Columbus, Ohio native Lil' Bow Wow, known simply as Shad by his friends, first began to perform his raps when he was only six years old. When he threw out his stylings to the audience on the Chronic Tour, one of those most impressed was famous rapper Snoop Dogg, who right away nicknamed the young talent Lil' Bow Wow.
Things moved fast for Lil' Bow Wow, and by the age of 13 he had a long list of impressive credits by his name. He has worked on soundtracks for movies like the Wild Wild West and Big Momma's House, providing upbeat tracks like "Bounce with Me." He has been featured in a number of magazines, including Esquire, Vibe, and People. His photo has even been spread on millions of free book covers that Dr. Pepper produced for schools. In 2000 Lil' Bow Wow recorded a debut album, Beware of Dog, for Columbia Records' So So Def label. Under the watchful guidance of executive producer Jermaine Dupri, the young artist is stepping into the role of a rising star and role model without the use of tons of profanity-filled lyrics and while keeping above-average grades in school. — Charlotte Dillon