this my little man B right here he so so de neck super superstar y'all look ready for his album you know what I mean was on Twitter yesterday uh he was suggesting that he regrets signing with you main depre like B chased me with a knife when he was a kid like oh my God was bad as hell what the what you do the B what you he was just fine when he was king of if you ask me baby did Bo wow just confirm that Cat Williams was right in saying that Germaine Dupri's mentorship
came at a devastating cost what's happening puff I'll be back to you if JD ain't had enough yeah Germain depri King of the if you ask me baby from giing Bo wow and criss cross into child stars with Lives full of parties and excess to push in a 12-year-old Bo wow into adult nightlife that he says scarred him for life and has been scarred exactly exactly what EXA I don't have to do with it yes you do Bo wow himself admits he became addicted to lean for years under Germaine's guidance and then there's Chris Cross
one of them tragically overdosed after years of ging and early exposure to adult Lifestyles and you know it was kind of like start off like let me let me take some some of yours and then next thing you know a week later it's make me my own and then after that it's I'm pouring my own why did Germaine Dupri take a young boow wow to strip clubs how did it impact his life and career and was Cat Williams right all along when he called out the industry's dirty secrets in a recently resurfaced video Cat Williams
Unearthed disturbing claims of alleged ging and violation by both Diddy and Germaine Dupri targeting young male artists including the boow wow and the infamous Chris cross you see persistent rumors surrounding Germain allegedly being involved in some way with criss cross or permitting other Elites such as Diddy to exploit them if continued for years at one juncture Germaine responded to these allegations firing back at a Fan's comment on a now deleted Instagram post that referenced a lawsuit from 17 years ago saying yeah 17 years ago you were eming crisscross even had a lawsuit which they won
but it was kept from the public the lawsuit reportedly won by chiss cross was kept Under Wraps in his rort Germaine vehemently dismissed the claim stating you must be out of your effing mind I should sue you for writing this disrespectful on my page F out of here despite the lack of solid evidence the specific Rumor Has endured and Cat Williams added fuel to the fire by publicly labeling Germain with a derogatory term in a 2011 video cat took shots at various personalities including Diddy Germaine and Steve Harvey dubbing Germaine the king of peas what's
happened in I'll be back to you if JD ain't had enough yeah gerain Dee king of if you ask me baby at the time people thought that cat was high on something and did not take his allegation seriously however despite being publicly labeled peas these celebrities did not comment or even Sue Cat Williams for his slanderous comments leaving many fans to wonder was cat actually telling the truth let's rewind to Where it All Began and Bow Wow real name Shad Moss was just 6 years old when Snoop Dog discovered him at a concert impressed by
his skills Snoop gave him the nickname Lil bowwow and introduced him to the hip-hop world but it wasn't until boow wow crossed paths with Germaine Dupri at age 11 that his life truly changed forever what the do that's what the you do to bow man what you do wow he was just fine when he was with Snoop d already a successful producer behind criss cross and doat saw star potential in boow he signed him to his so so death label and carefully crafted boow Wow's debut album beware of dog the album was a massive success
songs like bounce with me dominated the charts and Bo wow became a household name almost overnight but behind the scenes the story wasn't so innocent under dpr's mentorship Bo wow wasn't just learning how to rap he was also being exposed to a lifestyle far beyond his years Dupri himself has admitted to taking a 12-year-old boow to a strip club in one Infamous story Dupri says he left boow wow sitting in the car while he partied inside but when he returned strippers were surrounding Bo wow outside the club dancing for him on the street Bo wow
later revealed that this early exposure to adult situations had lasting effects on his relationships and mental health he even blamed Dupri for his addiction to women but boow wow wasn't the only child star under Dupri's care with a troubling story before boow wow there was Chris Cross two 11-year-old boys named Chris Kelly and Chris Smith who skyrocketed to fame with their hit jump their story began in 1991 when a chance meeting at Greenbrier Mall in Atlanta changed the lives of Chris macdaddy Kelly and Chris daddy Max Smith forever it was there that the two were
discovered by 19-year-old Germaine Dupri a rising musical prodigy with an eye for talent reflecting on their first encounter Dupri said they reminded me of my when I was younger I didn't know what I was going to do with them but I knew it would be something that initial impression led to the creation of a demo tape which paved the way for Kelly and Smith to sign their first record deal with Ruff House Records a moment that would Mark the beginning of criss cross with Germaine Dupri's guidance criss cross embarked on a journey that would forever
change the hip-hop landscape their debut album totally crossed out was released in 1992 catapulting them into super stardom the album powered by D PR's production expertise has sold an astounding 4 million copies in the us alone at the heart of its success was their breakout single jump which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and earned double Platinum certification the music videos accompanying totally crossed out became cultural milestones in their own right the jump video directed by filmmaker Rich Murray dominated MTV and achieved impressive sales as a VHS video Single moving over one 100,000 copies their follow-up
