B.o.B.

Taking his stage name B.o.B from the Outkast song Bombs Over Baghdad as a nod to the influence of the Dirty South sound on his music, Bobby Ray Simmons Jnr quickly established himself as one of the hottest young rappers on the scene. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he started rapping aged 15 before quitting High School, against his Christian pastor father's wishes, to pursue a music career. Early mixtapes soon gained him recognition and the popularity of underground single Haterz Everywhere earned him a spot on XXL magazine's cover shoot for the Hip Hop Class of 2009 edition. Taking influences from funk, rock, soul and pop, B.o.B's eclectic sound culminated in a collaboration with Hayley Williams (from rockers Paramore), Rivers Cuomo (Weezer), Lupe Fiasco, Vampire Weekend and Eminem on debut album B.o.B Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010). The album proved a huge success, topping the US charts on its first week of release and producing the UK Number 1 singles Nothin On You and Magic. Driven and, open-minded about the spectrum of musical genres, the guitar playing rapper went on to feature on tracks by Janelle Monae, Giggs, The Roots, Big Boi and Cobra Starship.

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