Twitter Is Roasting Bow Wow, But Why Was Lil’ Mama Thrown in for Extra Laughs?

Bow Wow and Lil' Mama (Flickr)

Bow Wow and Lil’ Mama (Flickr)

Bow Wow – also known as Shad Moss – was the center of a roasting hashtag on Twitter. But fellow rapper Lil’ Mama soon became the target in a harsh way.

Twitter created the #BowWowAintBeenPoppinSince hashtag Thursday after he and his ex-fiance Erica Mena exchanged insults on social media.

The feud began when Mena sat down with Vlad TV and said she and Moss broke up “because I left him.”

She added, “It’s kinda hard to be with someone who’s more damaged than you.”

Bow Wow got upset and posted the clip on his Instagram account accusing her of lying. And when Mena caught wind of the post, she took a dig at Moss’ excuse for why he cannot identify with the 1960s-era Civil Rights Movement. He cited his mixed race as the reason.

As the feud went on, Twitter shared #BowWowAintBeenPoppinSince to put down the rapper’s relevancy.

@SosaSkyWalker referenced “My Wife and Kids” star Jazz Raycole, who played Claire on the sitcom’s first season in 2001.

https://twitter.com/SosaSkyWaIker/status/768294079872380928

And @HighLifeCiti said the last time Moss was relevant was when he starred alongside Morris Chestnut in 2002’s “Like Mike.”

But users quickly targeted Lil’ Mama – born Niatia Jessica Kirkland – when the hashtag picked up steam.

@day9day_lewis didn’t think Bow Wow had been popular since Lil’ Mama’s single “Lip Gloss” went gold in 2008.

https://twitter.com/day9day_lewis/status/768287394701250560

@Mr_Yuppie took the comparison a step further by saying Bow Wow performed in the music video disguised as Lil’ Mama.

https://twitter.com/Mr_Yuppie/status/768223141642448896

The shade went deeper when Dee shared a meme making fun of the “Sausage” performer.

https://twitter.com/whoTFisDarian/status/768257338906116096

Young Man followed the same logic, tweeting Bow “transformed into Lil’ Mama.”

https://twitter.com/WingsOntheBenz/status/768323640085577728

Selina Richard tweeted Bow Wow ruined his career by supposedly becoming Lil’ Mama.

https://twitter.com/Kitty_Catty330/status/768212761192960001

At least one user took up for the 5’3″ MC.

Mo wondered why anyone used Lil’ Mama to attack Moss in the first place.

https://twitter.com/shewhoisgreat/status/768246750821900288

But another reveled in people dragging her.

Social media has viciously targeted Lil’ Mama before. In June, the rapper participated in the #nomakeup movement that was sweeping Hollywood. Spurred by Alicia Keys’ decision to dare to bare, the MC decided to show her natural looks on vacation.

Twitter swiftly attacked her, comparing her to Moss’ look in “Like Mike.” It led the New York native to remove the photo from her Instagram page.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top