

'Being that me and O have done so well with each other - from being on the 'Scream' tours together to 'Let Me Hold You' going No. 'Honestly, the idea for the album really came from the fans,' says Moss. The two had previously enjoyed success as tour and duet partners, and decided to evolve their collaboration - a favorite of female audiences, in particular - into a full-fledged recording. His latest effort is Face Off, a tag-team LP recorded with his friend, R&B singer and former B2K member Omarion. In all, he's cut half a dozen albums in the '00s, while developing a burgeoning acting career that started with the kid comedy 'Like Mike,' and has matured to more adult roles in films like 'Roll Bounce' and 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.' The album helped launch a hit-making, platinum-selling solo career that's included a number of notable creative leaps like 2003's Unleashed and 2006's The Price of Fame. Under the watchful eye of Atlanta producer Jermaine Dupri, Moss dropped his proper debut, Beware of Dog, in 2000.

Where most child rap careers are novelties that end early, Moss has managed to keep his momentum. In the years since, Moss has grown into a legitimate multi-talent: musician, actor, record mogul. The newly christened Lil' Bow Wow guested memorably on Snoop's 1993 album Doggystyle. The Ohio-born Moss had been wowing audiences as a sharp-tongued MC named 'Lil Gangsta' when Snoop and Dre discovered him during a tour stop and quickly brought him into their fold. 'But, then again, a lot of this stuff feels like it just happened in a blink of an eye.'įew child stars were ever as precocious as Moss, who began his career in the early-'90s as a pint-sized sotto-voiced rapper on L.A.'s notorious Death Row records, and a protégé of Dr. 'It's definitely been a long time,' says Moss, who'll appear in concert at FedExForum on Thursday, on a bill headlined by Chris Brown.

Perhaps the more amazing fact is that 2008 will mark just his 21st birthday. Shad Moss, will celebrate his 15th anniversary as a professional entertainer. It's hard to believe, but next year, rapper/actor Bow Wow, a.k.a.
