Just
as diamonds are created from carbon through intense heat and pressure deep
beneath the earth's surface, Bow Wow -- listed in
the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest solo rapper to ever hit #1 --
has matured from a multi-platinum teen rap star into a full-fledged musical
force with his fifth studio album, The Price of Fame, a journey inside the mind
of a man who's grown up in the public eye, felt the pleasures and pitfalls of
acclaim, and learned valuable lessons from the wealth of his experience.
According to Bow Wow, who will be 20 in March 2007, this last year "was
emotional and stressful. I felt like I was going crazy with things bothering me,
and all this comes with being famous." Coming off of one of the busiest -- the
SRO Scream IV Tour and top-grossing features films including "Roll Bounce" and
"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" -- years of his career, Bow Wow wanted
"to go in the studio and work because it's just natural. Every song is from
experience. It's easy for me to do what I do because it is a reflection of my
life."
As a youngster growing up in show business, Bow Wow felt that he couldn't freely
express himself on a variety of issues because of his age. While his first four
albums -- Beware of Dog (2000), Doggy Bag (2001), Unleashed (2003), and Wanted
(2005) -- showed an artist progressively expanding the range of his style and
the reach of his topics, The Price of Fame takes Bow Wow boldly into new areas
of musical and lyrical exploration. "Now that I'm older, there are things that I
can talk about. I feel free," says Bow Wow. "Finally I've gotten the green light
to talk about what I've wanted to talk about for so many years. It's definitely
a real rap album. I've stepped up lyrically. I want to become known as more of a
lyricist, I want to prove I am more than a heart-throb.”
Bow Wow re-teamed with longtime mentor, friend, producer and current co-manager
Jermaine Dupri to co-executive produce the new album. Always mindful of his
fans, Bow Wow gives them heart-throb familiarity with his first single, "Shortie
Like Mine," produced by JD and features R&B heartthrob
Chris Brown and longtime songwriter and
singing newcomer Johnta Austin. "Give It To You" is another high energy, Bow
Wow-produced track destined to light up the dance floors of club
land.
For The Price of Fame ,Bow Wow delved deep into his writing while trying his
hand once again at production. On the intro to the title track, "Price of Fame,"
Bow is heard venting: "I'm letting people feel my pain, letting them know what
I've been through in this year alone." Young Jinsu, a 13-year-old, Rhode Island
rapper by way of New York, is heard throughout the track pumping Bow Wow up.
Bow Wow is both wordsmith and budding entrepreneur, having signed Jinsu to his
own label, The LB Dub Gang. "I'm passing the Lil Bow Wow torch to Jinsu," Bow
Wow offers. "This Bow Wow movement with teenagers, girls and kids goes back to
Jermaine being a mentor, father figure and learning from him and watching him
for the past seven years."
"This is my crew," Bow Wow announces and that includes Clee-O, an 18 year old
actor/ rapper who co-starred with Bow Wow in "Roll Bounce" and The Rock in
"Walking Tall." Bow Wow's vision for his new label reflects his growth and
maturity. "Jermaine has blessed me with the ability to do what I do and he's
given me my shot into the industry," acknowledges Bow Wow, "so now it's my turn
to give blessings back to other people that also have the opportunity to do
bigger and better things. It's only right to push your people forward."
As Bow Wow welcomes his fans into the truth of his world, it's apparent that The
Price of Fame comes with a price tag. "People ask for this life but they don't
really understand what comes with it," Bow Wow confesses. "People just see the
outside and that looks good – big houses, cars, girls, but you never see how the
person is feeling deep down inside. Me personally, being a man, I'm going to
feel better displaying all of this and pouring my heart out on each record." As
the rapper/actor/entrepreneur charts his course through the next phase of his
career, Bow Wow is very clear. "There's a lot of pressure," he says. "I'm a real
guy, and trying to hold all of this in one brain can make you go crazy
sometimes. So that's really been the price of fame for me, just dealing with all
the drama and the b.s."
With a new energy and spirit Bow Wow is playing the game to win. "I let life
really guide me," he admits. "Just going through things that I've been through
in my life has helped me to become a better person. Things have helped me grow
and become who I am. Once you go through things, you'll see things differently,
and that's basically my motto and what I've learned so far."
For Bow Wow, The Price of Fame is ultimately worth the cost. "I don't have a
choice," says the born artist. "I'm ready to take on anything and this album is
a way for me to release it all. I can take all the negative energy and turn it
into a positive simply by purging my soul through music. That's how powerful
music can be. When people hear this record, they will definitely know where I'm
at as far as my life and me as an artist. This album is really a tell-all
album."
