{"id":3155,"date":"2010-08-19T21:01:00","date_gmt":"2010-08-19T21:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/?p=3155"},"modified":"2025-05-06T21:55:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T21:55:18","slug":"bouncing-with-bow-wow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/2010\/08\/19\/bouncing-with-bow-wow\/","title":{"rendered":"Bouncing with Bow Wow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bow Wow \u2013 The \u201cLottery Ticket\u201d Interview<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born Shad Gregory Moss in Columbus, OH, on March 9, 1987, Bow Wow was a precocious kid who started rhyming as a toddler, and first appeared on stage at the age of five. His showbiz career was launched just a year later when he made the most of an opportunity to open for Snoop Dogg on the Chronic Tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 13, Bow Wow released his first solo CD, \u201cBeware of Dog,\u201d which sold over 3 million copies. A hit single from that debut album, \u201cBounce with Me,\u201d reached #1 on both the Rap and R&B charts. That achievement earned him recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest solo rapper to hit #1. He now has a half-dozen CDs to his name, with a new one in the works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2002, the versatile artist expanded his repertoire, making an impressive foray into film playing the lead in Like Mike. He has since made All About the Benjamins, Johnson Family Vacation, Roll Bounce and The Fast and the Furious 3. On TV, he\u2019s appeared on everything from \u201cMoesha\u201d to \u201cAll That\u201d to \u201cSmallville\u201d to, most recently, \u201cEntourage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, he talks about his new film, Lottery Ticket, an ensemble comedy where he stars as a guy who has to survive a weekend in the \u2018hood before he can cash in a winning lotto ticket worth hundreds of millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kam Williams<\/strong>: Hey Bow Wow, how you been? I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve spoken since Like Mike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bow Wow:<\/strong> Wow, that\u2019s been years. I\u2019m a grown man now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> What\u2019s life been like for you since then?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> It\u2019s been crazy, man, one heck of a ride. I\u2019ve done six more arena tours since then, five more movies, and I\u2019ve switched labels. I\u2019m now at Cash Money Records, so I\u2019ve got a lot of great things going on. I\u2019m just trying to soak it all in slowly, at my own pace, even though everything\u2019s moving kinda\u2019 fast. But so far, so good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW<\/strong>: What interested you in Lottery Ticket?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> The fact that it had a great story behind it. When I signed on, we didn\u2019t have all the cast together, but I believed in the project. And once I committed to the role, then Cube committed, and after that it was like a domino effect. What really sold me on it was the chance to work with such a great cast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Yeah, a lot of veteran actors like Keith David, Loretta Devine and Terry Crews, and seasoned standup comics like Mike Epps, Charlie Murphy and Bill Bellamy, and some talented newcomers like Naturi Naughton and Brandon T. Jackson. I loved the movie. It\u2019s one of those roller coaster rides that keeps you laughing and on the edge of your seat every step of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW<\/strong>: Thank you very much, I appreciate that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> I have some questions for you from my readers. Harriet Pakula Teweles asks, do you play the lottery?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> Do I actually buy lottery tickets? Truthfully, no, although in this situation the safe answer would probably have been, \u201cYes I do,\u201d because of the movie\u2019s title. [Laughs] But, nah, I don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Harriet also asks, would you rather have your fans buy your new album or on lottery tickets?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> The album isn\u2019t about to drop just yet, and I\u2019d rather they spend the money on the movie, Lottery Ticket, than on lottery tickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> I thought you\u2019re new album was coming out soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> Not soon, right now we\u2019re thinking Halloween. You\u2019re the first person I\u2019ve told that to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Thanks for the scoop! Are you still in the studio?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> I\u2019ve begun doing a little recording for the album. But, I probably won\u2019t officially start on the album until after I complete my next film which I start shooting on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW<\/strong>: What film is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> As of now, I can\u2019t say. I\u2019m still waiting for them to give me an okay to make an announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Children\u2019s book author Irene Smalls asks, from your rap roots to movie stardom what has been the guiding principle of your career?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> Wow! That\u2019s a good question. I guess just studying, man, and watching all the greats before me, like LL Cool J, who is one of my idols. He has a very female-dominant fan base, like myself. He\u2019s also an actor, and has a hit TV show right now. He\u2019s a great friend and someone I talk to. It\u2019s always great to have your idols in your corner. That\u2019s one guy I pay all my homage to and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Attorney Bernadette Beekman says she still remembers you before your voice changed. She wants to know what you do to keep your image squeaky clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m a squeaky clean person. A wise man once told me, it\u2019s not what you do, it\u2019s how you do it. At the end if the day, the only thing I owe the public is great entertainment, to respect my fans everywhere I go and to give the people what they want from me. I live by that motto, and it hasn\u2019t steered me wrong yet. I don\u2019t want to mess up my life. You only get one shot. I don\u2019t want to let my fans or anybody else down. So, I always think before I act. And as long as I do that, I\u2019ll be okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> [Laughs] No, I think I\u2019ve been asked just about every question in