MTV Unplugged › B.o.B

Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., aka B.o.B, has had a banner year. In April, his debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray hit the streets, but the singer was already paving the way for his international success. Released a month earlier, the single "Nothin' on You" featuring Bruno Mars became a smash hit and put him squarely on the music map. But even before then, the eclectic rapper/songwriter with a diverse set of influences including rap, rock and techno was on the cover of The Source with Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, KiD CuDi and Wale as "Hip-Hop's Class of '09," having already collaborated and guest-appeared on T.I.'s 2008 album Paper Trail. B.o.B fulfilled that promise and then some. On The Adventures of B... More»

Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., aka B.o.B, has had a banner year. In April, his debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray hit the streets, but the singer was already paving the way for his international success. Released a month earlier, the single "Nothin' on You" featuring Bruno Mars became a smash hit and put him squarely on the music map. But even before then, the eclectic rapper/songwriter with a diverse set of influences including rap, rock and techno was on the cover of The Source with Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, KiD CuDi and Wale as "Hip-Hop's Class of '09," having already collaborated and guest-appeared on T.I.'s 2008 album Paper Trail. B.o.B fulfilled that promise and then some. On The Adventures of Bobby Ray, B.o.B brought his all, including a cavalcade of big-name guests such as Hayley Williams of Paramore on the smash hit "Airplanes," Rivers Cuomo of Weezer on the track "Magic" (used to excellent effect in an Adidas commercial), T.I. on the single "Bet I," plus appearances by Lupe Fiasco, Playboy Tre, Ricco Barrino, Janelle Monáe, Bruno Mars, Rich Boy and Eminem. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts upon its release, stayed on the charts all year long and currently is the third-best selling hip-hop album of the year -- and there's still a few months to go. To top off his amazing year, B.o.B was announced as a performer at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, and, of course, there's his 'MTV Unplugged,'which cooks and includes its own assorted group of friends stopping by. Robin Thicke stands in for Bruno Mars on "Nothin' On You," Melanie Fiona sings the hook on "Airplanes" and Janelle Monáe helps B.o.B on his "Kids" medley of the titular Vampire Weekend and MGMT songs. Suffice to say, B.o.B and friends raise the roof, so don't miss this exclusive episode of 'MTV Unplugged.' «Less