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Bow Wow Gets Blasted After He Says He Can’t Relate To Race Issues Because Of His Mixed Heritage

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 08:38 PST, Jul 30, 2016

Bow Wow is getting hit with some major backlash. The rapper, who is named Shad Moss, says he can’t really relate to civil rights issues because he is of mixed race. Vibe posted a series of tweets posted by Bow Wow, who said he doesn’t care about the upcoming election and prefers to stay away from politics.

After saying that “all the world leaders are controlled by an upper power that no one knows about,” Bow Wow revealed that he can’t “rock with that.”

But Bow Wow really irked his social media followers after one user reminded him that black people fought years for the right to vote and that he should care about that privilege. Bow Wow cited his mixed race as reason enough not to care.

Bow Wow also said his ancestors were in tribes and that the Moss side of his family is “white and native.”

At one point a follower questioned the race of Bow Wow’s dad, saying they had a picture of him. Bow Wow fired back to ask if the person has ever seen his grandmother. He also described his father as looking like “a drunk Cuban with no rhythm.”

It wasn’t long before Bow Bow was blasted for his comments. The rapper did admit that he is “willing to learn” after news journalist Roland Martin called him out for his comments.

Still, in a strange follow-up, Bow Wow felt the need to defend his heritage by posting a photo of his estranged father on Instagram. According to Hip Hop Wired, Bow Wow’s biological dad is named Alfonso Preston Moss.

Bow Wow has long been vocal about his troubled relationship with his biological father, and in 2012 Alfonso Moss actually penned an open letter to his son, because they weren’t on speaking terms. After telling his famous son that he is proud of his success, the elder Moss said he had hoped to break the estrangement pattern in the family.

“I was also blessed that your mother and step-father did an excellent job of raising you to the man you are today,” Moss wrote in the letter posted by Vibe. “I can also say that I am proud that you have done your best to be a father to your daughter. I don’t want you to have the regrets that I have had for not being in your life more than I have been. Your Grandfather, my Dad, left me at an early age as well, it is time to stop this cycle.”

Bow Wow’s dad also revealed that he thought that he and his son had been making positive steps to rebuild their relationship until the rapper talked about his father’s alcoholism and asked him “are you clean” in a video posted on Vibe.com. The two reportedly remain estranged.

Bow Wow first became famous as a child rapper under the name Lil’ Bow Wow. At age 13, he released his first album, Beware of Dog, and he went on to appear in films and the TV show Entourage. Last fall, Bow Wow signed to Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records. But he’s had some stumbles along the way, as his social media snafu shows.

In 2013, Bow Wow appeared on the OWN show Oprah: Where Are They Now? to give an update on his life 10 years after he made his debut on The Oprah Winfrey Show as a young rapper. In the interview, Bow Wow revealed that he had a $6,000-per-month allowance as a teen. He also seemed to be at a good place with balancing fatherhood to his daughter, Shai Moss, with his career.

“I’m so laid-back and just chill,” Bow Wow said at the time. “I feel like now I’m at that point in my life where [money] doesn’t identify who I am.”

Bow Wow also talked about his job as host of 106 & Park and said he’s no longer just a rapper.

“I can’t even say I’m a rapper or I’m an actor,” Bow Wow said. “I have to say I’m an entertainer because I do it all now.”

Take a look at the video below to see Bow Wow talking about his life today.

[Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Showtime]

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