the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> To be honest, I can get a little nervous, yes. In fact, I have butterflies in my stomach right now because I\u2019m preparing for a new movie, and I\u2019ll be doing a very long scene on the first day of shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW<\/strong>: If there\u2019s a word better than happy, that\u2019s how I feel right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW<\/strong>: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW<\/strong>: I had one hell of a laugh last night on my tour bus. [LOL]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The music maven Heather Covington question: What was the last song you listened to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW<\/strong>: One of my records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> How to Succeed with Women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW<\/strong>: I don\u2019t have one. I\u2019m the simplest guy in the world. I don\u2019t think the clothes make me, but I make the clothes. It\u2019s all about swagger, man. I shop at Urban Outfitters. I\u2019m a plain dude\u2026 White T-shirt\u2026 Black T-shirt. I guess you can say I\u2019m a cheap millionaire. [Chuckles]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> When you look in the mirror, what do you see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> A young man who came from Columbus, OH, and made it, and who wants every other young man and young woman, Black or white, to know that if I could do it, they can do it. Me and my fans grew up together, and I believe they know I\u2019m a walking billboard and proof of that. That\u2019s what I see when I look in the mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> What is your favorite dish to cook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> It\u2019s weird that you asked me that question, because I have a great chef, his name is Roderick, who normally does all my cooking. But for some reason I\u2019ve been doing some of my own cooking lately. Yesterday, I made some chicken on my George Foreman grill, and it was good. [Laughs]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> Forgetting the combination on my locker at school. I think everybody has done that. The janitor had to come with those big old pliers and clip it. Then I had to go home and tell my momma that we had to go back to the grocery store to buy a new lock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Nancy Lovell question: Why do you love to do what you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> Because my fans love what I do. That\u2019s what makes me love what I do. I don\u2019t do it for myself. I don\u2019t do it for money. I really don\u2019t. I\u2019ve turned down money. People know that. When my fans tell me, \u201cYo, that movie was dope!\u201d it makes me want me to do more movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> For nobody to have to be poor or live in the ghetto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Tavis Smiley question: What do you want your legacy to be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> I want to be remembered as one of the illest, youngest cats to do it successfully and to keep doing it successfully. My early story alone deserves to be told, because at six-years-old I was discovered by one of the best producers of all time, Dr. Dre, and I went on tour at six, and appeared on Snoop Dogg\u2019s album at the age of seven. And I\u2019m still here. Nobody else has a story like that, and it has to end great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> There have been so many child stars who have had really messed up lives. How did you avoid all the pitfalls of early fame?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> Easily, by saying \u201cNo!\u201d Trust me, they\u2019re always around. But you have to have the strength within yourself to say, \u201cNo!\u201d Like tonight, I\u2019d like to go out, and I have the freedom to do so. But I probably won\u2019t because I can\u2019t risk having my name associated with anything negative at this critical time. That\u2019s just to protect my brain and my job. There\u2019s no reason to play any games with a career I love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Laz Alonso question: How can your fans help you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> By telling me what they want. In fact, I\u2019m live on UStream while I\u2019m doing this interview. They\u2019re watching me have this conversation with you right now. They\u2019re giving me instant feedback on a chat box. I keep my fans close by working collectively as a unit. I figure as long as I do that, I can\u2019t lose. I use the internet as much as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW<\/strong>: The Flex Alexander question: How do you get through the tough times?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW<\/strong>: I know this may sound weird, but by playing video games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW<\/strong>: The \u201cRealtor to the Stars\u201d Jimmy Bayan question: Where in L.A. do you live?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW<\/strong>: I don\u2019t live in L.A. I live in Miami. That\u2019s home now. Columbus, OH, where I\u2019m from, will always be home, too. And I have another residence in Atlanta, GA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW<\/strong>: Miami and Ohio. That makes you the perfect person to ask this, how do you feel about LeBron going to the Heat?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW<\/strong>: I love it, man, I really do. I love the fact that he\u2019s going to be a Miami boy now, but he\u2019ll still always be an Ohioan, no matter what. I\u2019m glad that he\u2019s happy and going to be in South Beach. I can\u2019t wait to be able to catch a game after work. And I love the atmosphere in Miami. They accepted me with open arms and gave me the key to the city. It\u2019s just a wonderful place to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW<\/strong>: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> Don\u2019t follow in my footsteps. Create your own legacy! Be you! Do what you do! Stay focused! Stay positive about whatever goals you want to accomplish! Don\u2019t ever let anybody tell you that you can\u2019t because you always can. To this day, I have people trying to discourage me, and telling me I should hang it up. I call them clowns. [LOL]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Well, thanks another great interview Bow Wow, and best of luck with the movies and the new album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BW:<\/strong> Thank you very much, I appreciate it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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