Despite what new fans might think, Bobby Ray Simmons is far from an overnight celebrity. In fact, it’s been nearly a year since B.o.B. joined Asher Roth, KiD CuDi and Pac Div on the Great Hangover Tour. It’s been two years since he graced the cover of your favorite rapper’s favorite magazine, long before most people even knew who he was. It’s been roughly three years since his underground hit “Haterz” made its way onto radio station playlists and into nightclubs throughout the Southeast. And it’s been almost four years since this Atlanta, GA rapper/producer signed a major label deal with Rebel Rock/Atlantic Records at the tender age of 17. Yes, it may seem to some that B.o.B., due to the success of his now platinum chart-topping single “Nothing On You,” came out of nowhere, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Bobby Ray spent the last four years of his life working and preparing for the release of his long-awaited debut album, B.o.B. Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Just weeks before his album hits stores, and while touring with his Atlantic labelmate Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B. took a few moments out from his busy schedule to fill OZONE in on everything that has transpired since his cover story. It’s been two years since you were on the cover of OZONE. What’s been going on since then? Since that cover, I thought my album was gonna be out, but it didn’t come out. Then I went through a period where it was really frustrating for me; just trying to get everything organized and get everything right with the label and my album. It seems like it took a decline and just went up from there. I’ve just been working and trying to make the moment relevant. Some people heard your single “Nothing On You” and thought you blew up overnight. A lot of people don’t understand that you’ve been signed for almost four years. How do you feel when people say you came out of nowhere? That’s just silly. A real B.o.B. fan knows I’ve been doing this for a minute. That’s something that I’m not even worried about, but people can perceive it as an overnight success. During that period when your album didn’t come out, there was a rumor that you wanted to retire. Did you get to the point that you wanted to quit? Nah, that was just a rumor that escalated. Something happened… sometimes stuff gets crazy, so there was a rumor that I quit and it just escalated from there. After that rumor, you came back as Bobby Ray. What was the reason behind the name change? I just wanted to use my real government name, cause I wanted people to know me. I wanted to make the music that I made and the music I wanted people to know me by. Basically, it’s like unveiling a mask, that [was] really the unveiling. I’m B.o.B., but Bobby Ray is the guy behind it. It’s seemed like there was a change in the style of music that you made, too. Was that part of the process when you unveiled yourself as Bobby Ray? You can call me B.o.B., but just know that my name’s Bobby Ray. But it doesn’t matter anyway; the main thing that matters is the music. That’s the thing that brings it all together. It seems like your music now involves playing the guitar and singing more. Is that the direction you wanted your music to go in from the beginning, as opposed to rapping? Nah, not really. I always loved rapping. But it’s kinda like it had to balance out, cause I was doing so much of what the label and industry wanted me to do. I wasn’t doing enough of what I wanted to do. So, I went through a period where there was a reverse, and I had to flip it up into what I wanted to do. Let’s talk about your label situation. How did your joint venture with Grand Hustle come together? We knew Grand Hustle just from being in Atlanta. Eventually, the whole Grand Hustle thing came about when we felt like the timing was right.
How crazy has it been over the last few months, since your single has taken off? It’s crazy because…it’s just amazing seeing how the story unfolds. Even for me, it’s like being on the inside looking outward at everything, and it’s just as exciting for me as it is for everybody else. And I feel like there’s something that’s special about everything. Is it what you expected it to be when you got to this point? Not really, man. I expected it, but not this soon. Even though I spent a long time getting things developed and just letting the project grow, I didn’t expect everything. So the way it’s all coming together now is just surprising. How did “Nothing On You” come about? “Nothing On You” is a song that speaks to the population and audience that understands monogamy, being in a relationship, the temptations and the challenges that come about through that. Basically, for that song, I’m kinda like writing a movie. You have to pull from actual experiences and bring them to life. And I feel like I’ve been through the experiences required to bring it to life. Did you think that was going to be the record that would ultimately break through to the mainstream? No, I didn’t think it was going to take me out of here. I thought it was a nice album cut. How did you react when you saw it climbing the charts? It was crazy. We started seeing it added, and you know how radio is. You know how hard it is to get a song on the radio. From the label’s perspective, it’s challenging. But the song started moving so smoothly and growing that I knew there was something special about it. And it’s just crazy because you never know. It’s like rolling dice; you just keep rolling them until you get a seven. Everything that I did in the past prepared me for now. When you can get to a certain level with mainstream radio, there’s a lot that’s required of you. Whether you’re prepared or not, you get thrown out there because you have a hit single. So, I feel really prepared for everything because of that. Did you expect your previous songs like “Haterz” and “I’ll Be In The Sky” to take off? Did you get frustrated when they didn’t? I actually thought “Haterz” and “I’ll Be In The Sky” were gonna be that [breakthrough] song. So, I didn’t know how everything was gonna unfold. But it just seems like everything happened how it was supposed to happen, as opposed to how I wanted it to happen. And I’d rather have it that way any day. What can you tell me about your album? I worked with a lot of people. I worked with Jim Jonsin, I worked with T.I.,and I did a lot of production on there myself. And basically, it’s a really good mixture of different sounds and I feel like it’s well-rounded. I feel good about it. I got Lupe Fiasco on there. I got Eminem on there. How was it working with Eminem? Em is crazy because when you go in the studio they just record everything. Basically, even if we just mess around with some ideas, we record it. So, if we get some funky ideas and we wanna go back to it, we can just go back to the sessions. It’s crazy cause he ran up to me and was like, “B.o.B., you’re a star, man.” And I’m like, “You’re the star.” (laughs) What about T.I.? What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from working with him? He told me a quote, and I already knew this, but it stood out. “Everyone is not wrong,” meaning that if 100 people told you something, and you’re the only one that says something [different], chances are you’re either a revolutionary visionary or you’re wrong. (laughs) I took the advice well; especially coming from Tip, cause he’s a guy that’s been in it for a while now. Back when I was an aspiring artist, doing open mics, he’s been in it. So, it’s a good thing to have that type of insight. How are you taking in everything? I’m at the point where everything that I’m doing now is new. A lot of people tell me to enjoy these times, cause these are the first times that you do this. And I’m like, that’s cool, but I wanna keep that excitement. I don’t want to let something get monotonous and boring, or run something into the ground. I’d rather something be exciting and keep it exciting. //
OZONE MAG // 51