Born Shad Gregory Moss on March 9,1987 in Columbus, Ohio, the rapper got off to a very early start to fame. Shad's mother Teresa Caldwell said of her son, "It's like from day one he's always been ahead of everybody else. He's never been a kid to me. He's always been like an adult." As for his father, very little information exists on him. 
Shad is raised by Teresa and her husband Rodney Caldwell. His stepfather Rodney told Sister to Sister of Shad's father biological father's whereabouts, "I'm not even sure. He's out there somewhere." As to whether the father is trying to reach his successful son, he said, "No, no." Rodney has two kids from a previous marriage but Shad is Teresa's only child. Despite being a top rap artist as a mere child, he's kept a level head, as Caldwell says raising him is "not hard at all," though she says he does have an interest in spending some of that money that comes rollin' in, "Probably the toughest part is not letting him keep spending money and buying diamonds. He'll buy diamonds all day long. He likes stones."

Moss began his rapping career at the age of five, where he dubbed himself "Kid Gangsta". A year later he climbed onstage during the Chronic tour and rapped so well that he caught the attention of Snoop Dogg, who called him back to his dressing room, was given the moniker of Lil' Bow Wow, and hired as the opening act for the tour... and to clear up another rumor, Snoop Dogg isn't Lil' Bow Wow's uncle. He later was set up with a deal on So So Def/Columbia with the help of Jermaine Dupri, who molded him as a rapper who could be a role model for young kids. Dupri said of his young prodigy who is one of the few rappers that don't cuss in his lyrics, "These days in rap, kids don't have any role models. I knew it was time for him to come out because little girls from 11 to 16 don't have anybody that they can claim as their own. Nobody is putting time into making an artist for them. I want Bow Wow to represent a young black superstar."

Lil Bow Wow made his record debut in 2000 with 'Beware of Dog'. The album produced the hits 'Bounce With Me', 'Puppy Love', 'Ghetto Girls', and 'Bow Wow (That's My Name)'. With his 2001 effort 'Doggy Bag', the young rapper gave a shout-out back to the fans that made him one of today's top rappers, with the hit 'Thank You'. Bow Wow's latest hit is 'Take Ya Home', a song burnin' up MTV's Total Request Live. The singer also has had several collaborations, including guest appearances on Snoop Dogg's 'Doggystyle,' Will Smith's 'Wild Wild West,' Jermaine Dupri's 'Big Momma's House,' Destiny's Child 'Jumpin' Jumpin' remix, and others. The kid also has parlayed his rap success into film roles with an appearance in 'All About the Benjamins', MTV's 'Carmen: A Hip Hopera', and his latest, 'Like Mike'. LBW's television appearances include 'Moesha', 'The Steve Harvey Show', and 'Jenny Jones'.

If you are wondering if Lil Bow Wow has had any celebrity girlfriends, the rumor that he was dating 3LW's Kiely Williams was angrily struck down in an online chat. LBW explained the rumor fuming, "When Kiely got on BET, she had to open her mouth and she said, 'That's my boo.' People took that seriously, so she wants to know why she's getting hated on? It's because of that." As for whether he's upset about it he said, "No. I'm not mad about it. I was hot when I first heard it! But that's worn off of me." Still, he doesn't sound too happy when asked if he was still friends with any of 3LW he snapped, "No no no. Nope. Not friends with them." There also is little evidence the well grounded rapper hooks up with any groupies at his shows either. Fortunately, he's got a serious attitude not only about rappin', but about education as well.