Bow Wow has disputed Jermaine Dupri‘s recent claim that he created 106 & Park as a vehicle for his So So Def signee and protégé to counter MTV’s TRL.
During his interview with The Goats And Underdogs podcast last week, JD explained that he presented the idea of a youth-oriented video countdown show to BET’s then President of Programming, Stephen G. Hill. The Atlanta mogul felt like Black artists, namely Bow Wow, were not getting the same love from TRL as some of their pop counterparts.
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“106 & Park was created by me,” Jermaine Dupri said. “I created the show for Bow Wow. I was watching MTV, and MTV had TRL. And they were catering to NSYNC and they were catering to Backstreet Boys and anything white that was coming out that was Pop. They was allowing these kids to scream and holler at them. And I was like, ‘Yo, we don’t have nothing for Black people like that. Like, where’s the Black kids that love music, why don’t they have a show like that?’
He continued: “So I called Stephen Hill and I said, ‘Yo, I got an artist, we need to make a show just like TRL.’ And he said, ‘What’s the artist?’ And I said Bow Wow. Everybody challenges what I’m saying. Mind you, they wasn’t gonna put Bow Wow on TRL like that because he was a rapper. He was a Black, little young boy rapping. But he also was 12 years old. Nobody on TV was 12 years old anywhere creating this type of pandemonium.”
After the clip began circulating over the weekend, Bow Wow took to Twitter on Sunday morning (December 17) to refute JD’s 106 & Park origin story.
“JD aint create 106&Park stop the cap,” the show’s former co-host wrote. “Stephen hill Rick Ghrimes & all the great people in the BET OFFICE & staff created that show. All i did was capitalize off of what they created and made it mine. I would know…. I am mr 106! I would never take away from someones creativity.”
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Originally hosted by A.J Calloway and Marie “Free” Wright, 106 & Park premiered on BET on September 11, 2000, two weeks before the release of Bow Wow’s debut album Beware The Dog. Earlier that summer, the tween artist appeared on TRL with Jermaine Dupri to perform the album’s lead single, “Bounce With Me.”
Bow Wow would go on to make at least one more appearance on TRL in support of his 2006 platinum-selling single “Shortie Like Mine” featuring Chris Brown and Johnta Austin.
Following Bow Wow’s Twitter tirade, Da Brat — another former So So Def rapper — hit back at Bow Wow for his takedown of Jermaine Durpi.
“Man wtf? I really don’t have the time or patience for this shit but I got BOTH TODAY,” Da Brat, who put out four albums under JD’s iconic Atlanta imprint, said on Instagram. “Bow what I can’t letchu do is discredit my big brother JD who u called your dad for so many years cuz that is pretty much the roll you gave him and instead of sayin hell no, he rocked w it.”
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She continued: “You are being so rude and disrespectful to the person who believed in you, nurtured you, made you a complete star, wrote all yo hits, accepted the challenge when Snoop brought you to him. He has never done ANYTHING to you but help. I aint’ finna letchu drag the most non confrontational person who loved, cared for u and spoiled yo ass for years.
“He isn’t and never would discredit BET execs. He discussed creating 106 b4 it was created so black people could have their own TRL. NO CAP! If this is watchu wanna do…LET’S FUCKIN GO! Pull up lil n-gga witcho disrespectful ass. So ungrateful.”
Bow Wow has seemingly been at odds with Jermaine Dupri for a number of years. The topic of their relationship came up several times while the Growing Up Hip-Hop star fielded fan questions back in March. When someone asked: “If you could go back and change anything from the past what would it be?” Bow Wow replied: “Stayed w Snoop. And never signed w nobody else.”
He went on to tweet things such as: “I just wished I stayed w snoop,” and admitted he and Jermaine Dupri have “no work chemistry.” He added: “I aint work with that boy in years. He do him and I do me.”
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Before closing out the Ask Me Anything session, Bow Wow explained that he and JD are not in fact beefing, adding: “If u really a fan yall know our relationship is not the most perfect one.”
