The 15-year-old rapper thanks his fans for their support (“Thank You”) and tells a girl why she’s special (“All I Know”).
A mild profanity appears on “Pick of the Litter.” Beyond that, the biggest problem with this project is the young artist’s passion for self-praise and haughty posturing. Not only is he quick to call himself “the phenomenon” and a “miracle mono-creation,” but he thinks wealth and fame make him better than everyone else. He talks down to listeners with lines such as, “What you know about sellin’ out the gate?/I’m the hottest thing around” (“Take Ya Home”) and “Lil’ Bow Wow be the golden child . . . You the apartment below, I’m the penthouse above” (“Get Up”). While not openly sexual, a half-dozen tracks boast of having young girls under a spell. Taking more and more cues from his gangsta mentors, this adolescent perpetuates the myth that stylish dress and stacks of cash equal success.
Shad Moss’ rap moniker should be Lil’ Sun since he acts like everything revolves around him. His bragging is so constant that it reeks of desperation. Worse yet, the rapper/actor (this year he appears in the films All About the Benjamins and Like Mike) seems poised to grow up lyrically. “Off the Glass” states, “I been in the game since the age of six/So by the time I’m 20, I’ma be ridiculous.” That’s what we’re afraid of. Don’t take Doggy Bag home.