Bow Wow Wanted CD

That Bow Wow had dropped the diminutive "Lil" from his moniker was old news by the release of WANTED, his fourth album. WANTED was released shortly after the rapper's 18th birthday, but if there were any questions about the legitimacy of his maturity and worldliness, the song "Big Dreams" should put them to rest. The song's narrative about the ever-present pitfalls of life in the 'hood is brought to life by the searing authority in Bow Wow's voice.

Bow Wow makes the transition to adult MC with ease, which is surprising given that he spent much of his early career in the shadow of his mentor Snoop Dogg. Still, Bow Wow proves himself a skilled prodigy. Snoop, of course, makes his appearance on WANTED, trading rhymes with Bow Wow on "Caviar." J-Kwon, Ciara, and producer/rapper Jermaine Dupri also appear here, but the guests are mere background. Whether boastful, as on "B.O.W.," or rap-crooning sweetly, as on the singles "Let Me Hold You" and "Like You," Bow Wow is the center of attention. WANTED is a potent coming-of-age statement from this self-assured MC.

Bow Wow comes back to the house of Jermaine Dupri for Wanted, an album that's solid but not stunning. With Dupri in the producer's chair for every song save one, Wanted is a So So Def release in every way but officially. There's that good old partying and swaggering that made So So Def great, but little of the glitz. For a rapper not known for knocking 'em dead with his lyrics, this could be a problem. Fortunately, Bow Wow gets by on his charisma, cool, and choruses, which are extremely catchy. Even though the album plays off its title too much -- pretending that Bow Wow is a much bigger star in 2005 than he really is -- it's hard not to appreciate how this scrappy rapper keeps things interesting despite the B-level beats. "Do You" is a "Return of the Mack"-type number that really blows Bow Wow's popularity out of proportion, but it's made for the tweenies and teens who have the rapper's Right On! pinup in their lockers. Everything else here works on a more adult level, often very well. "Let Me Hold You" with Omarion and "Like You" with Ciara are sensual highlights, and "B.O.W." is a surprisingly skeletal number that finds BW bringing it with nothing but a sparse drumbeat to support him. Snoop collectors need not worry about obtaining his minimal appearance here, and there's really nothing necessary enough to push this to anyone but the So So Def and/or Bow Wow faithful. Perhaps Dupri and Bow Wow think this stark production boosts the rapper's thug factor, but he's a pop thug who doesn't swear much and he never claims to be carrying any heat. At the very least, it's an interesting way to develop a child star into an adult star, and a hook-filled one at that. [A Japanese version added a bonus track.] ~ David Jeffries

CD contains 1 bonus track.