Bow Wow performed in a packed Houston nightclub for scores of mask-less attendees - and people have a lot to say about it

• Rapper Bow Wow, whose real name Shad Moss, performed at a Houston, Texas, nightclub on Friday.
• Footage of the crowded event shared on the rapper's Instagram story showed many people without masks and ignoring social distancing.
• Fans and fellow celebrities criticized Bow Wow online for performing during the pandemic.
• He defended himself against the backlash on Twitter but has since deleted the tweets.

Rapper Bow Wow was blasted on social media for performing in a crowded nightclub in Houston, Texas, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video of Bow Wow, whose real name is Shad Moss, began circulating online Saturday after he performed a concert on Friday night. Footage showed a packed nightclub where numerous people ignored social distancing and only a handful wore face masks inside.

—2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2BIog) January 16, 2021

Bow Wow was pictured singing the 2005 song, "Like You," on stage without a face mask. He shared images of the event to his Instagram Stories on Friday.

TMZ reports the performance took place at Cle Houston for club promoter Larry Morrow's birthday celebration and included rapper Meek Mill in attendance.

Fans of Bow Wow spoke out against the performance on social media

"Bow Wow" began trending on Twitter Saturday afternoon, and most people were simply shocked that so many people attended the event.

"So wait, people risking their life in a packed club to see BOW WOW??? BOW WOW?" one person wrote.

—rιαɴ (@ratedRIAN) January 16, 2021

One person added, "I can think of a million better ways to die... but to be struggling on a vent bc you went to see bow wow in the year of our lord 2021...that ain't it."

—Are you feeling it NOW Mr.Krabs? (@WitYoLo_okinAss) January 16, 2021

Some online commenters also criticized party-goers.

"What's irritating is that the idiots who do this stuff walk away unscathed. But they'll go on to pass covid to someone who wasn't even there, and who will wind up fighting for their life," one person wrote.

—T.D. Edwards (@AuthorTDE) January 16, 2021

A few celebrities also weighed in on Bow Wow's performance but suggested it was irresponsible behavior.

"I thought about it and have decided I'm not willing to die for Bow Wow," actor Zach Braff wrote.

—Zach Braff (@zachbraff) January 16, 2021

Natasha Rothwell of HBO's "Insecure" quipped: "For... Bow Wow...?"

Bow Wow defended himself against the backlash on Twitter

According to BuzzFeed News, the "Growing Up High Hop Atlanta" star kicked off his defense with a series of now-deleted tweets.

"I just woke up... aww god. Here we go," Bow Wow wrote after seeing his name trending on Twitter.

The rapper reportedly claimed that he arrived at the nightclub with a face mask, but removed it when he got on stage to perform and kept "sanitizer on me at all times."

"Man Texas is open. ATL is open. I can't help I live that I live in a city where we been open since last spring," Bow Wow wrote, according to the outlet.

Bow Wow reportedly finished the conversation by writing "agreed" in response to one user's opinion that people had COVID fatigue and needed to get out of the house.

Houston's mayor called for an investigation into nightclub reopenings

In November, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott revealed he would not issue any more COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

"We are not going to have any more lockdowns in the state of Texas," Abbott said, according to the Texas Tribune. "Our focal point is gonna be working to heal those who have COVID, get them out of hospitals quickly, make sure they get back to their normal lives."

The Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission earlier this year allowed nightclubs to reclassify themselves as restaurants, which allowed them to remain open as long as 51% of sales came from alcohol, KHOU 11 reported. The nightclubs were still expected to function under Gov. Abbot's order to limit capacity and enforce social distancing.

However, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has requested the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission open investigation into the matter, KHOU 11 reported.

"They are community spreaders, and they are working against what we are trying to achieve," said Turner, according to KHOU 11. "And let me tell you, they are not restaurants. So I am calling on the TABC to really crack down and to rescind some of these reclassifications."

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