Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with producer Jim Jonsin through his Rebel Rock Entertainment label in 2006. Two years later, he signed a joint venture recording contract with fellow Georgia rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records. Following his major-label deal, Simmons quickly achieved commercial success when his 2009 debut single, "Nothin' on You" (featuring Bruno Mars), peaked the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and received three nominations—Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration—at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
His subsequent singles, "Airplanes" (featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore) and "Magic" (featuring Rivers Cuomo) peaked at numbers two and ten respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. All three preceded the release of Simmons' debut studio album The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010), which was promoted by two extended plays (EPs) and several self-released mixtapes. The album was met with critical and commercial success, debuting atop the Billboard 200 and receiving double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with critical praise directed towards its blending of genres including alternative rock, pop rap, and "hipster hop". Simmons was named the ninth "Hottest MC in the Game of 2010" by MTV on their annual list. The following year, he guest featured on English singer Jessie J's single "Price Tag", which peaked the UK Singles Chart and reached number 23 on the Hot 100.
Simmons then released his dubstep-influenced single, "Strange Clouds" (featuring Lil Wayne) in late 2011. Becoming his fourth top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100, it preceded and served as the lead single for his second studio album of the same name (2012), which peaked at number five on the Billboard 200. The album's follow-up singles, "So Good" and "Both of Us" (featuring Taylor Swift) both peaked within the top 20 in the US and received platinum certifications by the RIAA. His third studio album, Underground Luxury (2013) explored darker subject matter and adopted a grittier tone, containing the club-oriented singles "HeadBand" (featuring 2 Chainz) and "We Still in This Bitch" (featuring T.I. and Juicy J); the album was met with a critical and commercial decline. That same year, he guest featured on the platinum-certified singles "Paranoid" by Ty Dolla Sign and "Up Down (Do This All Day)" by T-Pain.
Dissatisfied with his lack of promotion from the label, Simmons released his twelfth mixtape, Psycadelik Thoughtz (2015) as his final project for Atlantic. His compilation album, Elements (2016)—released by his own label, No Genre—was compiled from four mixtapes which delved into political subject matter and conspiracy theories. His 2016 single, "Flatline" was a diss song aimed at astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, in which he attests credence of modern flat Earth beliefs. His fourth album, Ether (2017) served as his first independent album and narrowly entered the Billboard 200 while receiving critical praise. He has since further expressed anti-establishment views and disavowed the mainstream music industry.
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