single warm it up also directed by Murray won them Billboard's Best New Artist video award as Jim Farber of the New York daily news observed the combination of hit singles and Visually captivating music videos helped Propel totally crossed out to multiplatinum status from 1992 to 1996 criss cross experienced an era of unprecedented success among the highlights of their career was being chosen to open for Michael Jackson during the European leg of his dangerous World Tour in 1992 a dream gig for any Young artist they also made memorable Cameo appearances in iconic music videos like run
dmc's down with the King 1993 and TLC's hat to Da Back 1992 The Duo ventured into television with guest appearances on popular shows like a different world and In Living Color where they performed as the musical act in a May 1992 episode their influence extended beyond music and into pop culture where criss cross became synonymous with their trademark backward clothes this bold fashion statement set a trend that transcended hip-hop influencing fans celebrities and even designers major fashion brands took notice and their signature style appeared in magazines and on runways cementing their status as style icons
criss cross also dipped into the world of video games with the 1992 Sega CD release criss cross make my video the game allowed players to create custom music videos using clips from their songs but it was critically panned landing on El ronic gaming monthly's list of the 20 worst games of all time in 1993 the duo partnered with Sprite for a major promotional Campaign which included recording an exclusive rap and starring in a commercial despite their massive Commercial Success criss cross began to face challenges as they attempted to transition from the image of backward clothes
wearing teens to more mature artists their second album Da Bomb released in 1993 went platinum and featured hits like all right featuring Supercat I'm real and do on featuring D brat while the album demonstrated their growth as artists it didn't replicate the groundbreaking success of their debut by the time they released their third album Young Rich and dangerous in 1996 they had matured significantly I on the the album went gold and produced hits like tonight's the night and live and die for hip-hop despite their efforts to evolve the shadow of their early success loomed large
with fans and the industry off often reluctant to let go of their initial image the backward fashion trend that helped Define their identity eventually became a double-edged sword while it set them apart and contributed to their popularity it also became a hurdle as they tried to move forward creatively people expected them to remain the same making it difficult for criss cross to fully reinvent themselves the very style that made them icons had become a limitation holding them back as they sought to explore new artistic directions after releasing three albums and achieving world wide Fame criss
cross decided to part ways in the late 1990s the pressures of Fame coupled with the challenges of maintaining relevance in a rapidly evolving music industry LED them to pursue separate paths in 2013 fans were treated to a rare reunion when Chris Cross performed at the Fox Theater in Atlanta during Soo de's 20th anniversary concert unbeknownst to many this would be their final performance together on April 29th 2013 tragedy struck when Chris Kelly was found unconscious in his Atlanta home he was rushed to the hospital but the next two days were filled with uncertainty a woman
identifying herself as Kelly's friend informed investigators that he had mixed H and Coke the previous evening she had brought him home hoping to help him recover but the situation took a devastating turn on May 1st 2013 Chris Kelly passed away at the age of 34 at Atlanta Medical Center his death sent shock waves through the music industry and Beyond leaving fans and colleagues in mourning a a subsequent toxicology report confirmed that his death was caused by a drug overdose with h and Coke among the substances found in his system Kelly's struggles with substance abuse were
not new according to his uncle Kelly had a long history of battling addiction despite these challenges his legacy as an artist and innovator remained intact Germaine Dupri who had been a mentor and Father Figure to Kelly expressed his sorrow in an open letter to fans Chris Kelly was like a son that I never had pre wrote I Will Always Love You Chris and I will never let the world Forget You Chris Smith the other half of Chriss cross also shared a heartfelt tribute Chris Kelly was my best friend he was like a brother I love
him and will miss him dearly Smith wrote the two had been Inseparable since first grade navigating the highs and lows of Fame together anyway following his death Kelly's mother Donna Kelly Pratt spoke about the Shady things her son experienced in the industry at just 13 years old while the world saw Superstar Pratt saw a child forced to grow up too fast in an adult environment we had some conversations that we hadn't had his whole life she shared because Chris was in the industry and started at 13 it took him a long time to mature Pratt
reflected on how the rapid shift from childhood to stardom impacted Kelly's emotional development delaying his ability to handle life's pressures Pratt recounted how the entertainment World exposed her son to behaviors no child should face I can tell you who he smoked his first joint with who he had his first drink with who he was with when he had s for the first time she said everything he did he thought he was getting away with something but he was encouraged to do all these things with adults as a mother Pratt fought to Shield her son but
she felt powerless against the industry's influence I was like y'all are not helping me out here this is a kid she explained yet the environment Kelly was thrust into blurred the boundaries between childhood and adulthood once the barn door is open it's open you can't put a child in an adult Arena and then tell them they're still a child Pratt's frustration was clear she believed the constant exposure to adult behaviors in his formative years contributed to Kelly's struggles with substance abuse and risky Behavior later in life despite her efforts the entertainment world's grip on her
