Gyant Unplugged

Earlier this week Shad Moss aka Bow Wow made the announcement via twitter that he was joining the ranks of Cash Money records. The response was mixed. And as a result Moss has turned to Global Grind to best explain, and defend, his decisions to come out from his four month retirement and once again try his hand at remaining a star.

Here’s a little of what he had to say:

To the fans who’ve been there since day one…I LOVE Y’ALL. I could never show enough appreciation for the support you’ve given me. I am who I am because of YOU!

To the naysayers, I hope that you give me the opportunity to earn your respect. I know that over the years I’ve put many of my faults on display which I make no excuses for. I’m young and I’ve made mistakes and I will make more. No different than any other 22 year old, I still have some growing up to do. When I said earlier this year that I may be retiring from hip-hop, I was serious. I’m not stupid, I read what you read and see what you see. I really thought it may be time to move in a different direction and change focus. I wasn’t the first entertainer to go public with these feelings and I certainly won’t be the last (Brett Favre….just playin, welcome back Brett).

To anyone who’s confused or says I don’t belong in Cash Money…Let me remind you that I’ve been down with Baby, Slim, Wayne and the whole Cash Money family from the beginning. 10 years ago when we really were “Lil” me and Wayne did a song for the Hardball movie soundtrack. Baby was influential in my third album. Last year, Wayne and I spent 2 months together in New Orleans filming Hurricane Season. So please don’t be misinformed and think I’m just jumpin’ on “what’s hot” or trying to ride others success. This has been my extended family for more than a decade.

And since everyone is asking…me and JD are cool! Nothing has or will change. He’ll always be that father figure that I never had and we’ll continue to make hits. [Source]

While I can applaud his efforts of finally addressing his immature nature, I will admit that even I forget that the former child prodigy is only 22 years-old. He’s accomplished more at his age than most people, particularly artists and entertainers in the rap game. And while nobody will ever be able to take that away from him, his present career leaves many [well for those who care] scratching their heads thinking, “what gives with this dude.”

Why is it so hard to realize and understand that his moment in time has come and gone? I’m no hater! If I had any indication from the streets or the fans that they were checking for Shad I would quietly observe from a far. But I don’t. Nobody’s interested.

Why some people take unnecessary blows to their ego rather then really looking at their situation objectively is beyond me. Perhaps its a maturity trait he’s yet to develop. With no shots taken, to a certain degree I can understand and empathize with the insecurities within this young man. Often times we tie in our identities into our line of work. Once upon a time even I did the same. But the important thing for us all to remember is that we are NEVER just one thing, and it’s imperative for one’s sanity to really explore the depths of their soul for self discovery. It’s is abundantly clear that Shad is lost right now.

Why some choose NOT to go out on top and leave a legacy for the history books is beyond me. Bow Wow was revolutionary in his own right with what he and JD were able to accomplish in the game. I mean hell even I had my Bow records that I used to bounce to in my early twenties, which seem like a lifetime ago, but that’s another blog someday. But I find it high-time that Shad face the music and realize that when it comes to his music, nobody cares.

The kid star’s young fan base have now grown into adults with kids of their own. And with the next generation having their own group of entertainers, that doesn’t leave much room for an artist like Bow Wow.

Its time somebody really have a sit down with dude and educate him because to me, another chance at the mic hoping something sticks is beyond sad.

There’s an old Latin proverb that reads, “a wise man learns from the mistakes of others, a fool by his own.” We’ve all seen celebrities come and go over the years. Some leave gracefully, while others go kicking and screaming. Let’s pray Shad doesn’t choose the latter because at the end of the day he’s got a lot of life to live. So its time for him to dream another dream.

Damn you JD. Something tells me you are directly responsible for this sh*t.

But what the hell do I know. Just my two cents.

Oh and P.S…

Shad didn’t say he”may be retiring.” Dude said he was R-E-T-I-R-I-N-G.

Check out Shad’s attempt at redemption below.

Why doesn’t he just find the next Bow Wow and go behind the scenes? Sigh.

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Tags: Atlanta, Bow Wow

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 5:43 pmand is filed under Atlanta. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.