Rapper Bow Wow will retire from hip-hop following the release of his eighth album, so he can focus on his acting career.

The 21-year-old hitmaker's seventh album, The Pedigree, is scheduled to hit store shelves later this year.

And Bow Wow insists it will be his penultimate music venture - because he's desperate to redirect his attention to the big screen.

He says, "After the eighth album, I'm done. (I have) probably one more in me and that's eight. Like, I'm one (album) behind Nas, and that's crazy."

And the star - who tested his acting talent in an upcoming episode of hit U.S. show Entourage - admits there's one celebrity in particular he'd like to model his career on, revealing "I wanna be the next Will Smith".