|
The Price of Fame | 
| Artist: Bow Wow
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $8.99
Buy New: $0.01
You Save: $8.98 (100%)
New (43) Used (59) Collectible (1) from $0.01
Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 90339
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 87932
UPC: 828768793220
EAN: 8287687932202
ASIN: B000JGW9I6
Release Date: December 19, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Tracks:
| • | Intro | | • | Price of Fame | | • | 4 Corners | | • | Outta My System | | • | How You Move It | | • | Shortie Like Mine | | • | Dont Know Bout That | | • | Tell Me | | • | Damn Thing | | • | Bet That | | • | On Fiya | | • | Give It To You |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Bow Wow opens his fifth CD, The Price of Fame with a solemn interview clip in which the rapper/actor discusses "the mental breakdown dealing with the price of fame," thus setting the stage for a deeply emotive release. For a handful of tracks, he does exactly that, showing fans--and his competition-- just how refreshing that can be. The disc's first single, "Shortie Like Mine," featuring fellow teen heartthrob Chris Brown finds Bow Wow spitting rapid-fire rhymes and embedding lyrical skills with his especially melodic rap style. "Tell Me" combines those same talents mixed with surprisingly candid subject matter: a plea to get his ex to come back to him. As he implores "I'm a whole different individual now/everybody but you invisible now" to compelling back beats and samples (thanks to co-Executive Producer Jermaine Dupri), it feels like the pair could create a new genre: emo/electro/hip-hop. Dupri's amped-up hooks drive the disc, staying consistent while Bow Wow's identity oscillates between a lover and a wanna-be gangsta. Other songs worth noting are the hidden track, an R. Kelly duet dubbed "I'm a Flirt" and the cheeky "Damn Thing" featuring Da Brat. On the downside, a number of tunes contain far too much thug posturing: "Bet That," "4 Corners" (featuring Lil' Wayne) and the 50 Cent-inflected "On Fiya" are filled with cliched car/money/thug lyrics, causing Bow Wow's uniqueness to get lost in the flow. --Denise Sheppard
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 Average at Best December 22, 2006
gillettecourt
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I was excited for this CD when the single "Shortie Like Mine" was released. However, that's easily the best song on this album, and most of the other material is far below that level of quality. I'm a big fan of Jermaine Dupri's production, but most of the beats here are pedestrian and very similar to one another. The one beat by Nitti and JD, "Don't Know Bout That", is a nice break in the monotony (though not by a whole lot). The lyrics are the typical pop rap stuff...rims, jewelry, girls, etc. I usually don't mind that, but here it just sounds so worn out; there aren't really any clever twists or anything to keep your attention. Basically, you shouldn't pay more than a few bucks for this CD, and I'm being charitable giving this three stars...I'm hoping it'll grow on me a bit more.
 The Price of Fame mustn't be too steep. December 27, 2006
Pablo
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
One-star reviews are something I rarely give out. I don't like reviewing a product if I have nothing remotely positive to remark about it, but I simply feel obligated to on Bow Wow's latest release, Price of Fame. Front and forward, I've gotta comment on the title of this release; Price of Fame. Bow Wow tricks unsuspecting buyers into thinking this could possibly be a mature, and introspective effort from the nineteen year old who dropped the "Lil'" in his name two LP's ago. Bow Wow's at a good age to offer wisdom from a youthful perspective, as Mobb Deep dropped The Infamous at the very same age.. however, while Mobb Deep were dropping knowledge over hardcore hip-hop backdrops aiming for classic status, Bow Wow's dropping club track after club track over poor, and overproduced beats hoping to rake in some cream with an album that, simply put, is well below subpar.
Firstly, Bow Wow's flow is horrendous. His breath control, or lack thereof, is abysmal. The beats he's chosen for his album are commercial rejects; much like everything Bow Wow's mentor, Jermaine Dupree, produces. Bow Wow doesn't even write his only songs, so I'm simply wondering, who the hell is ghostwriting this kid's lyrics, and why on earth does he still have a job? One reviewed quipped that the 'haters' who give this album negative reviews are jealous of Bow Wow's swagger; what swagger? Bow Wow doesn't sound comfortable on the microphone, despite having over half a decade in the game under his belt.
Bow Wow does offer a surpisingly insightful track in Outta My System, but even that one bit of insight can't save this abortion of an album. I didn't come into this release expecting anything more than a more mature, refined Bow Wow, and I came out seeing the same artist, and person he's been for the last six years; there's been no progress, and Bow Wow feels like little more than a persona created by JD, and his horrible entourage of ghostwriters. Even the likes of Nick Cannon could become a respectable artist in the hip-hop community, but Bow Wow isn't dropping any Can I Live?'s on Price of Fame. It's more of the same exact product you've been listening to since Bow Wow was telling you to "Bounce With Me." When Bow Wow says he's going to move all the 'old rappers out of the way' on Don't Know About That, you can't help but laugh at the sheer stupidity of that statement, and cringe at the disrespect. Bow Wow maybe young, but he's more washed-up than legends like KRS-1 or De La Soul, or even mainstream darlings like Snoop and Ice Cube; which is horrible, considering he was far below-average at his peak. If Bow Wow could dramatically, and quite frankly, miracuously, mature between this and his next release, then he maybe able to survive in the game, but if Bow Wow keeps going like this, it's time for this kid to hang up his hoodie.
 Skip the Odds and Ends, Please December 19, 2006
Person (across the street)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Bow Wow. The last time (I think) I've heard of the dog (ok maybe not) was back around the same time in 2005 when he and Omarion came together and made the hit song "Let Me Hold You". That song was a definite favorite of mine, but that wasd the only song that I liked from his Wanted album. The lackluster "Like You" and the hardcore wanna-be "Fresh Azimiz" were not impressing me enough.