son was unrelenting anyway it is clear that some of these child stars have lived lives most people could only dream of and sometimes one they wish they hadn't and a good example is Bo wow from being a six-year-old rap Prodigy discovered by Snoop Dogg to navigating the highs and lows of Fame Bo Wow's story is one of incredible success deep personal struggles and constant reinvention Bo Wow's journey to fame began in his hometown of Columbus Ohio at just 3 years old he started rapping inspired by the hip-hop he heard on the radio his talent was
evident early on and by the age of six he was performing at local talent shows under the nickname kid Gangsta it was at one of these shows that boow Wow's life would change forever in 1993 he had attended a concert on Dr Dre and Snoop Dog's chronic tour during the show Bo wow got the chance to perform on stage impressing the crowd and none other than Snoop Dog himself Snoop took the young rapper under his wing giving him the nickname Lil bowwow that co-sign alone was enough to open doors for bowwow and he even made
an appearance on snoop's debut album doggy style rapping on the track Jazz and hustlas while Snoop helped launch Bow Wow's career it was Germaine d PR The Mastermind behind Soo deaf recordings who turned him into a superstar in 1998 boow Wow's mom brought him to a concert where he caught the attention of Dupri who had already built successful careers for criss cross De Brat and excape Dupri saw boow Wow's potential and began molding him into a teen rap sensation together they worked on boow Wow's debut album beware of dog released in 2000 when he was
just 13 years old the album was a massive success going double platinum and featuring hit singles like bounce with me and Bo wow that's my [Music] name with his infectious energy catchy Hooks and kid-friendly lyrics Bo wow became the face of a new generation of hip-hop he was everywhere on TV magazines and even action figures fans adored his playful Charisma and his age made him relatable to Young audiences Bo wow didn't stop at music in 2002 he made his acting debut in the basketball comedy Like Mike playing a young orphan who discovers a pair of
magical sneakers the film was a box office hit and cemented Bo Wow's status as a multi-talented Entertainer over the next few years boow wow continued balancing music and acting he released more successful albums including doggy bag and Unleashed in St in movies like Roll Bounce in the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift as Bo wow Grew Older he dropped the L from his name signaling a new phase in his career however transitioning from a child star to an adult artist was challenging ing the music industry was evolving and Bo wow struggled to maintain the same
level of success he enjoyed as a teenager despite releasing chart topping singles like let me hold you with Omarian and shorty like mine with Chris Brown Bo wow found it harder to keep up with the rapidly changing hip-hop scene behind the scenes Bo wow was battling his own demons in 2010 he shocked fans when he revealed he had been dealing with depression and even contemplated IDE I was in a dark space what what got you in that writing that third album Point like writing that right around the third album that's when I was just I
was just done I was just you know my boys get on me because I like to sit in the house and my answer and my response to that is because I've done everything the pressure of growing up in the spotlight combined with the ups and downs of his career took a toll on Bo Wow's mental health he later reflected on those dark times in 2018 when he teased an album called adicus as side spelled backward while the album was never released it highlighted the emotional challenges he faced as he tried to navigate life after Fame
as his music career slowed down Bo wow shifted his Focus to television in 2017 he created and starred in the reality show Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta the series followed the lives of celebrity kids including Bo wow as they tried to balance Fame family and their own Ambitions the show was a hit running for several seasons and giving fans a closer look at BO Wow's life however it also brought more scrutiny to his personal relationship which were often messy and dramatic one of the most publicized moments of boow Wow's personal life came in 2019 when
he and his then girlfriend got into a physical altercation police were called to the scene and found both of them with visible injuries since the officers couldn't determine who was the aggressor they arrested both boow Wow and his girlfriend photos of boow wow with scratches on his face quickly went viral leading to memes and endless speculation about the incident amid the ups and downs Bo wow made a triumphant return to acting in 2021 when he reprised his role as Twinkie in Fast and Furious 9 fans were excited to see him back in the Blockbuster franchise
and the role reminded everyone of his talent as an actor Bo wow later admitted that if he could do it all over again he would have focused solely on acting if I could go back I would have just been an actor and never touched music he said in recent years Bo wow has been open about his frustrations with the music industry he said multiple times that he no longer enjoys rapping and prefers hosting acting and producing producing this is exactly why I don't want to rap no more he said in a candid interview rap brings
stress and I don't need that in my life despite his frustrations Bo wow announced in 2023 that he plans to release one final album under the death row label bringing his music career full circle all in all Germaine Dupri's Legacy as a music producer is undeniable but the stories of Bo wow and Chris Cross paint a troubling picture as more details come to light fans are left questioning whether Dupri's mentorship ship was more harmful than helpful anyway that's it for this video folks bye
