Lil Bow Wow, now known as Bow Wow, was born in Columbus, Ohio to Teresa and Junie Moss. His father left the family, though Bow Wow says they are still keeping in contact. Bow Wow's mother worked three jobs. It has been said he resembles his father and his father is of creole descent, and his mother re-married to Rodney Caldwell; Bow Wow grew up with his step-father and has two step-siblings, Erica and Jasarah. When he was five, he started his career in rap using the moniker "Kid Gangsta". One year later, in 1993, he performed at a Chronic tour in Columbus, and was noted by rapper Snoop Dogg and rapper Dr. Dre, who subsequently gave him a stage name, "Lil' Bow Wow".[1] Dr. Dre later hired him as an opening act, officially gaining him a spot on the Death Row Records roster.[2] Also "Lil' Bow Wow" appeared on a skit on Snoop's debut Doggystyle. In 1998 at the age of eleven, Bow Wow was introduced to record producer Jermaine Dupri,[1] who helped shape his career. His real name is Shad Gregory Moss. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.