S. Samuel
Cash Money Records rapper Bow Wow has shared his thoughts on not yet getting the cover of XXL Magazine and questioned the renowned hip-hop publication's reluctance to make it happen.
Asked why he named his upcoming album Underrated, Bow Wow broke down his reasoning.
“Well it’s how I feel. Me, I look at things and ask questions like ‘What will a XXL cover be like?’ I be seeing the cover with rappers that have never sold records or ever went gold in they entire careers; but have gotten like three covers and I’m looking like how the h*ll?! I sold 12 million albums went on six tours, sold out Madison Square Garden seven times, and how the h*ll I don’t get no XXL cover? Every time I reach out they always got something [to] say on why. Are you basing it off skill? Cause I know some of these n*ggas can’t rap better than me, at the end of the day what are you basing it off? I don’t get that nod like I should get, but we gon’ get it this time even if we got to take it!” (The Urban Daily)
Earlier this year, Chicago rapper Yung Berg named Bow Wow SOHH Underrated.
“[We] had situations when I first came out, but we patched everything up. People need to acknowledge the fact that he’s sold out Madison Square Garden as many times as he did. Just look at all of the success that he’s had with the records he’s put out. Regardless of whether or not he was a kid when he came out, you can’t change history. Bow Wow changed history and that’s a fact. So you know what it is, shout-out to Bow Wow and I’m looking forward to working with him and giving him one of these smash records.” (SOHH Underrated)
Last December, 21 year-old rapper Soulja Boy Tell Em also crowned Bow Wow with the same title.
“I definitely look at it like that, I know I opened a lot of doors but there’s other people that opened a lot of doors that don’t get the respect that they need,” said Soulja. “Like Bow Wow, I feel like he opened a lot of doors and people don’t never give him the respect that he deserve. Just everyone since the beginning of hip-hop, it just keeps going and somebody new come in.” (RapFix)
Bow Wow previously opened up about his upcoming Underrated album.
“This album will be my most personal and probably most controversial because of the title,” Bow said in an interview. “Some might hate on it, but it’s true. It’s going to make people understand why I’m feeling like that. I haven’t announced the title, but I pretty much have it confirmed in my head…There’s a certain perception of me. But I’m ready to open up and give the world all of me. I had to sacrifice acting up an image that I never wanted in the first place, and I did it because it was the only situation that was going to put my mother in the right place and take care of my family. But it doesn’t feel good doing sh*t that you don’t really feel good about. I never felt like I could be me. Now, I’m ready to say if you don’t like it, than you don’t like me.” (VIBE)
Check out some recent Bow Wow footage below:
