BWW EXCLUSIVE: Shad 'Bow Wow' Moss & THE FAMILY TREE

Having racked up multiple top ten hits while still a mere teenager since he burst upon the music scene in 1999, songwriter and performer Shad Moss was once known as Lil Bow Wow and now goes by just Bow Wow, though he is building up a considerable enough film resume to consider now using only his Christian name to differentiate his various talents. Between LIKE MIKE, ROLL BOUNCE, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT, Tyler Perry's MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY most recently, and, now, his villainous new role in THE FAMILY TREE, Moss has transitioned from rapper to leading man in much the same way that he seamlessly moved from boy wonder to the man behind his own music at Cash Money Records. With news on his forthcoming album UNDERRATED featuring collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj, among others, as well as a look back at his past albums and appearances - such as his movie musical debut in MTV's CARMEN: A HIP-HOPERA co-starring Beyonce Knowles, Mekhi Pfeiffer and Mos Def; as well as his memorable stint on ENTOURAGE - Moss also shares his individual observations on how the music industry has changed and morphed in the last fifteen years since he started out as Jermaine Dupri's protégé, as well as all about his upcoming film thriller RECALLED and working with the cast, crew and creatives of THE FAMILY TREE - Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney and Chi McBride included - and much, much more! 

THE FAMILY TREE opens in select cities this weekend.

Bow Wow To Bizet And Beyond

PC: I was really impressed with THE FAMILY TREE. What was your first experience of the script?

SM: My agent had called me and he just told me, "I've got this independent film and you should take a look at this," and, to be honest, I was kind of hesitant at first because usually the movies I tend do - or the movies I've done - are broad, wide-release movies. So, this is my first time ever doing anything like this, but, he kind of explained it to me like, "It's a great way to get your acting chops up - and, you know, all the bigwigs do it."

PC: This is true.

SM: And, I like things that are different anyway. It doesn't always have to be about, you know, how much money it costs to make the movie - sometimes it can just be about having a passion for acting and loving the art-form and wanting to get out there onset and do it.

PC: It's about the art.

SM: Yeah. Once I read the script, I saw it was a kind of a funny role for myself to play - you know, this kid from the suburbs who pretends to be somewhat gangster; and, of course, he's not! (Laughs.)

PC: That's one of the best quirks - especially since you first appear in the jail scene.

SM: Yeah, my dad is actually like a doctor or a dentist or something! (Laughs.)

PC: A dentist! What a twist!

SM: Yeah! I just really felt like it was fun and it was something different.

PC: The movie is really unique and definitely different. What was the shoot like?

SM: There were a couple of guys in the cast who I've worked with before and people that I knew: of course, Chi McBride, who played my father in ROLL BOUNCE; Evan Ross, who I have known for quite some time. So, it was just the right time, you know?

PC: You have great rapport with your fellow actors in it. The best scenes are with you and Dermot Mulroney, though! Tell me about your scenes with the cars. What was that car?

SM: I think I was driving a hooptie! (Laughs.)

PC: That's what it was?

SM: Yeah, my car was not good at all. It was a piece of crap! I think it was like an old Mustang that I had.

PC: That scene with you two is so funny.

SM: I remember, even in the scene when we make the robbery, right when we go inside - right before we run inside - I had problems opening the door; I'm not gonna lie to you!

PC: What happened? Was it rusted shut?

SM: Yeah, it was like an old Ford or something. Plus, I had the cast on my finger!

PC: Of course.

SM: So, it was hard to maneuver out of the car with a metal plate on my finger - but, it was fun anyway.

PC: When did you actually shoot THE FAMILY TREE? It's been around for a few years, correct?

SM: Yeah, man, I shot that movie probably two and half years ago. I'm 24 now, so it must have been like two and half, three years ago that we shot that movie.

PC: It was originally titled DRIVING LESSONS, right?

SM: Exactly. It was called DRIVING LESSONS at first.

PC: Did they cut a lot out of the film or is it pretty much the same as the script as you shot it? It seems very tight.

SM: I actually haven't gotten a chance to see the final cut, but I have seen some scenes. I'm not sure if that much was cut, but I know that pretty much everything that we shot pretty much stayed in the movie that I saw being shot.

PC: The jail monologue is really fun, as well. It's nice that you have three distinct scenes. You certainly make the most of them.

SM: Thank you, thank you. I appreciate that.

PC: And, after all, you are the villain! Did you have stunt doubles for the brawl with you and Dermot at the end?

SM: (Laughs.) Na, man. We pretty much just did it!

PC: It comes across spontaneously, whatever the case!

SM: I mean, even towards the very end: that was my first time shooting a gun in a movie, so I had to get used to that. Of course, we have to think of safety, too, you know. Even myself falling and the guy falling out of the tree, though - yeah, that's pretty much just us! (Laughs.)

PC: You do your own stunts.

SM: The budget was really tight, but I really wanted to do my own stunts. Every movie that I do, I always want to do everything - sometimes I'm like, "Why did we even hire a double for any of this work?" I just want to soak in all the work, you know?

PC: Build up your game. So the whole experience was positive for you working on THE FAMILY TREE?

SM: Oh, yeah. I had fun working with everybody - from Hope, who is, of course, a wonderful actress; to Chi; to Evan; to Dermot; to the whole cast. It was really fun.

PC: It has a totally unique tone. It's a very black comedy. It's dark.

SM: Oh, yeah.

PC: Moving back to one of your first movies and a totally idiosyncratic movie musical in itself: MTV's CARMEN: A HIP-HOPERA with Beyonce. Do you remember shooting that at all?

SM: Oh, yeah, man! Definitely. I remember that like it was yesterday - being in Los Angeles and, of course, shooting with Mekhi and Mos and everybody; working with Beyonce.

PC: What a great cast.

SM: Yeah, that was like one of my very first acting projects that I ever did; one of my first. And, I had a lot of fun - and I was only like 13 at the time!

PC: That's crazy.

SM: I never knew that a couple years later I would be where I am at now. But, I got to work with Robert Townshend, which was cool. That shoot was fun and kind of weird, too. Of course, there was Jermaine Dupri and a lot of cameos from great actors and actresses in that film, as well.

PC: Da Brat. Destiny's Child. Missy Elliot. "Survivor" at the end! It was a really big deal at the time.

SM: Yeah, "Survivor"! That's a really memorable urban movie musical. It is.

PC: I love how they incorporate Bizet into the songs, as well.

SM: Oh, yeah, yeah.

PC: Have you worked with Beyonce or any of the cast members since then?

SM: Yeah, I've worked with Beyonce on CARMEN and on the "Jumpin', Jumpin'" remix back in 2000 - that was when people really first got a glimpse of me on the music scene. I haven't gotten to work with Mos Def since, though. I liked working with the whole cast of CARMEN, though.

PC: Moving to your music videos: why wasn't the "Sell My Soul" video released? You do some great acting in that. It's a great concept, as well. Did you want it to just be on YouTube?

SM: Yeah, I actually wanted it to just be on YouTube because of the content. Sometimes videos like that just don't get major play because, of course, it just doesn't have the commercial appeal - although, it can be so realistic that it can just draw everyone in.

PC: Indeed. And, it is.

SM: I mean, you have artists like Tupac who based his career off of a lot of beautiful, dark, poetic and truthful lyrics to a point where people can just relate to it, you know?

PC: Mimesis.

SM: I really wanted "Sell My Soul" to be gritty and I wanted it to be special and a one of a kind piece - I wanted it to be very exclusive; and, I think that's what made it so big.

PC: Interesting.

SM: Being that the internet is so big nowadays, especially how we use it with movies and in music, I just felt like that was the best platform for that video. It's just so edgy that I didn't want to tame it and I didn't want to calm it down for TV.

PC: Which would have had to happen for it to be on basic cable.

SM: They might have made me get rid of the pills in the beginning, you know?

PC: For sure.

SM: I wanted it to be exactly how I wanted it to be and still get my point across.

PC: It certainly succeeds! What about filming "She The Bomb" in the UK?

SM: Yeah, yeah, I filmed that in London when I was on tour earlier this year.

PC: It has a great look - with the fish-eye lens and neon club and all. The director did a great job.

SM: Oh, thank you very much!

PC: Have you worked again since?

SM: Oh, yeah! He's like my right hand guy - his name is Rico. He is my personal camera videography guy. Anything you see on YouTube or anything you are going to see on TV with all my music videos - he's definitely gonna be a part of everything that I do.

PC: How wonderful.

SM: Yeah, he's part of my team. He's a young guy from Brooklyn. You gotta be lookin' out for him, too!

PC: "Rico Presents"!

SM: Yeah, yeah! That's him. His real name is Brandon.

PC: What prompted you to write and record "Regret"? It is so gritty and raw. Have you gone back and watched it since?

