B.o.B
Did you know B.o.B considered himself an outcast for most of his life? Find out more here about the newest star from the ATL.
July 7, 2010, 11:54 p.m.
You've probably heard B.o.B’s popular hit “Nothin’ On You” but it appears that other rap and hip-hop artists seem to have nothin’ on him. With his first album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, selling 84,000 copies in its first week on the charts and debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200, B.o.B has surfaced as a hip-hop marvel unlike others.
Growing up as Bobby Ray Simmons in Atlanta, he always seemed to be an outcast in a city that values "snap and trap" rap music (rap dance music, think Lil' Jon, Soulja Boy, Dem Franchize Boys, etc.). B.o.B always thought he had more to say. When he found out that one of his rap idols, Joe Budden, filled notebooks full with lyrics and thoughts, B.o.B started to do the same. By the time he was 16, he was writing lyrics in his head.
At the age of 13, B.o.B and his cousin Swag started a group called "The Klinic" with some of their junior high friends. "The Klinic" started performing original music all over Atlanta at different open mic nights. However, after B.o.B's senior year of high school in 2006, Swag chose to leave the group in order to go to college, leaving Bobby Ray on his own.
Turns out Swag's departure may have been a blessing in disguise for B.o.B. After just two weeks of declaring himself a solo artist, he was discovered by TJ Chapman. Chapman, who is head of the national DJ conference TJ's DJ's, heard B.o.B perform “Cloud 9” to a standing ovation at Club Crucial in Atlanta and instantly knew he was something special.
After meeting with producer Jim Jonsin in Miami and letting him listen to his demo, B.o.B was instantly offered a spot on the label and on October 3, 2006 he signed with Atlantic Records. Less than four years later, B.o.B's singles are being played everywhere, "Airplanes" is even featured in a trailer for the new Zac Efron movie, Charlie St. Cloud. He was also recently nominated for four Teen Choice Awards, including Choice Rap Album, Choice Male Breakout Artist, Choice Single for "Nothin' On You" and Choice Hookup for his collaboration with Hayley Williams of Paramore on "Airplanes."
The Adventures of Bobby Ray, produced almost entirely by B.o.B himself, was released on April 27, 2010 and has already produced two major hits, "Nothin' On You," and "Airplanes," featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore. The album also includes tracks featuring artists such as Eminem, T.I. and Lupe Fiasco. The music on B.o.B's debut album has traces of his Atlanta upbringing with several first-rate dance hits, but his lyrics show insight into the young rapper's intuitive, intelligent and creative mind. Bobby says, "I just want to show people that there are endless possibilities of what you can do, you don't just have to be a rapper, you don't just have to be a trapper; you can be anything you want to be and whatever you do, just love it and it will show." If the success of his first album is any indication of what his future will hold then many great things lie ahead for this talented former ATL outcast. Check out his skills! In this live performance he doesn't only rap, he sings and plays guitar too!
