“I stay down with my day one n***s…,” that’s a line from Drake’s chorus on “I’m On One.” Which is exactly what Jermaine Dupri and Shad Moss a.k.a Bow Wow are all about now. I am going to use Shad Moss because the last I checked, he had dropped the a.k.a Bow Wow for his real name Shad Moss.
Shad Moss began his career at a very tender age as Lil Bow Wow with Jermaine Dupri as his mentor. Along the way as he tried to explore the industry, he left and signed with Birdman’s Cash Money. When the Cash Money Empire got internal disputes, artists began exiting and Shad Moss did the same and returned home to Jermaine Dupri.
Shad Moss is where he belongs now and the two artists got right to it releasing a single titled “Where You At (W.Y.A)” which is off Jermaine’s upcoming album. I have always felt Shad Moss belonged with Jermaine and even when he signed with Cash Money, I had my doubts about whether it was the best move. At Cash Money, he did not release any significantly sounding songs. His music wasn’t released or pushed that much at Cash Money. Without mincing my words, his career died at Cash Money. Jermaine Dupri always had his best career interests but at Cash Money, Birdman didn’t seem to be about that.
Jermaine and Shad Moss on “Where You At (W.Y.A)” bring back that chemistry you felt whenever they worked together. They are familiar with each other’s styles and they know how to blend their styles to outstandingly give you a good song. “Y’all know what this is,” I honestly missed hearing that. So So Def was a giant label in the industry at some point but it suddenly took the back seat and a lot of new labels mushroomed and its sound faded and became forgotten. Now that Jermaine and Shad Moss are a team again, So So Def is undoubtedly on its way to take their rightful place in the industry.
Although this song is on Jermaine’s upcoming album, Shad Moss takes the lead. Personally, Jermaine displays a father-son kind of relationship here. A father always tries to elevate his son and get him out there so that he can attain success as well. Jermaine has been doing this for Shad Moss since he was a lillte kid trying to make it in the industry.
“Where You At (W.Y.A)” is a new direction for both musicians, they maintain the old connection they have always had on tracks but at the same time they have upgraded their style and sound. We all know how Jermaine and Shad Moss do, their sound is different and it’s a sound that’s strictly their sound. Shad Moss on this song, adopts the catchiest trend in the rap game now – singing while rapping. The verses now flow rhythmically and instead of the same consistent flow, it is now occasionally changed. Shad Moss delivers this quite exceptionally and you’ll definitely love it.
The song is not what we always get from Jermaine and Shad Moss, this is absolutely different. The blend of the old style and the conforming to the latest vogue of beats and flow is an exciting element that they present on this song. Music audiences have switched their style since the last time these two artists worked on various projects together. But what they do with this song captures the music audiences now and still manages to relate to the big following they had from way back. The song doesn’t have much to it but it does not at anyone point create a feeling of monotony especially considering that “where you at,” is thrown around quite a lot on the chorus. It is artistically thrown around and it is splendid.
Jermaine Dupri and Shad Moss are definitely back on that trail of success that the industry had thrown them off. These two artists together are unstoppable. They have in the past for over a decade graced us with music that has earned them the legendary status they have. “Where You At (W.Y.A)” is the first in the line of upcoming great songs. I am excited to see what they will present and I am absolutely sure it will be the unrivaled greatness they have made a norm