SM: Well, I mean, I always feel like, in music, that that is the easiest type of piece of music that you can write - anything that is pertaining to yourself. And, that's basically what I did.

PC: What was your thought process when you recorded it? It's all in one take - did you just let the beat sort of live?

SM: I heard the beat and I just kind of let the beat talk to me. And, it was at a period in my life where I had just signed to Cash Money [Records], so I was dealing with a lot of doubters and people saying this or that to me.

PC: Naysayers.

SM: Yeah. So, recording that kind of helped me. I felt like anybody - you can be an actress, actor, rapper, ballplayer - every time, you know, you feel the world is on your shoulders and everyone is against you, usually eight or nine times out of ten you will show up with your best work because you have so much to prove and it will come out naturally. That's how I am.

PC: Since you have seen so much in such a long career already - in the "Regret" video there is a clip of you on a talk show in 1993 - how have you seen the recording industry change over the years?

SM: Oh, man. What hasn't changed? (Laughs.)

PC: Right?

SM: Of course, record sales and things of that nature have changed. And, then, just the way you conduct your day to day business - nowadays you don't really have to have an office or a gang or a staff; you can do everything with a two-man or three-man team. The internet has really cut a lot of things down, so it's easier for the artists to have total access to everything they do. And, with things like Twitter and Facebook you can have a direct connection with your audience.

PC: Instantly.

SD: And you can know exactly what you should be doing and what they wanna hear, too. It just makes everybody's jobs easier. You know, back a few years ago fans didn't have this type of access to their favorite artists. We were so distant from them. So, now, it's like everybody is closer.

PC: Do you prefer it this way?

SM: It's cool like this. I like this because it really makes you really wanna hustle more and it feels like how I used to be in the days back before I even decided to get into rap.

PC: And, it's so much better for the fans! Music used to be so expensive. The music gets out there to a bigger audience now, as well.

SM: Oh, yeah.

PC: So, it's a give and take?

SM: Yeah, yeah.

PC: So, will you be returning to ENTOURAGE for the final episodes?

SM: No, I am not. I wish I was! I wish I was. Not this time, though.

PC: You did a great job on the show. Did Doug Ellin write that role for you or did you go in and audition for it?

SM: No, I actually went in and auditioned for that role. I guess all the guys at HBO really liked what I did and we rocked and roll from there.

PC: Did you particularly enjoy working with your female costars?

SM: Oh, yeah! (Laughs.) That was a lot of fun! (Pause.) And, not just the porn star! (Laughs.)

PC: That's hilarious. What about the five guys?

SM: Oh, I had so much fun working with just about everybody, man. From, of course, my man KC - Kevin Connolly - who I spent the most time with, just because our relationship in the episodes were, you know, that he was my manager.

PC: Of course.

SM: So, therefore, I got to spend a lot of time with Kevin and I got a chance to know him. I had a couple scenes with Adrian and the other guys, so that was cool, too. They made me feel like I was part of the crew, so it was pretty easy. On top of that, I had always been a big fan of ENTOURAGE. So, it was like a dream come true to be a part of the show.

PC: What was it like shooting those pretty graphic sex scenes? Did you have any problems with the nudity?

SM: No, I had a lot of fun doing that! (Laughs.)

PC: What is your workout regime - or, do you have good genes?

SM: Yeah, it's all natural, man! It's a lot of burgers and potato chips and barbecue sauce. (Laughs.)

PC: What do you think of the whole Atlanta area resurgence - especially since there are so many TV shows and films shooting there, like DROP DEAD DIVA and NECESSARY ROUGHNESS.

SM: Yeah, there is, actually. It's crazy. Atlanta is definitely the new place. It started out with Toronto and now it's Detroit, even; but, now, Atlanta is huge - especially with what Tyler Perry is doing. He built this crazy, multi-million dollar film studio down there - which was the first.

PC: And so many other things are happening there, as well.

SM: I'd say, next to LA, Atlanta is definitely the second Hollywood. You've got Turner down there and all the NBA stuff filmed down there - NBA TV.

PC: And the Weather Channel.

SM: Yeah. Definitely. It's turning into this second home for entertainment - and it's been that way for music forever.

PC: Speaking of Tyler Perry, congratulations on the success of MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY.

SM: Thank you, thank you.

PC: Are you going to be in the next Tyler Perry film?

