Bow Wow, Pretty Ricky, und Soulja Boy

When it comes to prodigies, very few in history can hold a candle to the man born Shad Gregory Moss, who is 27 years old at the time of writing, and is already an astonishing 21 year veteran in the world of hip-hop and pop. His passion for hip-hop began growing at the age of three, and by the time he was six years old he had began rapping, at first for his friends and for himself, but very soon after he started, people around him realized that he was seriously good at it for his age. So good that he hopped on stage at a Snoop Dogg concert in his native Columbus and started rapping to an audience of thousands of rabid hip-hop fans. Against all probability, everyone in attendance was seriously impressed, none more so than Snoop himself, who came up to him after the show to bestow on him the new name Lil' Bow Wow, and ask him if he wanted to come to L.A with him to start a hip-hop career properly.

Moss spent the next five years in California, and wouldn't actually release anything until after he was introduced to a record producer by the name of Jermaine Dupri in 1998, who would go on to produce and executive produce most everything that the young rapper would release afterwards to this very day. His debut album “Beware Of Dog” would come out in 2000 and was an immediate hit, powered it's top twenty hit of a lead single “Bounce With Me”. While the album itself would be certified double platinum just over six months after its release, it would go on to be bettered by his first album after dropping the “Lil'” from his stage name. His third album, “Unleashed”, came in 2003, and its lead single “Let's Get Down”, a collaboration with Cash Money Records head Birdman became his biggest hit to date by a mile, peaking at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Moss spent the rest of the decade as one of the most commercially successful rapper and pop stars around, with three top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the form of his Omarion collaboration “Let Me Hold You”, his track with then-girlfriend Ciara “Like You” and 2006's “Shortie Like Mine”. Since then, Moss has made the tricky transition from teen-idol to genuine pop star better than anyone since Justin Timberlake, and with his long awaited seventh album “Underrated” coming soon, he comes highly recommended.

The rap-pop four piece formed in Miami, Florida, US in 1997 and made a point to transfer the bright and freestyle nature of the city into their music. Though their sound reflected the teen-pop qualities of acts like the Jackson 5 and Boyz II Men their style was anything, but innocent. They layered these saccharine sound nuggets with night club sleaze beckoning the obscene, but undeniably hilarious styles of Funkadelic and 70s era James Brown.

The group consists of brothers Spectacular and Baby Blue as well as members Corey Blue “Slick ‘Em” and Pleasure P; however, the group underwent several line up changes starting at the turn of the decade. One of the group’s founding members Milk B left in 2000 and Pleasure P was replaced by Mowet in 2007. Other replacement members included Ambition/4play, J. Long, and Lingerie. These members joined in the late 2000’s; however, they all departed from the group within a few years. Pleasure P pursued a solo career in 2007 and hit success with his 2009 album “The Introduction of Marcus Cooper”; however, he returned to Pretty Ricky in 2014.

Although the group formed in 1997, they did not put out their studio debut “Bluestars” until 24 May 2005. The album was released through Atlantic records and debuted on the US Charts at No. 16. Their 2nd studio album “Late Night Special” surpassed the success the group achieved with their first album, taking the coveted No.1 spot on the US Charts and striking gold status. Their sophomore release featured the 3 singles “On the Hotline”, “Love Like Honey”, and “Push It Baby”, the latter featuring Sean Paul.

Their 3rd self-titled album did considerably worse in sales as did its predecessors; however it did make it into the Billboard 200. This was their 1st album without Pleasure P; however, he returned to issue the group’s 4th studio debut “Bluestars 2”, which saw release in 2014.

Born in the American midwest of Chicago, Illinois, Soulja Boy moved to Atlanta, Georgia when he was six and later Batesville, Mississippi at age 14. It was in Mississippi that Way immersed himself in rap music and culture and began recording his ideas, some of which the rapper uploaded in 2005 on the website SoundClick. Soulja Boy’s debut album “Unsigned & Still Major” was independently released on Palmtree Productions in March 2007 and by May that year his single “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” was receiving steady radio play.

The rapper subsequently inked a deal with Interscope Records and had his single “Crank That” appear on the Emmy-Award winning TV series “Entourage”. The single went on to top the Billboard 200, and made way for Soulja Boy’s major-label debut “souljaboytellthem.com”, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Despite critical reviews from the musical press, the record sold remarkably well aided by the subsequent singles “Soulja Girl”, “Yahh!”, and “Donk”.

Soulja Boy’s sophomore full-length “iSouljaBoyTellem” was issued in December 2008 once again earning disappointing reviews despite popular singles. The record’s lead single “Bird Walk” charted at No. 40, followed by the Billboard Hot 100 No. 3 single “Kiss Me Thru the Phone”. The rapper subsequently embarked on his debut headlining tour entitled “America’s Most Wanted”, and began increasingly to tour the world over. The studio album “The DeAndre Way” followed in November 2010 however was marked by a lack of promotion and appropriate label consideration. Despite earning his best reviews to date and presenting a much more personal and candid album, the record charted at No. 90 on the Billboard 200.

The rapper’s next release, the mixtape “Smooky”, was released independently in 2010, after which he collaborated with rapper Young L on the mixtape “Mario & Domo vs. the World. The subsequent mixtape, 2013’s “Foreign”, sparked rumours suggestingg Soulja Boy was making a move to Cash Money Records, however the rapper’s fourth full-length “Loyalty” was ultimately released on his own label Stacks on Decks Entertainment.