Style Weekly
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With his moniker, B.o.B., paying homage to the influence of fellow Atlanta hip-hop artists Outkast (after the rap duo's hit “Stankonia” single, “Bombs Over Baghdad”), Bobby Ray Simmons developed quite a bit of buzz a few years ago with a series of successful mix tapes and featured appearances, corralling him along the likes of next-best talent Wale and Kid Cudi. Riding this amassed curiosity and expectation, Simmons' proper debut, “The Adventures of Bobby Ray,” inevitably hooked the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts. Featuring several out-of-box moments, such as a sample of Vampire Weekend, and collaborations, including Rivers Cuomo and Paramore's Hayley Williams, B.o.B. has his sights on the kind of crossover success normally reserved for AndrAc 3000. B.o.B. performs at Virginia Commonwealth University's Siegel Center on Saturday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m.
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