B.O.B

1988–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Simmons was born November 15, 1988 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He played the trumpet in his school band from elementary school through high school.^[4][5] Although his parents wanted him to continue his education, Simmons decided in sixth grade that he wanted to pursue a music career.^[6] His father, a pastor, disapproved of his son's choices until he realized that Simmons was using music as a form of therapy and a creative outlet. Simmons 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."^[6] B.o.B attended Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia.

After meeting his mentor and co-manager, B. Rich, in 2002 at 14 years of age, 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.^[7] In 2006, because he was underage, B. Rich helped sneak B.o.B into Club Crucial, a night club owned by Atlanta 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, CEO of TJ's DJ's. TJ Chapman agreed to co-manage B.o.B, which only a month later led to B.o.B's signing withAtlantic Records and subsidiary imprint Rebel Rock, run by Florida 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.^[7][8] Along with his solo production career, B.o.B is part of a production/rap group called HamSquad, along with Playboy Tre, TJ Chapman, and B. Rich.^[6]