There was a time when Bow Wow was regularly going viral for all the wrong reasons, but the rapper says that all changed thanks to a conversation with Diddy.
During a new interview on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion podcast, Bow Wow addressed his rocky transition from child star to adult actor and rapper. He credits Diddy with opening his eyes to how his actions affected his brand, claiming the Hip-Hop mogul “put everything in perspective for me.”
He acknowledged there was a time “when it seemed cool to diss Bow Wow” and blamed the emergence of internet meme culture. Despite not seeing the humor in some of his most viral moments, Bow Wow said the memes took on a life of their own, but he did little to reverse the public perception. “That’s when it was like okay a lot of this s### is self-inflicted,” he admitted.
However, Bow Wow vowed to make changes after a conversation at Diddy’s house stopped him in his tracks.
According to Bow Wow, he was hanging out with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Nelly at one of Diddy’s pajama parties when the Bad Boy Records boss pulled him aside.
“That n#### told me straight up: ‘Don’t be doing no clown s###. What’s wrong with you?’” Bow Wow recalled Diddy telling him. “N#### you know we don’t associate with no clown s###. You Bow n####, you better understand your brand and get out here and go to work.”
Diddy then told him, “You doing it to yourself,” and advised Bow Wow to “Be quiet, lay low, go to work and see what gon’ happen.”
Bow Wow Accepted Diddy’s Advice
Despite Diddy’s tough love, Bow Wow credits the NYC icon with helping him to turn things around.
“That conversation is what put everything in perspective for me,” he reflected. “Once I had that conversation, I’m like “Damn. I can’t be doing that dumb ass s### cause I’m around the top dogs.’”
If that wasn’t enough, elsewhere during the interview, Bow Wow claims JD showed him a text from Jay-Z that also changed how he perceived himself. Check out the interview below.