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B.o.B

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This article is about the singer. For the baseball pitcher, see Robert Ray (baseball). For other uses, see Bob.
B.o.B

Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. (born November 15, 1988),[1] also known by his stage name B.o.B,[2] is an American musician and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment and Atlantic Records. He is currently gaining huge international success, as his first two singles ("Nothin' on You" & "Airplanes") both reached the top spot in the U.K., while also scoring a number one in the U.S. with debut single "Nothin' on You".

Life and career

B.o.B performing in Atlanta in 2008.

B.o.B was born on November 15, 1988 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In December 2008, he appeared on the cover of XXL magazine along with Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, Kid Cudi, and Wale as "Hip-Hop's Class of '09".[3][4][5] In October 2008, B.o.B was featured on the cover of Vibe along with some of these same young musicians and was similarly identified as promising young talent.[6][7] He has described his influences as "80's music, rap, techno, rock, funk, even doo-wop…".[8] B.o.B has also worked with artists such as British rapper Giggs. Along with his solo producing career, B.o.B is part of a production/rap group along with Playboy Tre, TJ Chapman, and B. Rich that go under the name "HamSquad."

Early career

B.o.B first began to gain major recognition in 2007 after the success of his song "Haterz Everywhere" featuring Wes Fif. A remix featuring Young Dre was featured in the videogame Fight Night Round 4. His first single, "I'll Be In the Sky", was released in late 2008. About.com called the song a "smart, funky artrap and a strong prelude to his album" and included it at #13 on its subjective ranking "Top 100 Rap Songs of 2008".[9] He was also featured on T.I.'s album, Paper Trail, on "On Top of the World". Incidentally, another song produced by Bobby Ray called "Generation Lost" listed alongside the song on the ranking at #32. The music videos for "Haterz Everywhere", "I'll Be in the Sky", "Generation Lost", "Lonely People", "Put Me On", and "No Man's Land" can be found on MySpace or YouTube.[10]

Debut album

His debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, was originally expected to be released on May 25, 2010, but was pushed up to April 27, 2010 due to the commercial success of his song "Nothin' on You". The album was released under T.I.'s record label Grand Hustle and includes features from Lupe Fiasco, T.I., Playboy Tre, Hayley Williams (of Paramore), Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer), Rico Barrino, Janelle Monáe, Bruno Mars, and Eminem.

B.o.B released the video to his hit single "Nothin' on You". He released a remastered version of his song "Bet I" (originally featured on his May 25 mixtape). The song now includes a verse from T.I.[11] Other than "Nothin' on You", his debut album features three other singles: "Don't Let Me Fall" (released April 6, 2010), "Airplanes" (April 13, 2010) and "Bet I" (April 20, 2010). "Airplanes" features vocals from Hayley Williams of Paramore, and "Bet I" features T.I. and Playboy Tre. A video for "Bet I" has been released on Atlantic Videos on YouTube. The album was released April 27, 2010 and was given generally positive reviews. His album sold 84,000 copies in the first week and debuted of #1 on the Billboard 200. It made B.o.B the 13th male solo artist to have a debut album at #1 on its first week. In July, B.o.B announced he will go on tour, naming it The SHOOTiN for Stars Tour. The dates and times were released on his website on July 13.[12]

B.o.B has received nominations for his album, singles, and himself by the BET Awards, Teen Choice Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and the new Suckerfree Summit. His "Airplanes" was featured in the trailer for the upcoming movie Charlie St. Cloud and "Magic" also landed him an Adidas commercial with him in it. B.o.B was announced to be a performer at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on August 18. He was added to the line-up of Eminem, Kanye West, Drake, Usher, Paramore, Florence and the Machine, and Justin Bieber.

As of July 2010, B.o.B is the latest artist to star in the new Adidas commercial which features "Magic." [13]

On August 14, 2010, Hayley Williams announced via the Official Paramore Fan Club that B.o.B would be the main support for Paramore's November UK Tour.[14]

Discography

Main article: B.o.B discography

Tours

  • 2009: The Great Hangover Tour
  • 2010: Steppin Laser Tour (co-headline with Lupe Fiasco US leg only)
  • 2010: The SHOOTiN for Stars Tour
  • 2010: The E.N.D. World Tour (1st part in North America)
  • 2010: brand new eyes UK Tour (as main support for Paramore)

Awards and nominations

BET Awards

  • 2010: Best Male Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)
  • 2010: Best Collaboration "Nothin' on You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)
  • 2010: Video of the Year "Nothin' on You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

Suckerfree Summit

  • 2010: Instant Classic "Nothin' on You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)

Teen Choice Awards

  • 2010: Album Rap "B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray" (Nominated)
  • 2010: Hook Up Song "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Won)
  • 2010: Best Single "Nothin' On You" (with Bruno Mars) (Nominated)
  • 2010: Breakout Artist Male (Nominated)
  • 2010: Music Star Male (Nominated)
  • 2010: Best Summer Song "Airplanes" (with Hayley Williams) (Nominated)

MTV Video Music Awards

References

  1. ^ a b Interview With Bobby Ray a.k.a. B.o.B[dead link]
  2. ^ B.o.B Gets Support from T.I., Introduces New Name
  3. ^ The Daily Kush (Asher Roth website)[dead link]
  4. ^ XXL The 10 Freshman Shoot[dead link]
  5. ^ B.o.B, Asher Roth & Charles Hamilton "Change Gonna Come"
  6. ^ Vibe online, October 30, 2008
  7. ^ Asher Paul Roth From MorrisVille, PA
  8. ^ Interview with ATL Hip Hop Artist B.o.B
  9. ^ Adaso, Henry. Top 100 Rap Songs of 2008, About.com, 30 December 2008. Accessed January 2, 2009
  10. ^ Music video "I'll Be In The Sky" at YouTube[dead link]
  11. ^ http://www.thatsthatish.com/2010/04/bob-satellite-x-bet-i-feat-ti-playboy.html
  12. ^ Official website Retrieved: July 19, 2010.
  13. ^ http://www.billboard.com/column/viralvideos/b-o-b-stars-in-adidas-commercial-1004106967.story#/column/viralvideos/b-o-b-stars-in-adidas-commercial-1004106967.story
  14. ^ http://amplified.tv/2010/08/14/b-o-b-and-fun-to-join-paramore-on-uk-tour/
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