Wanted
Studio album by
Bow Wow
ReleasedJuly 12, 2005 (2005-07-12)
Recorded2004–05
GenreHip hop
Length47:09
Label
Producer
Bow Wow chronology
Unleashed
(2003) 		Wanted
(2005) 		The Price of Fame
(2006)
Singles from Wanted
  1. "Let Me Hold You"
    Released: March 11, 2005
  2. "Like You"
    Released: August 6, 2005
  3. "Fresh Azimiz"
    Released: November 1, 2005[1]

Wanted is the fourth studio album by American rapper Bow Wow. The album was released on July 12, 2005, by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music. The production of the album was primarily handled by Bow Wow's long-time producer Jermaine Dupri (who also executive produced the album) as well as LRoc, Bryan Michael Cox and No I.D. The album also features guest appearances by Omarion, Snoop Dogg, Ciara among others. This was Bow Wow's first album to contain uncensored profanity, although only one curse word is featured, specifically “nigga".

Wanted was supported by three singles: "Let Me Hold You" featuring singer Omarion, "Like You" featuring Ciara, and "Fresh Azimiz" featuring J-Kwon and Jermaine Dupri. "Big Dreams", the remix to "Fresh Azimiz" featuring Mike Jones and "Caviar" featuring Snoop Dogg, were service as an accompanying music videos. Clean versions of "Fresh Azimiz" and "Let Me Hold You" were recorded. The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics and was commercially successful, debuting at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 120,000 copies in the first week, and eventually being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 2005.[2][3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Entertainment Weekly(mixed)[5]
People[6]
RapReviews(4.5/10)[7]
USA Today[8]
Vibe[9]

The album received mixed to favorable reviews from music critics. Steve Jones of USA Today found some change in Bow Wow and his music, concluding with "This album doesn't break any new ground but marks the coming of age of a likable artist."[8] David Jeffries of AllMusic praised Bow Wow for his charisma throughout the album, despite its B-level beats and that its marketing towards a teen demographic. He concluded that "At the very least, it's an interesting way to develop a child star into an adult star, and a hook-filled one at that."[4] Angie Romero of Vibe highlighted the first two singles off the album but found everything else to be lackluster, saying "The rest of Wanted finds him struggling to carve his niche as a grown rapper minus the Bow Wow bounce.[9] Matt Jost of RapReviews gave a mixed review, criticizing the generic production from Jermaine Dupri and finding Bow Wow to be unspectacular in the material given to him. He concluded by saying, "With Wanted, he's still 'in transition', chances for a turnaround are still intact, but the way things are looking Bow Wow is speeding down a dead-end street."[7]

Commercial performance

Wanted debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 120,000 copies in the first week.,[2] and becoming Bow Wow's third US top-ten album.[2] In its second week, the album dropped to number five on the chart, selling an additional 61,000 copies.[10] In its fifth week, the album returned to the top-ten at number ten, selling 51,000 copies.[11] On December 19, 2005, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over a million copies.[3] As of December 2006, the album has sold 956,000 copies in the United States.[12]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Do You"
3:32
2."Big Dreams"
3:34
3."Let Me Hold You" (featuring Omarion)
4:10
4."Fresh Azimiz" (featuring Jermaine Dupri & J-Kwon)
  • Dupri
  • Phillips
4:32
5."Caviar" (featuring Snoop Dogg)
3:44
6."Like You" (featuring Ciara)
3:27
7."B.O.W."
Bow Wow3:35
8."Go"
4:24
9."Do What It Do" (featuring Jermaine Dupri)
  • Dupri
  • Phillips
3:06
10."Is That You (P.Y.T.)"
3:57
11."Mo Money" (featuring T. Waters)
  • Dupri
  • Phillips
  • Anthony T. Waters
9:08
Notes
Sample credits

Wanted Reloaded (dual disc)

The CD side of the disc contains the original 11 tracks.

DVD side
  1. "Do You [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  2. "Big Dreams [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  3. "Let Me Hold You [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  4. "Fresh Azimiz [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  5. "Caviar [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  6. "Like You [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]
  7. "B.O.W. [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  8. "Go [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  9. "Do What It Do [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  10. "Is That You (P.Y.T.) [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  11. "Mo Money [Enhanced Stereo] [DVD]"
  12. "Like You (Behind-The-Scenes Footage) [DVD]"
  13. "Let Me Hold You (Direct Your Own Video) [DVD]"
  14. "Let Me Hold You [DVD] [Music Video]"
  15. "Like You Music Video [DVD] [Music Video]"
  16. "Bow Wow's Biggest Fans [DVD]"

Bonus DVD

  1. "Big Dreams (The Movie) [DVD]"
  2. "Caviar [DVD] [Multimedia Track]"

Personnel

Adapted from the Wanted liner notes.[13]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[3] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fresh Asimiz/Mo Money - Bow Wow | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ a b c Harris, Chris (July 20, 2005). "R. Kelly Fights Off Slim Thug And Bow Wow To Hold #1 - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Bow Wow – Wanted". Recording Industry Association of America.
  4. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Bow Wow - Wanted". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  5. ^ Fiore, Raymond (July 18, 2005). "Wanted Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  6. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Brad Paisley". People. Time Inc. August 22, 2005. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Jost, Matt (August 23, 2005). "Bow Wow :: Wanted :: Columbia/Sony BMG Music Entertainment". RapReviews. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Jones, Steve (July 11, 2005). "Bow Wow inspires; Nelson misfires". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Romero, Angie (September 2005). "Bow Wow 'Wanted'". Vibe. Vibe Media. 13 (10): 236. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  10. ^ "Packed With Hits, 'NOW 19' Bows At No. 1". Billboard. July 27, 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Staind's 'Chapter V' Debuts At No. 1". Billboard. August 17, 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Wanted (liner notes). Bow Wow. Columbia. 2005. CK 93505.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 31st October 2005" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (818): 16. October 31, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Pandora Archive.
  15. ^ "Lescharts.com – Lil Bow Wow – Beware of Dog". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  16. ^ "Bow Wow Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  17. ^ "Bow Wow Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  18. ^ "Bow Wow Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  19. ^ "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2005". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  20. ^ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2005". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  21. ^ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2006". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
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