So, why did I buy this album? Three letters, RnB, and the new single right now. "Shortie Like Mine", the current single out right now is pretty good. Bow Wow is a lot like Ja Rule, they sound way better on softer beats and with R&B vocals (Omarion and Chris Brown for Bow Wow) than they do with pure hip-hop ("Fresh Azimiz"). When Bow Wow acts soft he sounds right but when he acts all ghetto it can be a real disaster. Which is similar to my problem with Akon, who is a great singer and terrible rapper.
This is obviously apparent in his latest album, Price of Fame. Now, I'm not saying all of the R&B tracks are good and the rap is all bad, but it's an obvious distant ratio. He can rap but usually his lyrics are lame and/or the production is terrible (So So Def and Dupri anyone?). For example, "Price of Fame" is suprisingly not a bad song, the production is really hardcore, bassy, and full. However, the song is pulled down by lyrics. Like I said, anyone looking at this album's page knows that this album before purchasing is not going to be a lyrical masterpiece, and if you do you need to look elsewhere, like the new Nas album (which is killer, by the way). But what I'm hoping for were some "tolerable lyrics", not "a relationship, a couple rumors get past me". Obviously this has to do with Ciara. But...rumors? The only rumor I've heard about Bow Wow is that he's only 18 and that he's not really from Atlanta which he claims why too many times.
But there are some the completely bad tracks. "4 Corners" is completely wack, just like its production, with annoying repetitive horns which are, yes, as bad as "Get Right" by J. Lo or "London Bridge" by Fergie. That is one of only issues I have with this song. Next, lyrics, totally ordinary and expected of a terrible title like 4 Corners (what drug was used when he wrote this?). Now he's from Texas and drinking crunk juice all day. It's bad enough he's rapping but worse when he continually makes up places he "wants" to be from. "How You Move It" has been done way, way too many times and better and sounds like another "Fresh Azimiz"."Don't Know Bout That" has a really good production; unfortunately it is destroyed with Bow Wow's lyrics like "Takin all of Usher's money. Being broke, yeah well I don't know bout that". (was that an Usher beef?) "Damn Thing" is not even tolerable ("Oh I think I like that" on every verse?) while "On Fiya" is as wack as its purposely misspelled title. "Bet That" talks about how much money he has, while "Give It to Me" is about, well, clubing basically. Yawn.
But, now the cream of the crop, the R&B, which starts with "Outta My System", which as a good set tone on production and is deemed best song on the album. It has a good 90s sound to it like it came from an old Notorious B.I.G. album, and really does sound a bit like his hit "Hypnotize".Bow Wow pulls this off grand, although definitely looking at corporate lyrics Bow Wow shows the best here.And again, "Shortie Like Mine" is a good song, especially Chris Brown's addition.
One standout track is "Tell Me" which is a dance song. I couldn't care about Bow Wow's weak lyrics at that point, the beat of that song was an instant hit.
Bow Wow's new album The Price of Fame would likely not be worth a purchase for those looking for a good, solid hip-hop album. Actually, there are a few good tracks sprinkled into a bunch of hip-hop wanna-bes. Bow Wow is good at attempting different genres like R&B and dance, but unfortunately he seems to not want to do what's best. Maybe a stocking stuffer for the Bow Wow fan, but otherwise download the below. 2 stars.
Track Picks:
"Outta My System"
"Shortie Like Mine"
"Tell Me"
Self-Centered, Wack Tracks, Nothing New Here February 1, 2007
Fish Cheeks (In Your Dreams)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The other day my friend and I were talking about the career spans of Bow Wow and Kris Kross. I stated Bow Wow has had a longer, successful career because there aren't too many good rappers out these days. My friend said Bow Wow is still popular because of the Internet and media exposure. We both could be right. There's nothing wrong with having self-esteem, but Bow Wow takes it to another level. Just like on his last CD "Wanted," Bow Wow is still boasting about how rich and popular he is and how he's such a ladies man. Not only that, but the music sounds like it was retrieved from a dumpster. There is nothing new, fresh, or mature about this CD and I can't believe that there are people who actually bought "Price of Fame" just to hear that kind of foolishness. Bow Wow needs to get it together- fast. Since he likes to brag about how much money he has, I hope he's learning about saving, investing, and starting his own business because I don't think his career is going to last much longer. "Price of Fame" is just like Kris Kross's "Young, Rich, & Dangerous" but much worse. At least there were a few good tracks off of Kris Kross's album. I don't like anything off of "Price of Fame." Skip this at all costs.
Why is this cd edited? December 21, 2006
C. Coleman (Dallas, Texas United States)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
For someone that is trying to showcase himself as a hardcore thug, this cd is a failure. If you are scared that a cd with parental warning will chase off fans, then don't do it. Nobody wants to listen an edit cd.
That's the main problem with this cd-if this was a new artist, you could learn to like them. However Bow Wow is an established artist that has been in public eye for years and now he's trying to be something that he is not. A 50 Cent starter kit.
The decent tracks are:
Don't Know About That, Bet That and Price of Fame (if you get pasted the editing and bleeping out of words)
Many after this one bombs, his next cd will go back to what made him popular in the first place.
|
|
|
Proud member of the Celebrity Pro Network. Make sure you check out these other great Celebrity Pro Network sites:
Lyrics Database
Celebrity Blog
Celebrity Thing
Celebrity PC
Celebrity Latest
Portal Site
Travel Photos
Quotes
Flash Games
|
Is there a better
price available?
Find out:
|
|
|
|
