Bow Wow has revealed that he is the father of a baby girl.
The 24-year-old rapper and actor, who released his first album at the age of 13, opened up about his daughter in a letter to fans posted on his official website.
He wrote: "I waited so long to tell y'all the truth because I was nervous on how y'all would look at me. Y'all know everyone makes a big deal out of everything I do. I wanted to be 1st n let y'all know the real.
"My lil girl is getting BIG fast. I love every minute of it. She inspires me to go harder. Even made me treat my mother better, it's like it made me into a man over night (sic)."
Bow Wow - real name Shad Moss - went on to say that although he would love to live with his daughter full time, she currently lives with her mother five hours away.
He also told fans that he wanted his daughter to grow up out of the limelight and enjoy the childhood that his fame prevented him from having.
"Never been a fan of posting pix of my daughter," he wrote. "Reason is because I want my boo boo to have everything I didn't. Want her to be able to cheerlead with her lil friends with out some asshole sticking his camera all in my lil girl face.
"I know how fame is. I missed out on so much that I now know how important it is to cherish and have those things in your life."
Bow Wow shot to fame with album Beware of the Dog in 2000, which he released under the name Lil Bow Wow. He is currently working on his new studio album Underrated.
