B.o.B facts for kids

Quick facts for kids B.o.B
B.o.B in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Bobby Ray Simmons Jr.
Born	(1988-11-15) November 15, 1988 (age 37) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Origin	Decatur, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Southern hip hop alternative hip hop pop rap
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter record producer
Years active	2006–present
Labels	No Genre Rebel Rock Grand Hustle Atlantic

Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, and music producer. He grew up in Decatur, Georgia. In 2006, he signed with music producer Jim Jonsin's company, Rebel Rock Entertainment. Two years later, he also signed with fellow Georgia rapper T.I.'s company, Grand Hustle Records, which is part of Atlantic Records.

After signing with a major record label, B.o.B quickly became famous. His first song in 2009, "Nothin' on You" (featuring Bruno Mars), became number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was also nominated for three Grammy Awards. His next songs in 2010, "Airplanes" (featuring Hayley Williams from Paramore) and "Magic" (featuring Rivers Cuomo), also did very well on the Billboard Hot 100.

These songs were part of his first album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010). This album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over two million copies. People praised the album for mixing different music styles like hip hop, pop, and rock. In 2011, B.o.B was featured on English singer Jessie J's song "Price Tag", which was a number one hit in the UK.

His 2011 song, "Strange Clouds" (featuring Lil Wayne), was another top-ten hit. It was the first song from his second album, Strange Clouds (2012). This album reached number five on the Billboard 200. It included popular songs like "So Good" and "Both of Us" (featuring Taylor Swift). Both of these songs sold over a million copies. His third album, Underground Luxury (2013), had a different, more serious style. It included the popular song "HeadBand" (featuring 2 Chainz).

After this, B.o.B decided to work independently from his record label, Atlantic. He released his project Psycadelik Thoughtz in 2015. In 2016, he released a collection of songs called Elements through his own label, No Genre. These songs often talked about political ideas and unusual theories. His 2016 song, "Flatline", was a song that disagreed with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about the shape of the Earth. His fourth album, Ether (2017), was his first independent album and was well-received by critics. Since then, he has continued to share his unique views and work outside the usual music industry.

Early Life and Music Journey

Growing Up and Starting Out

Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. was born on November 15, 1988, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He played the trumpet in his school band from elementary school all the way through high school. Even though his parents wanted him to keep studying, B.o.B decided in sixth grade that he wanted to be a musician.

His father, who was a pastor, wasn't sure about his son's choice at first. But he later understood that music was a way for B.o.B to express himself and deal with his feelings. B.o.B remembered, "They always supported me. They got me my first keyboard to make beats, and they helped me get equipment. But it was a bit hard for them to truly understand what I was trying to do." B.o.B went to Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia. He played trumpet in the school band until he got a music deal and left school in ninth grade.

First Steps in Music

In 2002, when he was 14, B.o.B met his mentor, B-Rich. B.o.B sold his first music beat to a recording artist named Citti for a song called "I'm the Cookie Man." B.o.B felt like he was starting a real career. He said, "I spent all my money quickly on things like a chain and having fun. Soon I was broke again, but I learned two important things: save my money and that I loved music."

He kept performing at open mic nights and small music places to get better at his craft. In 2006, B-Rich helped B.o.B, who was still underage, get into Club Crucial. This was a nightclub owned by Atlanta rapper T.I.. There, B.o.B performed a song called "Cloud 9." A music industry expert named T.J. Chapman was there. Chapman agreed to help manage B.o.B. Just one month later, B.o.B signed with Atlantic Records and Rebel Rock, a company run by producer Jim Jonsin.

His first song for Atlantic, "Haterz Everywhere" in 2007, became a top five hit on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart. Besides his solo music, B.o.B is also part of a music group called HamSquad.

Becoming Famous

Early Recognition and Mixtapes

B.o.B performing in Atlanta in 2008

B.o.B started to get noticed in early 2007. His song "Haterz Everywhere" featuring Wes Fif, became popular and reached number 5 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. A new version of "Haterz Everywhere" featuring Rich Boy was used in the video game Fight Night Round 4.

Another song, "I'll Be in the Sky", came out in 2008 and reached number 15 on the same chart. A music website called About.com said the song was "smart, funky artrap and a strong start to his album." They even put it at number 13 on their list of "Top 100 Rap Songs of 2008." B.o.B also produced another song called "Generation Lost", which was number 32 on that list. This was followed by another song, "Don't Let Me Fall". B.o.B also appeared on T.I.'s album Paper Trail (2008), on a song called "On Top of the World" with Ludacris.

