Bow Wow

Moss became interested in rap at age three and began rapping recreationally under the name Kid Gangsta at age six. In 1993, rapper Snoop Dogg noticed him performing at a Los Angeles concert and gave him the stage name Lil' Bow Wow. Moss subsequently appeared on Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle album and in the music video for "Gin and Juice," as well as on The Arsenio Hall Show.

At age 11, Moss met record producer Jermaine Dupri, who helped shape his early career. Dupri appeared with him on the Wild Wild West soundtrack song "The Stick Up" in 1999. In 2000, Moss released Beware of Dog as Lil' Bow Wow. The album reached number eight on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Its songs included "Bounce with Me," "Puppy Love," "Ghetto Girls," and "Bow Wow (That's My Name)," the last of which featured Snoop Dogg.

Moss followed Beware of Dog with Doggy Bag in 2001. The album reached number 11 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while its single "Thank You," recorded with Jagged Edge, reached number one on the R&B chart. He also recorded "Basketball" for the soundtrack to Like Mike, where the song reached number one on the R&B chart.

Moss made a cameo appearance in All About the Benjamins in 2002 and made his film debut in a leading role as Calvin Cambridge in Like Mike. In April 2002, he dropped "Lil'" from his stage name, explaining that he was growing older and no longer wanted to be identified as little.

The first album released as Bow Wow was Unleashed in 2003. It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and included "Let's Get Down," featuring Birdman, and "My Baby," featuring Jagged Edge. Unlike his first two albums, Unleashed was not produced under Jermaine Dupri's mentorship and was certified gold.

Bow Wow released Wanted in 2005. The album produced the singles "Let Me Hold You," featuring Omarion, and "Like You," featuring Ciara. They reached numbers four and three, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100, making them his highest-charting songs. Wanted was certified platinum. His 2006 album, The Price of Fame, included "Shortie Like Mine," featuring Chris Brown, and was certified gold.

Bow Wow and Omarion released the collaborative album Face Off in 2007. Its singles included "Girlfriend" and "Hey Baby (Jump Off)." Bow Wow also released the mixtape Half Man, Half Dog Vol. 1 in 2007 and its sequel, Half Man, Half Dog Vol. 2, in 2009.

His sixth studio album, New Jack City II, arrived in 2009. The album explored the influence of crack cocaine on inner-city communities and included a guest appearance by T.I. Its single "You Can Get It All," featuring Johntá Austin, sampled TLC's "Baby-Baby-Baby." Bow Wow later released promotional singles for the planned album Underrated, but the project remained unreleased.

After Like Mike, Bow Wow took leading roles in Johnson Family Vacation and Roll Bounce. He played Twinkie in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and reprised the role in F9. His other film credits include Hurricane Season, Lottery Ticket, Madea's Big Happy Family, The Family Tree, Allegiance, and Scary Movie 5.

On television, Bow Wow appeared in Moesha, The Steve Harvey Show, Smallville, Ugly Betty, and Entourage. He played Brody Nelson in CSI: Cyber until the series ended in 2016. He also appeared in the documentary Who Is Shad Moss?, released in 2011.

Bow Wow's planned album Underrated experienced repeated delays. He said in 2013 that raising his daughter and waiting until he was more mature had contributed to the delay. In 2014, he announced that he would use his real name, Shad Moss, for a new chapter involving music, hosting, and acting. He later signed with Bad Boy Records in 2015 and announced a retirement from rapping in 2016, while also planning a final album. In 2021, he said the final album would be titled Before 30 and released by Death Row Records.

Bow Wow hosted BET's 106 & Park from 2012 to 2014 and began hosting the Australian radio program RnB Friday Nights in 2016. He competed as Frog on the third season of The Masked Singer, finishing in third place, and headlined The Millennium Tour in 2020, 2021, and 2022. He has a daughter, Shai Moss, with Joie Chavis, and welcomed a son with model Olivia Sky in 2020.