Beware of Dog (album)

Beware of Dog
Studio album by Lil' Bow Wow
Released	September 26, 2000
Recorded	1999–2000
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	34:29
Label	So So Def Columbia
Producer	Jermaine Dupri Michael Mauldin
Lil' Bow Wow chronology
Beware of Dog (2000) Doggy Bag (2001)
Singles from Beware of Dog
"Bounce with Me" Released: August 8, 2000 "Bow Wow (That's My Name)" Released: October 17, 2000 "Puppy Love" Released: January 31, 2001 "Ghetto Girls" Released: February 21, 2001

Beware of Dog is the debut album by the American rapper Lil' Bow Wow. It was released on September 26, 2000, through So So Def Recordings and Columbia Records. Recording sessions took place from 1999 to 2000, with Lil' Bow Wow's mentor Jermaine Dupri primarily producing the album, and Xscape, Jagged Edge, Da Brat and Snoop Dogg appearing as guests, among others.

Beware of Dog received generally positive reviews from music critics and was also commercially successful, debuting at number 8 on the US Billboard 200 chart and selling 101,000 copies in the first week. ^[1] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it double platinum in March 2001. As of January 1, 2026 the album has sold over 3.9 million units in the United States and 6.6 million copies worldwide. ^[2]

Singles

Four singles were released from the album, all produced by Lil' Bow Wow's mentor and hip-hop record producer Jermaine Dupri. The album's lead single "Bounce with Me", released on August 8, 2000, features guest vocals from the American R&B group Xscape, and was also included on the soundtrack for the film Big Momma's House (2000). The album's second single "Bow Wow (That's My Name)", released on October 17, 2000, features a guest rap from Snoop Dogg. The album's third single "Puppy Love", released on January 27, 2001, features guest vocals from the R&B group Jagged Edge, and the album's fourth and final single "Ghetto Girls" was released on February 21, 2001.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Robert Christgau	[4]
HipHopDX	[5]
NME	[6]

Beware of Dog received mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic editor Jason Birchmeier praised the tracks for encapsulating the album with endearing charm in its pop-rap material despite doubting Lil Bow Wow's actual writing credits, concluding that "All the same, there's no denying the charm and vocal dexterity of Lil Bow Wow, who proves himself genuinely talented, if not exactly a prodigy." ^[3] An editor from HipHopDX said that despite Lil Bow Wow's age showing in his lyrics, found potential in his ability to deliver tough lyricism with "Bow Wow (That's My Name)" being a great starting point, concluding that "Beware of Dog is a definite keeper and a trademark to the So So Def dynasty. This album is clear cut winner in my opinion to potentially be rated for best debut album of the year." ^[5] Robert Christgau graded the album as a "dud", ^[4] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought." ^[7]

Commercial performance

Beware of Dog debuted at number 8 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 101,000 copies in the first week. ^[1] This became Bow Wow's first US top-ten debut. ^[1] On November 13, 2001, the album was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over 3 million copies. ^[2] By December 2006, the album sold 3.6 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan. ^[8] In Canada, the album also reached Platinum status, selling over 100,000 copies. ^[9]

Track listing

• All tracks produced by Jermaine Dupri, except the intro.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"		0:21
2.	"The Future" (featuring R.O.C.)	Shad Moss Bryan-Michael Cox Jermaine Dupri Rahman Griffin Terron Mitchell	2:36
3.	"Bounce With Me" (featuring Xscape)	Moss Dupri LaTocha Scott Tameka Cottle Tamika Scott Shawntae Harris Cox	2:56
4.	"Puppy Love" (featuring Jagged Edge)	Moss Brian Casey Brandon Casey Cox Dupri Bobby Erving Darryl Pierce Dwayne Simon James Todd Smith	3:29
5.	"You Know Me" (featuring Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat)	Moss Dupri Harris Cox	3:08
6.	"The Dog in Me"	Moss Cox Dupri	3:22
7.	"Bow Wow (That's My Name)" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	Moss Cox Dupri Calvin Broadus, Jr. George Clinton Garry Shider David Spradley	3:44
8.	"This Playboy" (featuring R.O.C., Jermaine Dupri and Big Duke)	Moss Cox Lee Dixon Dupri Griffin	3:37
9.	"Ghetto Girls"	Moss Cox Dupri Mitchell Wilton Felder	3:15
10.	"You Already Know"	Moss Dupri Carl So-Lowe	3:18
11.	"Bounce With Me (Extended LP Mix)" (featuring Xscape)	Moss Cox L. Scott Cottle T. Scott Harris Dupri	4:43
Total length:			34:29

