LIL' KIM
Lil' Kim, notorious for her image and lyrics, rose to fame in the late 1990s. Despite
her outward bravado, she came from a troubled background, marked by a broken
home and a violent relationship with her father. Discovered by Christopher
Wallace, also known as the Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim found success in the
music industry, becoming one of only three female rappers with three platinum
albums. Wallace's tragic murder in 1997 deeply affected her, but she continued
to build her career, earning accolades and critical acclaim, including a
coveted "5-mics" review from The Source magazine for her 2005 album
"The Naked Truth," released while she was serving a jail sentence for
perjury. Since regaining her freedom, Lil' Kim has remained active in music and
reality television, while also embracing motherhood.
Born Kimberly Denise Jones on
July 11, 1974, Lil' Kim's early life was marked by struggle and rebellion.
Raised in Brooklyn, New York, she faced familial discord and ran away from home
as a teenager, finding herself in dangerous environments. However, her
encounter with Christopher Wallace proved transformative, as he became her
mentor and helped shape her music career. Joining the rap group Junior
M.A.F.I.A. and releasing her solo debut album "Hard Core" in 1996,
Lil' Kim quickly gained fame for her bold persona and chart-topping hits,
despite personal tragedies, such as Wallace's untimely death.
Throughout her career, Lil' Kim
has navigated both triumph and adversity. Achieving commercial success with
albums like "La Bella Mafia" and "The Naked Truth," she has
also ventured into film and television, expanding her artistic reach. Despite
legal challenges and personal setbacks, Lil' Kim's resilience and talent have
solidified her status as a pioneering figure in hip-hop, breaking barriers in a
male-dominated industry and leaving an indelible mark on the music landscape.
BOW WOW
Dubbed “Mr. 106 & PARK” with nearly 25 years in the film, television and music industry, Bow Wow continues to remain a dominate force in the
entertainment world. At age five, Shad Moss was discovered by Snoop Dogg and featured on the icon’s groundbreaking “Doggystyle” album. With a promising careerahead Bow Wow moved to Atlanta and teamed up with Jermaine Dupri ofSo So Def for his debut album release “Beware of Dog" in 2000, which was the kickoff to a string of platinum and gold albums that spawned six No. 1 singles throughout his career.
He is the youngest solo rapper to ever hit No. 1,and has sold more than 10 million albums to date. He is the first rap artist of his generation to become a legitimate entertainer, excelling as a rapper, stage performer and actor. As a young star, Bow Wow helped build, brand, and headline the groundbreaking Scream Tour multiple times and selling out Madison Square Garden an astonishing three times.
With a successful music career, Bow Wow continued to pursue his film and tv career by starring in; “Like Mike” [2002; his first movie, grossing $35 million its first week in theaters], “Johnson Family VacaKon” [2004], “Roll Bounce” [2005], “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo DriN” [2006], “Hurricane Season” [2009], “LoQery Ticket” [2009], “Madea’s Big Happy Family” [2011], “Allegiance” [2012], “Scary Movie” [2013]. Bow Wow also appeared as series regular in HBO’s “Entourage.” as Charlie and CBS’s drama CSI: Cyber as Brody Nelson. In 2012 Bow Wow became the host of BET’s 106&Park, a daily live show with studio audience.
Most recently, Bow Wow served as the host of “House Of BET” for the 2023 BET Awards, additionally he is the host of BET’s “ANer Happily Ever ANer’ da<ng show. He is the executive producer and star in WeTv’s hit show Growing Up Hip Hop. In 2020 Bow Wow went to the finales as the Frog in Fox’s “The Masked Singer”, in the following months Fox tapped Bow to serve as the host of The Masked Singer podcast. He also reprised his Fast and Furious role of Twinkie in “Fast 9” [2021]. Bow Wow went on (2) two 34 city arena tours “The Millennium Tour 2021 & 2022” in which he won a Billboard Award for Top Rap Tour of 2021.
Despite his long list of accomplishments, Bow Wow is just getting started, a new single featuring Chris Brown is scheduled to be released summer of 2024 and a tour to be announced for the fall. With new music this year and many tv projects in development, Bow Wow has no plans of slowing down any time soon.