In 2008, it was announced that B.o.B would be on the cover of XXL magazine. He was featured with other rising rappers like Asher Roth and Wale as part of their "Hip-Hop's Class of '09." In October 2008, B.o.B was also on the cover of Vibe magazine, recognized as a promising young talent. From 2007 to 2008, B.o.B released four mixtapes: The Future (2007), Cloud 9 (2007), Hi! My Name is B.o.B (2008), and Who the F#*k is B.o.B? (2008). He also released two smaller music collections called EPs: Eastside (2007) and 12th Dimension (2008).

Mainstream Success and First Album

In 2008, B.o.B was chosen for XXL magazine's 2009 "Freshman Class" list, which highlights new and exciting rappers. He was on the cover with other rising stars like Kid Cudi and Asher Roth. In February 2009, B.o.B created a song called "Auto-Tune" for the video game Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned.

On May 16, 2009, B.o.B released his version of "Mr. Bobby" by Manu Chao. He said he wanted to be known as Bobby Ray and was taking his music in a "new direction." He explained, "Now I go by Bobby Ray. I'm going in a new direction – more free and not trying to fit into any specific music style. I feel even more free-spirited. I'm all about guitars, chords, and keyboards."

On June 22, 2009, B.o.B released his fifth mixtape, called B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray. This mixtape was mostly produced by Fury and B.o.B himself. It also included a song called "Put Me On," which was a new take on A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 hit, "Bonita Applebum". The shoe company Reebok used "Put Me On" to celebrate their Reebok Classic Remix collection.

B.o.B performing in July 2010

On January 13, 2010, B.o.B announced his first studio album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, would be released on May 25, 2010. To get people excited for the album, B.o.B released a mixtape called May 25. This mixtape came out on February 1, 2010, and was praised by critics. It featured other artists like J. Cole and Bruno Mars. Bruno Mars was on the bonus track and B.o.B's first single, "Nothin' on You". Because his mixtape and single were so successful, his album's release date was moved up to April 27, 2010. Three more singles followed: "Don't Let Me Fall" (April 6, 2010), "Airplanes" (April 13, 2010; featuring Hayley Williams), and "Bet I" (April 20, 2010; featuring T.I.).

B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray was released by Atlantic Records and T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records. It featured other artists like Lupe Fiasco, Hayley Williams, and Bruno Mars. The album came out on April 27, 2010, and received mostly good reviews. It sold 84,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. This made B.o.B the thirteenth male artist to have a first album reach number one in its first week.

In July, B.o.B announced he would go on a tour called The SHOOTiN for Stars Tour. His song "Airplanes" was used in the trailer for the movie Charlie St. Cloud. His song "Magic" was featured in an advertisement for Adidas. B.o.B was also announced as a performer at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on August 18. He performed parts of "Nothin' on You" with Bruno Mars and "Airplanes" with Hayley Williams. B.o.B released his seventh mixtape, called No Genre, on December 7, 2010. His album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray sold over two million copies by August 2, 2016.

Strange Clouds Album

Jessie J released a song featuring B.o.B called "Price Tag" on January 30, 2011. This song quickly became number one in the United Kingdom. In March 2011, Electronic Arts released a trailer for the video game Crysis 2 which featured a song by B.o.B called "New York New York." This song later appeared on his eighth mixtape, E.P.I.C. (Every Play Is Crucial).

In June 2011, it was announced that B.o.B was featured on and produced a song for Tech N9ne's album, All 6's and 7's. The song, called "Am I a Psycho?", also featured rapper Hopsin. B.o.B also appeared on the official remix of Kesha's popular song "Blow".

In summer 2011, B.o.B became the new face of T.I.'s clothing line, AKOO. He was featured in their fall 2011 advertising campaign. On August 27, 2011, a video appeared online of B.o.B performing at Colorado State University. He showed a new song called "Strange Clouds" and announced that it would feature Lil Wayne. In an interview, B.o.B talked about his second album for the first time. He said, "It's a more grown-up sound but not too different. It's a good mix between the sound of B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray and my mixtapes, so everyone should enjoy it."

On September 23, 2011, B.o.B released a short video for the upcoming song "Strange Clouds". The video announced the song would be released on October 3. However, the song was leaked online on September 25, so it was released early on iTunes on September 27. Later that day, B.o.B announced that his new album would also be called Strange Clouds and would come out in early 2012.

B.o.B held a special listening event for his album Strange Clouds on October 25, 2011. Seven new songs were played, including "Play the Guitar" which features André 3000. Other artists confirmed to be on the album included Lil Wayne, Big K.R.I.T., and Nelly. B.o.B also mentioned working with OneRepublic on a song. On November 15, 2011, B.o.B said he would release a mixtape called E.P.I.C. (Every Play Is Crucial) before the album. The mixtape came out on November 28, 2011, and featured artists like Eminem and Mos Def.