SM: I hope! I am definitely sure this isn't the last Tyler Perry film you will see me in. I had a good time working with Tyler and the rest of the cast. We definitely chopped it up onset while we were filming this one. I told him, "Keep me in mind, man! You got another one - let's do it! I'm ready!" So, he saw what I can do and, you know, I've got the first one out of the way. As you can see, he keeps a lot of his actresses and actresses recurring...

PC: He has a veritable repertory company!

SM: They all keep coming back. So, you never know when you will pick up your phone again and there his name is. You've just gotta be ready to roll - and I know I'm ready to roll!

PC: Born ready, right?

SM: Anytime. Anyplace. I'm ready.

PC: A cast of players - and playas.

SM: (Laughs.)

PC: Tell me about your new album UNDERRATED. It has some amazing guests.

SM: Yeah, man. I got a lot of featured artists on this album - of course, I've worked with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne before. Lil Wayne will be on my first single. I worked with a lot of people - Snoop, Fabolous; I got a chance to work with Good Charlotte. Man, I got a chance to work with just about everybody in the game - I'll be here all day naming artists! (Laughs.)

PC: Tell me about the Snoop Dogg track.

SM: Well, the song with Snoop is with me, Snoop and Fabolous. It's all three of us on the same record.

PC: What about the Nicki Minaj duet?

SM: The song with Nicki I haven't recorded yet - only because everybody is so busy. You know, Wayne is just about to come off tour now and Nicki has been out there with the whole ICE AGE movie, so it's really all about timing. But, you know, everything is going to get done.

PC: I have no doubt.

SM: All the collaborations that my fans have wanted to see since I signed with Cash Money happened and all the dream callabos that everybody wants to happen now, I will make sure that they do happen. If they don't happen on this album, I am going to make sure they happen some other time. But, it all definitely will happen.

PC: Will "I'm Da Man" with Chris Brown be on the album or was it just a single? What is it like working with him?

SM: Yeah, that was just something that Chris and I went in the studio and had some fun with. You know, I was having a session and Chris crashed my session and wanted to jump on something. So, it was just us in the studio goofing off and having fun.

PC: It doesn't sound it!

SM: Yeah, like I said, though, Chris and I were just in the studio last week messing around and playing around. So, there will definitely be a new featured track with Chris this year.

PC: What a year he is having - four top ten singles!

SM: Yeah, that's good, man! Now, I'm on the way! (Laughs.)

PC: No question. You've been around forever already. November 1st is the release date for UNDERRATED still, yes?

SM: Yeah, as of right now. Set the date.

PC: What about this new movie, RECALLED?

SM: Yeah, another one, man! I just got done doing the film in New York earlier this year. It's an army movie. You've gotta get ready for it - it's crazy! You can follow the movie right now on Twitter - it's Twitter.com/RecallMovie.

PC: What is your role in it?

SM: I play a medic in the Army. It is right before we deploy to get ready to go to Iraq to fight the war - I wasn't supposed to go because my son is dealing with Stage 4 lung cancer - and, all of a sudden, I get drafted to go; which was not part of the plan. I decide to go AWOL - which is something you cannot do in the Army because it is a Federal offence. And, next thing you know, everyone is on the hunt and I am on the run.

PC: Sounds quite exciting.

SM: It's a drama. There are no funny parts about this movie at all - I think this is the first time people will see me serious from top to bottom. I can't wait for everybody to check it out. It's one of my favorite movies that I've done so far, as well.

PC: Have you seen a cut of it yet?

SM: Yeah, I just got to see a very, very rough cut of it, so I am definitely excited to see the finished version. But, it looks really good so far.

PC: And you are in the top four billing, so your role is obviously very significant.

SM: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's gonna be crazy.

PC: Favorite movie this year so far?

SM: Well, favorite movie has to be MEDEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY! (Laughs.)

PC: Of course.

SM: Seriously, second, I have to give it to FINAL DESTINATION 5 - 4 was not good at all, but 5? It made up for it! I had a lot of fun with the 3D in the theater and I have told all my friends about it. I had a lot of fun. I thought CAPTAIN AMERICA was dope, too.

PC: THE AVENGERS is going to be utterly incredible.

SM: Oh, yeah! I bet. I bet.

PC: Define collaboration.

SM: To me, I think it's when two talented people come together and create art. I think that's what it is, man. No matter what type of genre it is, once two talents come together and do something that they both do well, then art should be formed. I think that's the best definition of collaboration.

PC: Thank you so much, Shad. This was so fantastic.

SM: Thank you very much, Pat. I appreciate it. Bye.