Published: Monday - December 18, 2006
Words by Kennita Hickman
Bow Wow (Photo: Columbia)
Our last look at Bow Wow was probably on MTV's "Punk'd." Be honest. After you saw his tirade, you wondered "Where's the dude who used to c-walk and Harlem Shake in his videos?" To his defense, he admits he can be arrogant, at times. "But, cockiness is swagger and we've all got a little swagger to us," Bow Wow adds.
Perhaps, after four albums (three of which have gone at least platinum), maybe you can afford to have a lil' extra swagger. Gone are the days of Scream Tours, as Bow is ready to pursue some bigger avenues. At 19, Mr. "106 & Park" is doing more than just music and movies. He's a part of a franchise (owns a McDonalds in ATL), an apparel/shoe store (also in ATL) and his own record label. And, now with his fifth album, The Price of Fame (which hits retail December 19th) vying for the title of his biggest record to date, people are starting to wonder: Is Bow preparing to "bow out" of rapping for good? Bow Wow gave us the goods on his latest album, "crack space" and... we couldn't resist asking one Ciara question...
BallerStatus.com: What questions do you hate being asked?
Bow Wow: What question do I hate being asked? Damn, I don't know... How I got discovered? They ask that all the time.
BallerStatus.com: Okay. Well, I won't ask you that.
Bow Wow: [laughs] Okay.
BallerStatus.com: So, let's talk about the new album. First single is "Shorty Like Mine." This is the second album, where the first single was a "girl track"; romancing the ladies... you're a pretty young dude. Are you at the point in your life where you're romancing ladies? Most young dudes wanna hit the clubs and party...
Bow Wow: I think what most people fail to realize is that I've been going to clubs since I was 10 years old, being with Jermaine all the time. That's old to me. Like, I'm on some other stuff right now. Me and my crew, we have fun. But at the same time, my mind is on a whole 'nother level. Like a whole 'nother level. So, the romance tracks are just me being me.
BallerStatus.com: So, what's the most romantic thing you've done for a girl?
Bow Wow: The most romantic thing? For someone's birthday, I made a video of like everything we ever did. It's like the littlest things, especially for a girl. Like anything that will touch a woman's heart, candlelight dinners... all that type of stuff.
BallerStatus.com: What you know about candlelight dinners at 19?
Bow Wow: Like I said, my mind is on something else. SO, that's just me.
BallerStatus.com: Is it difficult with your mind being so advanced to relate to other 19 year olds or do you just hang out with older people?
Bow Wow: I've been hanging out with older people since I was 9 years old, so I'm totally used to it now. I think that's why my mind is somewhere else where a lot of people my age aren't, unless you're in this industry. I think that's what I credit to everything I've learned, everything I've been taught, to older people.
BallerStatus.com: So, the new album... who are some of the producers? What can people expect?
Bow Wow: Aight, they can expect the unexpected. Expect things that you never thought you'd get from me as far as... this album is really my diary. And, it's titled The Price of Fame and that's what I've giving people -- everything I've dealt with in my life. [It deals with] things that I'm going through, things that I've gone through the past year and a half. The album is really based on everything I've gone through from January to now. This year has been the most depressing, stressful year ever in my life, which means that this album is so real and so authentic because I'm using everything that's happened to my advantage and to my music. And all I'm doing is allowing people to listen to my diary. But, when you listen to it, you getting me, Shad Moss... the real me, not Bow Wow. You getting the real me. That's why The Price of Fame is going to be the hardest album for me to come behind. That's why there are so many rumors about me retiring or giving up [rap]. But, it's going to be hard to top this album. When people hear it, they're getting me, lyrically, the things that I'm talking about. And, I know I'm going to piss some people off with some of the things I'm talking about, but it is what it is. And, I think this album is going to be entertaining and there are some songs on here that I know people won't be able to wait to see me perform live. And, I can't wait, either.
BallerStatus.com: Who are some of the producers? Of course, Jermaine Dupri...
Bow Wow: And myself.
BallerStatus.com: That's it?
Bow Wow: Yep.
BallerStatus.com: Wow. What made you decide to go in that direction of just you and him? Is it because it's such a personal record for you?
Bow Wow: Not really. I did four beats as well as Lil' Ronnie, who is a producer as well. We met through JD and we make beats together. We actually did one beat on my last album, Wanted, and we did four beats on this one. So, Jermaine is giving me the opportunity to step out the box and do something else I like to do, which is make beats. And, I went into this with the impression of letting JD produce the tracks. But, he gave me executive producer credits as long as I worked alongside him and I thought that that was big.
BallerStatus.com: That's cool. Moving outside of the album, what are Bow Wow's guilty pleasures?
Bow Wow: Not really...
BallerStatus.com: Nah, you've got something.
Bow Wow: I guess it would be my addiction to MySpace. I call it "crack space." I'm always on it. And, I own "Annie" [laughs]. I got it on DVD. I got all the little kid movies. When people see that, they always say I'm like a big kid. So, I'd have to say that.
BallerStatus.com: So, MySpace and "Annie?"
Bow Wow: Yeah.
BallerStatus.com: But, do you actually check your mail on MySpace because I'd think you'd have a lot of notes.
Bow Wow: I got two pages actually. I got the one from the label and the one I set up. It's kinda crazy, if not crazier than the one Sony set up because I'm always on that one (the one he set up) and that's the one the notes come to. And, I always beat Sony to the punch on updating my news, because I know what's going to happen [with me]. And, I know [Sony] probably go to my website and see what I wrote and then add it to theirs. It's crazy, but it's cool. I'm always on MySpace, though.
BallerStatus.com: In talking about your personal life, Ciara was the first girlfriend the public attached you to. You guys had to go through your relationship under the public eye...
Bow Wow: As a celebrity, it's hard to do anything without people noticing. Like, I'll be places and I'll see no camera, no nothing and then all of a sudden I'm on the internet. I'm like "Damn." It just goes to show that you can't hide anything. And, that's how our situation was. For a while, we just kept saying, "We're just friends" and then you get to the point where you're like "I'm not going to let the public control what I'm doing," and that's how it happened. The only thing about being famous and having a relationship like that, is everyone wants to know what's going on and want to add their ones and twos to the situation. There would be times when we'd be at home and we'd talk about how people felt like they knew us. But, people didn't really know us.
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