Who is B.O.B?

B.o.B was born on November 15, 1988 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Less than a month after he was born his family moved toDecatur, Georgia.

In December 2008, he appeared on the cover of XXL magazine along with Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton and Wale as "Hip-Hop's Class of '09". In October 2008, B.o.B was featured on the cover of Vibealong with some of these same young musicians and was similarly identified as promising young talent. He has described his influences as "80's music, rap, techno, rock, funk, even doo-wop...". B.o.B has also worked with artists such as British rapper Giggs. Along with his solo producing career, B.o.B is part of a production/rap group along with Playboy Tre, TJ Chapman, and B. Rich that go under the name "HamSquad."

Early career

B.o.B first began to gain major recognition in 2007 after the success of his song "Haterz Everywhere" featuring Wes Fif. A remix featuring Young Dre was featured in the videogame Fight Night Round 4. His first single, "I'll Be In the Sky", was released in late 2008. About.com called the song a "smart, funky artrap and a strong prelude to his album" and included it at #13 on its subjective ranking "Top 100 Rap Songs of 2008". He was also featured on T.I.'s album, Paper Trail, on "On Top of the World". Incidentally, another song produced by Bobby Ray called "Generation Lost" listed alongside the song on the ranking at #32.