While filming the "Strange Clouds" music video, MTV asked B.o.B about a rumor that he and T.I. were working on an album together. B.o.B said, "The joint album actually started as a joke. Tip (T.I.) would call me 'the Martian,' and in one of his songs, he said, 'It's the man and the Martian.' We thought, 'That could be an album title.' We just played around with it. But it seems to be happening naturally." On December 1, 2011, B.o.B confirmed that he and T.I. were indeed working on an album called The Man & The Martian.

On December 22, 2011, B.o.B released a short clip of "Play the Guitar", featuring André 3000. The full song was released on December 27, 2011. On February 14, 2012, B.o.B released a video for his second official song, "So Good". This song, produced by Ryan Tedder, was released on February 21. In an interview in 2012, B.o.B said he wanted to work with Kid Cudi, James Blake, and Skrillex. On March 20, 2012, B.o.B released "Where Are You (B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray)", another song from Strange Clouds. "So Hard to Breathe" was released on April 17, 2012.

In an April 2012 interview, B.o.B announced he would be releasing a rock album. Strange Clouds, B.o.B's second album, was released on May 1, 2012. The album sold 76,000 copies in its first week and reached number five on the US Billboard 200 chart. "Both of Us" became the album's third single and featured American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It sold 143,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Underground Luxury and No Genre Label

On October 9, 2012, B.o.B was part of the annual BET Hip Hop Awards cypher, performing with other artists from his Grand Hustle label. On November 15, 2012, B.o.B released his ninth mixtape, called ... 'Em We Ball. This mixtape featured artists like T.I., Juicy J, and Snoop Lion. B.o.B produced many of the songs himself. In early December, B.o.B told MTV he planned to release a rock-influenced music collection. He said, "I've been holding back so much rock for so long. I've been performing with my band for a while, so this is a really good chance for me to create." He also spoke a little about his third album, saying it would connect his earlier music with his current sound.

While filming the video for "Memories Back Then", B.o.B talked about his third album, a rock EP, and a group album. He said his rock EP was being made and would show his different music tastes. He mentioned his third album was almost finished, saying, "This project is much easier because I've already shown all the different things I can do musically. So now I'm just having fun with it. I'm 24 years old, so I'm partying." In March, B.o.B worked with fellow Atlanta rapper Big Boi from OutKast to release the official theme song for the 2013 video game Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel. The song, called "Double or Nothing", also had a music video.

On April 22, 2013, it was announced that B.o.B would go on tour with other American rappers like Wiz Khalifa and A$AP Rocky. The tour started on July 17, 2013. On May 12, 2013, B.o.B posted on Twitter: "Underground Luxury ... coming this summer... #staytuned", revealing the name of his third studio album. In May, B.o.B also released a music video for his new song "Through My Head."

On May 13, 2013, radio host Funkmaster Flex played "HeadBand" (featuring 2 Chainz), the first song from Underground Luxury. The song was released on May 21, 2013, and reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. B.o.B later said in an interview that the album would be released in December 2013.

On September 10, 2013, the second song from Underground Luxury, called "Ready", was released. This song, produced by Noel "Detail" Fisher, features fellow Atlanta rapper Future. In September 2013, B.o.B said he planned to start his own record label. He stated, "I'm putting on my CEO pants, man. I'm going to start a label called HamSquad and I'm looking for artists to be the main ones for the label. So I'm really excited about that." In the same interview, he announced Underground Luxury would be released in December. B.o.B called his third album a "Career Shifting Project," meaning it would show how his life changed after becoming very successful. On October 15, 2013, the music video for "Ready" was released. On October 17, 2013, B.o.B announced on BET's 106 & Park that the album would be released on December 17, 2013.

Underground Luxury debuted at number 22 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 35,000 copies in the United States in its first week. This was fewer sales than his first two albums.

On June 9, 2014, B.o.B announced his new record label, No Genre, named after his 2010 mixtape. On July 9, 2014, B.o.B released No Genre 2, a follow-up to his seventh mixtape. No Genre 2 featured artists like Kevin Gates and Ty Dolla Sign. On October 14, 2014, B.o.B released a song called "Not For Long", featuring Trey Songz. On October 7, 2014, a new singer named Tora Woloshin announced she signed with No Genre. On October 24, 2014, B.o.B released a song called "Fleek," which featured new artists from No Genre, Lin-Z and London Jae. On November 28, 2014, B.o.B released New Black, his eleventh solo mixtape. This project was a collection of songs with political themes, including "Generation Lost".

