Biography
Who is B.o.B?
Early life and real name
Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. Was born on November 15, 1988, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and raised in Decatur, Georgia. He attended Columbia High School, where he played the trumpet in the school band. Simmons decided in the sixth grade to pursue a career in music, despite his father being a pastor who initially disapproved. His parents eventually supported his creative pursuits by helping him acquire a keyboard and other studio equipment.
As a teenager, B.o.B connected with mentor B-Rich at the age of fourteen and sold his first beat to recording artist Citti. He continued performing at open mics and underground venues across Atlanta. In 2006, he gained entry to Club Crucial, a nightclub owned by rapper T.I., where he performed a self-produced track called Cloud 9. This performance caught the attention of producer T.J. Chapman, leading to a recording contract with Atlantic Records and the imprint Rebel Rock.
How B.o.B became famous
B.o.B quickly achieved commercial success in 2009 with his single Nothin' on You, featuring Bruno Mars. The track topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned three nominations at the 53rd Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Best Rap Song. He followed this success with the 2010 singles Airplanes, featuring Hayley Williams, and Magic, featuring Rivers Cuomo. These tracks preceded his debut studio album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which peaked atop the Billboard 200 and received a double platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.
During this period, B.o.B was named the ninth Hottest MC in the Game of 2010 by MTV. He also collaborated with international artists, guest appearing on Jessie J's single Price Tag, which reached the top of the UK Singles Chart in 2011. His subsequent dubstep-influenced single Strange Clouds, featuring Lil Wayne, became his fourth top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and served as the lead single for his second studio album of the same name.
Career highlights and albums
B.o.B continued expanding his discography with the release of his third studio album, Underground Luxury, in 2013, which featured the club-oriented singles HeadBand and We Still in This Bitch. Dissatisfied with label promotion, he later released the mixtape Psycadelik Thoughtz as his final project with Atlantic Records in 2015. He subsequently established his own label, No Genre, through which he released the compilation album Elements in 2016.
In 2016, B.o.B released the single Flatline, which endorsed modern flat Earth beliefs and served as a diss track aimed at astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. His fourth studio album, Ether, followed in 2017 as his first independent full-length project and entered the Billboard 200 chart. Throughout his career, B.o.B has also been part of the production and rap group HamSquad alongside other artists and producers.
Birthday and age
B.o.B was born on November 15, 1988, which makes B.o.B 38 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. B.o.B shares the date with 49 other famous people.
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