Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. aka B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and conspiracy theorist from Decatur, Georgia. In 2006, B.o.B was discovered by Brian Richardson, who then introduced him to TJ Chapman, who subsequently brought him to American record producer Jim Jonsin. After hearing his music, Jonsin signed B.o.B to his Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint. Two years later, Jonsin and B.o.B signed a joint venture deal, with Atlantic Records and American rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records.

B.o.B quickly rose to fame after his commercial debut single "Nothin' on You", reached number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom. He would later release his third single "Airplanes", which also topped several major music charts. His fifth single "Magic", became his 3rd top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. B.o.B's debut studio album The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which was preceded by two extended plays (EPs) and several mixtapes, was released in April 2010. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and was eventually certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2016. B.o.B was named the ninth "Hottest MC in the Game of 2010" by MTV, on their annual list.

B.o.B released his second studio album Strange Clouds, in May 2012. The album spawned six singles, four of which charted exceptionally well internationally. The album's eponymous lead single became his fourth top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The singles "So Good", "Both of Us" and "Out of My Mind", followed behind, with the former two being certified platinum by the RIAA. The album itself debuted at number five on the Billboard 200. His third album Underground Luxury, was released in December 2013 and supported by the lead single "HeadBand". In August 2015, B.o.B unexpectedly released a new project Psycadelik Thoughtz, via digital distribution, with little-to-no promotion. B.o.B is an outspoken believer that the earth is flat.

B.o.B played the trumpet in his school band from elementary school through high school. Although his parents wanted him to continue his education, B.o.B decided in sixth grade that he wanted to pursue a music career. His father, a pastor, disapproved of his son's choices, until he realized B.o.B was using music as a form of therapy and a creative outlet. B.o.B later reflected on his experience, saying, "They've always supported me. They got my first keyboard to make beats on and they helped me out getting equipment here and there. But it was kind of hard for them to really understand what I was really trying to accomplish." B.o.B attended Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia, where he played the trumpet in the school band, until he landed a record deal and decided to drop out of school in the ninth grade.

In 2002, after meeting his mentor and co-manager B- Rich at the age of 14, B.o.B sold his first beat to former Slip-n-Slide recording artist Citti, for a song titled "I'm the Cookie Man". Meanwhile, B.o.B felt he had made it: "I went and blew all of my money on fast stuff like a chain and ballin'. Soon I was broke again, but I learned two important things from it; make sure I save my money and that I was hooked on music." Back to square one, B.o.B continued performing at open mics and underground venues, to perfect his craft. In 2006, because he was underage, B- Rich helped sneak B.o.B into Club Crucial, a night club owned by Atlanta-based rapper T.I.. There, B.o.B performed a song titled "Cloud 9", a self-produced, spoken word-like ode to marijuana. In attendance was producer and industry veteran, T.J. Chapman, chief executive officer (CEO) of TJ's DJ's. Chapman agreed to co-manage B.o.B, which only a month later led to B.o.B's signing with Atlantic Records and subsidiary imprint Rebel Rock, run by Florida-based producer Jim Jonsin. His first single for Atlantic, 2007's "Haterz Everywhere", reached the top five of Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart. Along with his solo production career, B.o.B is part of a production/rap group called HamSquad, along with Playboy Tre, DJ Swatts, DJ Smooth, Moss B, B-Rich and TJ Chapman.

Source.