Rapper and record producer Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., better known by his stage name B.o.B., was born in the United States on November 15, 1988. Simmons, who was raised in Decatur, Georgia, joined Jim Jonsin’s Rebel Rock Entertainment label in 2006. Two years later, under the auspices of Atlantic Records, Jonsin and Simmons entered into a joint venture agreement with fellow rapper T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records. With the help of Bruno Mars on his debut single “Nothin’ on You,” which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2009 and garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year, Simmons swiftly found commercial success after signing a major label deal.
The Billboard 200 chart’s top 10 was reached by Simmons’ second studio album, Odd Clouds (2012). His fourth top 10 success on the Billboard Hot 100, it’s a self-titled lead song (with Lil Wayne). Following singles from the album “So Good” and “Both of Us” (with Taylor Swift) both hit the top 20 in the US and were given platinum certification by the RIAA. Moreover, “Out of My Head” was released by him (featuring Nicki Minaj). His third album, Underground Luxury (2013), was gold-certified by the RIAA and featured the hit “HeadBand” (with 2 Chainz). Later, he was a part of Ty Dolla Sign’s 2014 song “Paranoid,” which peaked at number 40 in the US. Simmons’ eleventh mixtape, Psycadelik Thoughtz, his last project with a major label, was released in August 2015.