Personnel

• Credits taken from AllMusic. ^[10]

Kwaku Alston – photography Big Duke – performer Lil Bow Wow – vocals Bryan-Michael Cox – performer Da Brat – performer Jermaine Dupri – executive producer, mixing, production Brian Frye – engineering Erwin Gorostiza – art director Bernie Grundman – mastering Bill Hermans – engineering

John Horesco IV – engineering, mixing Jagged Edge – performer Carlton Lynn – engineering William Marshall – grooming Michael Mauldin – executive producer Snoop Dogg – performer Phil Tan – mixing Xscape – performer R.O.C. – performer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2000–2001) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [11] 36 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [12] 44 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [13] 23 Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [14] 11 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [15] 66 French Albums (SNEP) [16] 41 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [17] 61 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [18] 21 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [19] 42 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [20] 34 UK Albums (OCC) [21] 79 UK R&B Albums (OCC) [22] 19 US Billboard 200 [23] 8 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [24] 3

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Beware of Dog Chart (2001) Position Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [25] 146 Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [26] 33 Canadian Rap Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [27] 16 US Billboard 200 [28] 36 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [29] 19 Decade-end charts Chart (2000–2009) Position US Billboard 200 [30] 195

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [31]	Platinum	100,000^
France (SNEP) [32]	Gold	100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ) [33]	Gold	7,500^
United States (RIAA) [2]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Harris, Chris (July 20, 2005). "R. Kelly Fights Off Slim Thug And Bow Wow To Hold #1 - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
2. "American album certifications – Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Recording Industry Association of America.
3. Birchmeier, Jason. "Beware of Dog - Lil' Bow Wow". AllMusic . Retrieved July 20, 2011.
4. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lil Bow Wow". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
5. "Lil Bow Wow - Beware of Dog". HipHopDX . November 19, 2000. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
6. Ward, Christian (September 12, 2005). "Lil' Bow Wow : Beware Of Dog". NME . Retrieved February 16, 2015.
7. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
8. Mitchell, Gail (December 16, 2006). "Growing with the Fans". Billboard . Vol. 118, no. 50. Prometheus Global Media. p. 40. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved June 8, 2012.
9. "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - April 2002". Cria.ca. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
10. "Beware of Dog - Lil' Bow Wow". AllMusic. September 26, 2000. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
11. "Australiancharts.com – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
12. "Ultratop.be – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
13. "Ultratop.be – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
14. "R&B : Top 50". Jam! . April 14, 2001. Archived from the original on April 11, 2001. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
16. "Lescharts.com – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
18. "Charts.nz – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
19. "Swedishcharts.com – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
20. "Swisscharts.com – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
21. "Official Albums Chart on 22/4/2001 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
22. "Official R&B Albums Chart on 22/4/2001 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
23. "Bow Wow Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard .
24. "Bow Wow Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard .
25. "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam! . Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
26. "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam! . January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
27. "Top 100 rap albums of 2001 in Canada". Jam! . January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
28. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
29. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
30. "Best of the 2000s: Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 17, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
31. "Canadian album certifications – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Music Canada.
32. "French album certifications – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog" (in French). SNEP . Retrieved July 21, 2021.
33. "New Zealand album certifications – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved November 20, 2024.