Bow Wow has had a lengthy career in the entertainment business. His first album, “Beware of the Dog,” released before he was 13, was produced by Atlanta star Jermaine Dupri.
But despite Dupri’s involvement in the rapper whose birth name is Shad Moss, throughout his career, the producer was absent from Moss’ 2007 joint album with Omarion, “Face Off.”
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More than a decade since its release, the performers are now explaining why.
"I'm thinking to myself, 'We're going to have Jermaine do this half and then we're going to work with these other two producers,'" Omarion said on "Rap Radar Podcast" according to Rap Genius. "The first day in Atlanta, Bow fires Jermaine."
Bow Wow explained creative differences led him to decide against collaborating with Dupri, who was responsible for several of the rapper’s tunes, including “Bounce with Me” and “Fresh Azimiz.”
“We didn’t even get a chance to record over a Jermaine Dupri track,” he said. “Day one, we go into the studio and me, O, and Jermaine are just talking.”
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He recalled telling Omarion, who with Bow Wow earned a ZNo. 4 Billboard Hot 100 with the Dupri-produced song “Let Me Hold You,” that he didn’t agree with the songs Dupri had created.
The disagreement led Dupri to challenge the duo, who were 20 and 23, respectively when the album dropped.
‘I gave y'all a No. 1 (hit on the Hot Rap Songs chart). Y'all go ahead and make me proud and do it without me,’” Bow Wow said Dupri told them. Moss also remembered the ensuing success of the album, which was ultimately certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
“It still sold like 755,000 copies and we dropped ‘Girlfriend’ and we was able to put out two singles,” he added.
The album spent 13 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and peaked at No. 11. It also peaked at No. 2 on the Top R&B Hip Hop Albums chart.
Dupri has not publicly responded to Bow Wow's and Omarion's story, but he gave his mentee a shout out Tuesday on Instagram and Twitter. The latter was a retweet of Bow Wow's part with Dupri in Dem Franchize Boyz's music video for "I Think They Like Me."
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