its explicit topics such as substance abuse. In addition, Bow Wow produced several mixtapes, music videos, and compilation albums that solidified his presence in the rap scene.
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2009 marked the start of Bow Wow’s winding road away from music – signing with Cash Money Records. He would feature on various songs, and drop mixtapes here and there… but consistently announce (only to postpone) his next album which never seemed to come out. Eventually, he changed his rap name back to Shad Moss, as well as leaving Cash Money without putting out an album through them.
Despite later signing with P. Diddy’s Bad Boy Records, Shad Moss announced his retirement from rap after one more album release in 2019; however the album still has yet to be released leaving fans disappointed. As a consolation prize, he released a mixtape Greenlight 6, which features the single “Yeaahh” with K Camp, and received strong support.
Over the years since he announced his retirement, he has produced singles with his frequent collaborators Omarion and Soulja Boy.
Film and TV Career
Bow Wow made his acting debut in 2002 in the hit comedy movie “Like Mike”, starring alongside NBA star Lil’ Bow Wow, playing a young orphan who finds a pair of special shoes that give him superhuman basketball powers. The movie was hugely successful, grossing over $60 million worldwide.
Bow Wow continued to act in various movies such as “Johnson Family Vacation”(2004), “Roll Bounce” (2005), and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” (2006). In 2011, he starred alongside Ice Cube in the movie “Lottery Ticket” as the protagonist Kevin Carson. The movie grossed over $50 million at the box office, making it one of his most successful movies.
Bow Wow also hosted the popular show, “106 & Park,” for over 10 years. He has since departed from the show to focus more on his music career. However, he still makes occasional appearances as a guest host. In 2014, the show was canceled however, Bow Wow began his hosting career in an Australian show entitled “RnB Friday Nights” two years later in 2016.
Bow Wow has announced plans to return to acting in 2021, with a role in the movie F9. He is set to appear in its sequel Fast X.
Endorsements and Investments
At the height of his career, Bow Wow was considered one of the most marketable youth icons in music. He had endorsement deals with several brands including Pepsi, Microsoft Xbox, and Foot Locker to name a few.
In recent years, Bow Wow has diversified its investments. He’s now an investor in the streaming service Tidal, as well as a partner with JetSmarter and Lyft. He’s also invested in several tech startups such as Uber and Airbnb. In recent years his business endeavors have earned him close to $ 2 million.
Bow Wow has also made appearances on popular TV shows such as “The Steve Harvey Show,” “The Real,” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In 2022 he announced he was collaborating with RnB singer Ray J on a new project speculated to be a dating show.
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Lawsuits And Bankruptcy
In 2009, Bow Wow was sued by his ex-manager for unpaid commission. The case was eventually settled out of court, although the exact terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
In 2013, Bow Wow declared bankruptcy in an effort to get out of debt and restructure his finances. The petition stated that he had $1 million in assets and $2 million in debt.
The bankruptcy was eventually discharged, although Bow Wow is still paying off some of his creditors. He’s also faced lawsuits from other entities such as the IRS for unpaid taxes and a former landlord for withholding rent payments.
In 2020, a lawsuit was filed against Bow Wow by a woman claiming he reneged on a child support agreement. The case is still ongoing, and Bow Wow has denied the allegations.
Personal Life
Bow Wow has two children – a daughter Shai Moss with ex-girlfriend Joie Chavis and in 2022 Bow Wow revealed he was the father of a son Stone Kamin with model Olivia Sky.
He was previously engaged to Erica Mena.
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Conclusion
Bow Wow seems to making a comeback and redefining his success with his various endeavors. With new projects and investments in the works, Bow Wow is an artist to watch for. He has gone from being a teen star to becoming a multi-hyphenate creative, proving that with hard work and dedication anything is possible.
Bow Wow’s net worth is estimated at $1.5 million. And with the moves, he is making this amount is bound to grow!
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