Psycadelik Thoughtz and Elements Series

On February 24, 2015, B.o.B was featured on Tech N9ne's song "Hood Go Crazy", which also featured 2 Chainz. Later that year, B.o.B talked about possibly making a mixtape with Tech N9ne. On August 14, 2015, B.o.B released an experimental project called Psycadelik Thoughtz. He said it was "one of the most important projects" for his artistic growth. It featured singers Jon Bellion and Sevyn Streeter. This project, released without much advertising, reached number 97 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

After releasing several projects with Atlantic, B.o.B decided to leave the label. He said on Twitter that the label was "holding him back" and not promoting his music. Since leaving Atlantic, B.o.B has focused on his own label, No Genre, and partnered with Empire Distribution. On December 4, 2015, B.o.B released a mixtape called WATER.

On January 2, 2016, B.o.B said, "I haven't forgotten about the rock album.. when the time is right." On January 18, 2016, B.o.B released his second mixtape in two months, called FIRE. This mixtape followed the idea of his previous one, using the name of an element. On April 22, 2016, for Earth Day, B.o.B released a mixtape called EARTH. This mixtape included the song "Flatline", where he talks about some of his unusual theories. On November 4, 2016, B.o.B released his first collection album, Elements. It was made up of songs from his last four mixtapes: WATER, FIRE, EARTH, and AIR. These mixtapes focused on his political and philosophical ideas.

Independent Albums

On May 12, 2017, B.o.B released his fourth studio album, Ether. The album featured guest artists like Lil Wayne, Young Thug, T.I., and Usher. Ether continued the themes of his Elements mixtapes, focusing on thoughtful hip hop, and received good reviews from music critics.

On July 5, 2018, B.o.B released his sixth studio album, Naga, which did not achieve much success. Although he said at the time that it would be his last album, he released another mixtape, Southmatic, the next year. In 2020 and 2021, he released two more projects: his sixth studio album Somnia and a collection album called Lost Tapes.

Music Style

B.o.B plays both the piano and guitar, often applying live instruments into his songs.

What Influences B.o.B's Music

B.o.B has said his music is influenced by "80's music, techno, rock, funk, even doo-wop." In a 2012 interview, when asked about how artists like Goodie Mob, Outkast, and T.I. influenced him, Simmons replied, "Oh yeah, all of them. Outkast, Goodie Mob, Trillville, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, Crime Mob, Bone Crusher. All of them helped create the sound I have. When you are in Atlanta you see everything, but I also explored other areas. I was a huge Eminem fan. A DMX fan. Dr. Dre fan. I think that's why I appreciate all kinds of music." Simmons' 2015 album Psycadelik Thoughtz was influenced by "'70s rock and funk."

How B.o.B Makes Music

In a 2009 interview, B.o.B said about his music, "I try to be more personal than try to be different." In a review of his first album The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010), HipHopDX wrote, "The many different styles B.o.B uses are clear from the start of the album." B.o.B sings, raps, plays the piano, and plays the guitar throughout his first album.

He uses pop music, political hip hop, trap music, rock music, and club music. He often divides himself into two characters for different music styles. The B.o.B character handles pop, trap, and club music. Bobby Ray is the more emotional musician who shares his thoughts through conscious rap and rock music. Simmons explored this idea a lot on his 2009 mixtape B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray and later on the 2012 song "Where Are You (B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray)".

Beliefs

B.o.B has some strong and unusual beliefs, which he has shared in interviews, on social media, and in his music. He often shares views that question common ideas and prefers to work outside the usual music industry. He has also spoken about social and political topics, including the rights of African Americans and fair treatment by police.

Flat Earth Belief

In January 2016, B.o.B said he believes the Earth is flat. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson responded to B.o.B on Twitter and tried to explain that the Earth is round. But the rapper did not change his mind. He released a song called "Flatline" that explained his views about the Earth's shape. Tyson and his rapper nephew, Stephen, responded to B.o.B's song with their own song called "Flat to Fact."

Tyson also appeared on the TV show The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore in January 2016. He spoke to the rapper, saying, "Small parts of large curved surfaces will always look flat to little creatures that crawl upon it... And by the way, this is called gravity." Tyson then dropped his microphone. B.o.B joined The Flat Earth Society in 2016.

In September 2017, B.o.B asked for $200,000 in donations to launch his own satellites to check the shape of the Earth. Soon after, he increased his request to $1,000,000 to cover the cost of many tests, including drones, weather balloons, and satellites.

Discography

Studio albums

• B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010)
• Strange Clouds (2012)
• Underground Luxury (2013)
• Ether (2017)
• Naga (2018)
• Somnia (2020)
• A Town Full of Nowhere (2023)

Other commercial projects

• Psycadelik Thoughtz (2015)
• Elements (2016)

Awards and Nominations

BET Awards

BET Hip Hop Awards

Grammy Awards

Other Awards and Nominations