Bow Wow received accolades from his legions of fans on June 29 after the rapper disclosed in a video shared on his Instagram page that stress was the main factor behind his departure from the rap industry.
The “Like You” lyricist — who began rapping at the tender age of 6 and later shot to fame at 13 following the success of his debut album “Beware of the Dog” in 2000 — previously announced that he was retiring from the music industry in 2016.
In the initial clip, the father of two adamantly maintained that he doesn’t regret leaving the rap industry because of the profound peace he developed. He also cited his other projects, including films and “The Masked Singer” podcast he currently hosts.
“Yall n–s see why I don’t wanna rap no f–king more, this is exactly why. I’m at peace, man. I like hosting my s–t making more money than half of yall rap n–s. I like doing my podcast on Fox. This s–t right here is the number one reason why a n–a don’t wanna rap no more. This is the reason why I do movies and so much other s–t, because the rap s–t bring stress.”
The 34-year-old added, “I don’t like no motherf–king stress. I haven’t been stressed all mother f–king year up until right now doing some — what? — some rap s–t. That’s what I be trying to say. This is why I don’t f–k with this s–t, bruh. I do not f–k with rap. I hate doing this s–t.”
Bow Wow’s rant about the rap industry’s unnecessary stress came days after his “Verzuz” battle against Soulja Boy. Millions of his followers witnessed a glimpse of the pressure Bow Wow expressed in the video when they read his caption which talked about the technical difficulties he was experiencing prior to the June 26 show.
He wrote, “I was soooo stressed putting this show together in 4 days for VERZUZ!! What yall don’t know is our hard drive CRASHED 6 mins before we went live!! SEE 😂😂😂.”
As Bow Wow’s clip began to make its rounds on social media, countless fans supported his decision in quitting music. Many even told the “Fresh Azimiz” emcee to continue on his stress-free journey and do what his heart desires.
“Do what keeps you happy and motivated Shad!!!”
“Gotta do what makes you happy and keeps you stress-free @shadmoss 💪🏾.”
“Keep doing what you love baby, your loyal fans will always support you 💕💕💕.”
“Keep doing your thing bro 💯👌🏾💪🏾.”
“Continue to walk through those doors that are for you! @shadmoss.”
Despite his retirement from the music industry, Bow Wow has found success in other areas. Aside from his podcast job at Fox, he is currently starring in “Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta” on We TV and recently reprised his role as Twinkie from “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift” in the ninth “Fast and Furious” installment titled “F9,” which debuted in theaters on June 25 and grossed over $70 million in the North America opening weekend.
