Karolmel

Jermaine Dupri sure knows how to pick underage cash cows. In the early '90s he made stars of the adolescent rap duo Kriss Kross, and almost a decade later, Dupri is riding the kiddie hip-hop train all the way to the bank with Lil' Bow Wow. On Bow Wow's sophomore disc, the squeaky-clean 14-year-old keeps the party vibes flowing with funky, staccato Dupri-produced beats ("The Wickedest," "Off the Glass") and allusions to the opposite sex ("Perfect Girl"). On the lead single, "Thank You," Bow Wow even shows his fans some love with a little help from labelmates Jagged Edge and newcomer Fondisha. Later, on "All I Know," over a sample of New Edition's "Candy Girl" -- the song that put an underage Bobby Brown on the map -- he professes his puppy love for a lucky TRL-aged fan. But Bow Wow has aspirations of being more than a novelty act. With a Neptunes beat that recalls DC's infectious go-go grooves, Bow Wow shows that he's aware of the potential pitfalls of youthful fame with lines like, "I ain't going out like Todd Bridges on Different Strokes." Well, with JD as his mentor and providing the A-game sonics, Bow Wow's bark should be heard loudly for a long time to come.