On the surface, Bow Wow would appear to have taken a step back creatively with his latest CD, “Wanted.”
On his previous release, the 2003 CD “Unleashed,” he had taken on the role of executive producer and co-wrote all but two of the album’s songs.
“Wanted,” however, pairs Bow Wow once again with Jermaine Dupri, the producer-record executive who co-wrote and produced virtually all of the material on Bow Wow’s first two CDs, “Beware of Dog” and “Doggy Bag.”
On “Wanted,” Dupri once again appears to wield considerable control over the proceedings. He produced the CD and has lead writing credits on all but one song.
Bow Wow says appearances are deceiving.
“People might say I can’t believe he’s saying this, but I think I had more input on this record than I did on ‘Unleashed,’” Bow Wow said.
“Even though Jermaine wrote a lot of the record and produced a lot of the record, a lot of my ideas came with it,” Bow Wow said. “We worked as a team.”
Bow Wow was also quick to emphasize that his primary role is being the performer.
“It’s really not about who writes the record. It’s can you deliver the record?” Bow Wow said. “I can write a record or produce a song for somebody, but it’s all about can you deliver the record, the right way this record needs to be delivered.”
So far, fans have obviously felt Bow Wow has what it takes to deliver songs – especially those supplied and produced by Dupri.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, who now makes his home in Atlanta, Bow Wow was just 12 when he recorded his debut CD, “Beware of Dog,” with Dupri producing and co-writing the material. A chart-topping single, “Bounce With Me,” helped make “Beware of Dog” a double-platinum hit and it established Lil Bow Wow (he dropped the “Lil” a couple of years later) atop the emerging teen rap scene.
In 2001, a second Dupri-helmed CD, “Doggy Bag,” was released. That record, coupled with Bow Wow’s stint headlining the inaugural “Scream” arena tour, sustained the popularity he had gained with the first album.
With his third CD, “Unleashed,” however, Bow Wow parted ways with Dupri, enlisted a new group of producers (including the Neptunes and “Lil Jon” Smith), and co-wrote all but two tracks.
jAccording to Bow Wow, the split with Dupri was strictly a business situation brought on by Dupri’s move to Arista to become a senior vice president at that label. Bow Wow has been on Columbia Records his entire career.
Bow Wow is emphatic when he talks about the music on the newly released “Wanted” CD – saying it is easily his best album to date.
“Wanted” shows elements of artistic growth. For one thing, the CD is more of a straight-ahead rap record than Bow Wow’s previous albums, as songs like “Caviar” (featuring a guest appearance by Snoop Dogg), “Go” and “Fresh Azimiz” pack plenty of punch.
While the CD largely sticks to familiar lyrical themes (note the self-hyping “Do You” and the romantically oriented first single “Let Me Hold You”) Bow Wow does stretch into more topical territory on “Big Dreams,” which cautions kids to avoid pitfalls like drugs and crime and keep pushing to achieve their goals.
In between touring commitments and recording sessions, Bow Wow has also been busy building his acting resume. He starred recently in “Roll Bounce,” a film released last fall in which he played the lead role of teenager X. The film uses a roller skating competition as a backdrop for the struggles X faces as he grows up under the hand of a strict father played by Chi McBride.
Bow Wow, who has also been featured in the movies “Like Mike” and “Johnson Family Vacation,” said acting is no casual pursuit.
“I will finish out my career acting,” he said firmly. “I will eventually go off and become an actor. I will finish my career off with that, but that will be in the future.”
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