Artist: B.o.B
Album: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Release Date: April 27th 2010
Production: T.I. (exec producer), Jim Jonsin, Bobby Ray, Crada, Alex Da Kid, DJ Frank E, A.D. & Kutta, Dr Luke, Lil' C, The Smeezingtons, JackPot, Free School, Ensayne Wayne & Polow Da Don.
Guests: Bruno Mars, Lupe Fiasco, Hayley Williams (of Paramore), T.I., Janelle Monae, Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer), Ricco Barrino & Eminem.
Anybody who may have been following T.I. on Twitter (http://twitter.com/Tip) may have realised that he only has one subject on his mind. It isnt his recent spellin jail, or the fact he has Twitpic'd several pictures recently of his new Ferrari, or even his own project due to be released at the back end of 2010, but actually the man who has the weight of Grand Hustle Records on his shoulders.
When I first became aware of B.o.B's music, it was straight off the back of a mixtape he had released, probably around two years ago now. The song 'Haterz' was a light buzz with Hip Hop radio stations across the US, but it did not really create a splash. I probably just thought that B.o.B was the latest rapper out of the 'A' trying to be the next big thing. The sound of his music back then was something far from what we have come to hear on the new album, and maybe these early mixtapes was just B.o.B testing the water.
'Haterz' was a typical rap song about what 233,783 rappers have rapped about on their own albums, and I remember playing it once on the last station I was on, and then forgetting that I had it on the system in the studio. I still wonder if they still have it on the computer, and if anybody has come across it and had a listen, or it is long gone. If it is still there, now that B.o.B is now in the mainstream circus of 2010, it may just pop up when DJs search for him!
When 'Nothin' On You' began making it big in the UK, I was beginning to wonder if Bobby had a future in the mainstream world of Hip Hop - alongside the Flo Rida's, 50 Cents, Eminems, Jay-Z's, and Ludacris's. I certainly knew that if he was, he would have to come with something a lot better than 'Haterz', or anything else he had on those mixtapes. OK, he could ride with T.I. for a while, and benifit from having a big artist feed you publicity and money, like Tony Yayo has made a career of doing, but it is difficult to overcome the 'favourite child' of a record label. Bobby Ray had to come with something different. And he has.
In a way, the new album feels a lot like Kid Cudi's album which dropped last year, in terms of the fact that both artists are trying to deliver a new sounding Hip Hop. They are distancing themselves from the bling, hoes, cars and 'Hi Im a rapper that is rich from his record label advance, although I used to be poor, and I go clubbing and Im a pimp that gets shot at a lot' type of image. In a way, B.o.B is mixing several genres of music together to create a sound that even the Indie kids can listen to.
'Nothin On You' is massive, without a doubt, and this is the type of sound carried out across the CD. As a listener, I can tell that each song is written from the heart and is filled with emotion. This song goes against everything Hip Hop has stood for in the past, as it promises loyalty towards a woman, despite the rapper being center of attention in the Urban music scene, and facing many distractions. The same can be said for 'Lovelier Than You', which for me is one of my favoute tracks on the album, simply due to the fact you can feel the emotion seep from the melody.
B.o.B did not go crazy with his budget for the album, and did not go about getting the top music producers in the world to send him beats. Like Lil' Wayne did on Tha Carter III, and Kid Cudi is doing, he is experimenting with different sounds, different styles and different methods of rapping/singing on each song - and it seems to be working.
I was just as suprised as the next fan, when I saw the tracklist for this album and saw that Eminem was a guest. Apparently, even B.o.B was not aware that this move had been lined up until the last minute. The song 'Airplanes pt. II' talks about the 'what if' side of each of the rapper's lives, and how easy it could have been not to have achieved what they have done. While B.o.B talks about getting noticed in Atlanta by chance, to having a multi platinum selling album, Eminem talks about luck, and how life has been a series of 'chances' that have come together to give him the unlikely career that he has had, and how it could easily have been different. With Hayley Williams from the rock band, Paramore singing the hook, I can guarentee with all I have, this song will be a hit on both sides of the Atlantic - trust me, the label knew this one would be a money spinner.
'Magic' was also a track which has had several plays on my iPod, featuring the lead singer from Weezer - the song is more of a rock/Indie song than Hip Hop. I expect this to be single number 3, if 'Lovelier Than You' doesn't drop before it. 'Past My Shades' is also a potential hit, featuring Lupe Fiasco.
So in my eyes, the album is almost perfect, and certainly went beyond my expectations - dont be tempted to purchase the bonus tracks from iTunes (if they do not come complete with your copy of the CD), no matter how big you see the name of the producer. 'Higher' was not the track I was expecting from Polow Da Don, who we all know, is the kids favourite music producer these days (rightly so), but this track feels like 'B.o.B stole the beat from Polow's Recycling Bin rather than the 'Club Banger Vault' which Id imagine is securly passworded.
Overall, this is a great buy, and not just for the rap music fans - but for the general music fans. Certainly one of the top albums of 2010 so far...
9/10
