“I Performance, Ciara and Husband Russell Wilson Take The High Road
Some people just can’t seem to let the past be left in the past. Rapper and actor Bow Wow, real name Shad Moss, apparently is one of them. Bow Wow, known for appearances in films like “Lottery Ticket” and “Madea’s Big Happy Family”, and hits like “Bounce With Me” featuring Xscape, as well as “Let Me Hold You” featuring Omarion, has been in headlines a lot lately for his controversial behavior rather than his career.
The Growing Up Hip-Hop: Atlanta star hasn’t had the best of luck in relationships. He dated Joie Chavis, with whom he shares a daughter, Shai Moss, and has also been linked to Keyshia Cole, Angela Simmons, social media influencer Kiyomi Leslie, and Erica Mena.
With Leslie, after dating on and off for months, the ex-couple became involved in a dispute resulting in both of their detained. Audio from a 911 call from Leslie claimed Moss hit her multiple times, took her phone, and refused to let her out of a bedroom in their apartment.
Moss previously dated reality star Erica Mena for a short period of time before the couple got engaged. During their relationship it was also revealed that Mena was pregnant with his child, however, she, unfortunately miscarried. The two shared an abundance of their relationship with social media, appearing as a seemingly happy couple, before enduring a messy breakup that also spilled over on to social media. Erica Mena spoke to GlobalGrind on their breakup.
“I’ve been quiet about it because we were engaged,” Mena explains, “but obviously he was in his feelings after my Snapchat post…I could have gone public about our breakup a month ago. He does this to make headlines. Just leave me alone, I moved on; why are you still in your feelings? He’s literally posting about Joie [his daughter’s mother] to get on my nerves and it’s not working. He’s posting it to [mess] with her head and to try to get a reaction out of me. Listen, I walked away silently.”
She continues, also saying she’s in a “different place now” and “deserves peace”. “When it comes to Shad, this is the man I at one point really considered marrying. He is the one I decided to say yes to, but once the mask came off, I realized I had made a bad choice…It’s sad because we had a real friendship and we could have had a good life after the fact that our relationship was over. But at the end of the day, we’ve been separated for some time and I’m ready to move on.”
One of Bow Wow’s major relationships was with R&B artist Ciara, with whom he dated in 2004 and also briefly became engaged to, before splitting in 2006. The pair also recorded and released the song “Like You”, which became the rapper’s highest charting career single.

The rapper spoke with VladTV on their relationship and how the break-up affected him. “I didn’t know I cared for her until I tried to play her. Being a d— , egotistic,” he explained. “She kind of bossed up on me at a JAY-Z concert. Then her record went No. 1. I remember Janet [Jackson] always telling me, ‘You know Bow, she’s a sweet girl. You should just try.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know.’ And Jermaine [Dupri] said, ‘It’s gonna take him seeing that girl with somebody else and he gon’ lose his f’ing mind, don’t tell him nothing.’ And that’s exactly how it happened.”
Ciara received the last laugh after leaving Bow Wow, dating 50 Cent, NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire, and Future, with whom she shares a son, Future Zahir. She later married her now-husband, NFL star Russel Wilson, with whom she birthed two more children (daughter Sienna and son Win).
Even though the relationship has been over for years, Moss doesn’t seem to be fully over it. During a recent club appearance, the “Fresh Azimiz” rapper made some disparaging comments directed towards the “Goodies” singer that sent a world of backlash his way. When their single “Like You” was played, the rapper raps along to the lyrics “If I’m seen with a girl then she gotta be just (like you)/And baby that’s the way I feel,” before adding, “Ay yo, I had this b— h first, you know that, right?” The comment, once the clip became live on social media, drew immediate criticism towards Moss as fans and celebrities alike that expressed immense disappointment.
Publication HollywoodLife caught up with sources close to Ciara and Russell Wilson after the comment from Bow Wow surfaced on social media. The sources exclusively reported that the couple deemed the comments “incredibly disrespectful” but have chosen to take the high road. “Ciara and Russell really have nothing to say about the whole Bow Wow situation,” the source said. “They are so above that drama and don’t even have time to respond to something as petty as that. They’re both living their best lives and super focused on their careers and new projects.”
They continued, “Russell is 100 percent focused on the upcoming NFL season and he is for sure not going to let this Bow Wow nonsense get to him. Plus, he is [seen as a] role model. Why make this a thing he should care about?… Has it affected them and are they talking about it? Absolutely. But, they are choosing to rise above it and not give it any more life than it already has.”