B.o.B

B.o.B (born Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. on 15th November 1988. Aldo known as Bobby Ray)

B.o.B is an American singer-songwriter and rapper, as well as a producer and instrumentalist.

B.o.B: Music Career

B.o.B grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where, as a high school student, he formed a band with his cousin Swag, making beats on Fruity Loops and calling themselves The Klinic.

He first attracted attention in 2007 with the release of 'Haterz Everywhere', featuring Wes Fif, as well as his heavy smokers' anthem, 'Cloud 9'. A remix of 'Haterz Everywhere', featuring Young Dre, was used in the computer game Fight Night Round 4. B.o.B signed a deal with Atlantic Records whilst he was still a teenager. He was determined, even at such a young age, to develop himself as a musician and an artist and not just to be known as a rapper. The 'Eastside' EP was released in 2007.

'I'll Be in the Sky' was B.o.B.'s first single proper and was released toward the end of 2008. That same year, he also made an appearance on T.I.'s album, Paper Trail. 2008 also saw the release of B.o.B.'s '12th Dimension' EP, which features the tracks 'Grip Ur Body', 'Cyber Heaven', 'Created a Monster' and 'Mellow Fellow'.

At the age of 20, he was featured on the cover of XXL magazine, alongside Charles Hamilton, Kid Cudi, Wale and Asher Roth. The focus of the feature was 'Hip-Hop's Class of '09'. Prior to this, he had also been featured on the cover of Vibe magazine. B.o.B's own description of his music encompasses techno, rap, funk, doo-wop and rock.

The debut album from B.o.B was entitled B.o.B Presents: the Adventures of Bobby Ray. The intended release date of May 25 2010 was bumped forward, owing to the success of the song 'Nothin' On You', which was covered by Jay Park. The album was released on Grand Hustle, T.I.'s record label. B.o.B Presents. features performances and contributions from the likes of Rivers Cuomo of the band Weezer, Hayley Williams of Paramore, Eminem, Janelle, Playboy Tre and Lupe Fiasco.