Rapper, actor and producer Bow Wow (aka Shad Moss) has been making headlines lately for his goofy social media antics, but he’s very serious when it comes to hosting at clubs and keeping the party going—his Saturday assignment at the Flamingo’s Go Pool.
“You can’t be crowned the king of the party without running through Vegas,” he says. “I really take it seriously, like any job. I don’t think people really understand, because you might see a video or footage of me at a pool parties and see the lifestyle and it looks fun—and it is fun. But you still have to be in control. You have to be in tune with the crowd and the DJ and sometimes let them know what track to play. You have to know what the ladies like. There’s a certain technique to it. You are the voice of the club.”
In regards to his own voice, Bow has released six solo albums since he arrived as Lil’ Bow Wow (a name given to him by Snoop Dogg) at the age of 13. His latest effort, Edicius, is due later this summer, featuring new single “Yeaahh,” a track for which he just finished shooting a celebrity impersonator-studded video clip. That would be the explanation for the images he recently shared that appear to show Bow straightjacketed with Donald Trump and Kanye West.
“It was really all about taking in the whole social media thing, all the funny viral stories we laughed at and things that have been making headlines,” he says. “I’m poking fun at the Kanye thing and Trump and people’s opinions of me. If you think I’m crazy, then I’ll throw myself in there with them, so we’re playing with all that stuff.”
Being a social media sensation can be an all-consuming phenomenon, but Bow is making time to wrap his record and develop new film and TV projects. He’s currently shooting the second series of his reality series, Growing Up Hip-Hop: Atlanta, and putting the final touches on a movie, and he’s working with longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri on the So So Def 25-year anniversary tour to celebrate Dupri’s label.
“It all pretty much flows together,” Bow says of balancing his various endeavors. “Being a TV producer is me growing up, but I always have to take it back to music no matter what. If it wasn’t for music, none of these other things would be available.”
BOW WOW June 23, 9 a.m., $15. Flamingo’s Go Pool, 702-697-2888.
