TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With B.o.B

B.o.B.: Well…I’m going to get on a whole new level with you. Fame is not fake. The more people that know you and the more people are watching you, the more energy they are sending to you…because thoughts have energy. So fame is only fake in a surface aspect of it. But when you’ve got a million people looking at you, the energy that you put out there and the energy that they send back to you is real. Like I have dreams at night and I’m not even like a world renowned artist or anything, but just the energy that I get…I wake up because of my dreams sometimes. You know when Kanye West was like “These dreams, they’re waking me up at night…” I definitely know what he’s saying. I can only imagine just a small percentage of it and you have to be cautious with what you put out there. And it’s so ridiculous now-a-days with what you were saying like Britney Spears, pop culture and Michael Jackson, people are quick to turn on you. So you just have to be very careful. I have to keep it fresh, have to keep a fresh aura.

TSS: It’s all about the aura

(Both Laughing)

TSS: You were featured in the cover of XXL’s Class Of ‘09 issue alongside other artists like Asher Roth, Mikey Factz, Blu, Corey Gunz and Ace Hood. Even though this is music and it’s creative, at the same time it’s also a business. Which one of those artists do you feel is your biggest competition?

B.o.B.: I just feel like…honestly I don’t feel like anybody is my competition. I feel like I’m just on a league of my own. The cover of the XXL magazine for me….well for some people it might have been like “Oh man I just got drafted to the pro’s”, but for me…I mean it was definitely a monumental cover because it brought more attention to what I was doing, so I’m definitely grateful for that. But at the end of the day, it’s just another side of me. I don’t think I was thrown into a competitive arena.

TSS: Right but when someone looks at this cover and says: “This is the class of ’09. Someone is going to come out on top.” Everyone wants to sell more records. You want to go diamond with your first album. So you don’t find anyone your competition?

B.o.B.: Not on that cover. And that’s not with disrespect to anyone else. It’s just that what I’m aiming to do is bigger and greater… I look at it more of an accomplishment than anything.

TSS: What about in general? Which artists who you feel will always be competition?

B.o.B.: You know who I look at and say “Man I need to get better at what I’m doing?” Someone like Denzel Washington and Will Smith.

TSS: You completely threw me off with that one. A lot of artists look up to other artists, so that was way …way out there (laughs).

B.o.B.: Way out there (laughs) Well you know it takes a certain level of selflessness to be like that, so I try to, you know…stay…stay with the aura! (Laughs) It’s all about the aura.

TSS: You are very talented musically because you can rap, sing, play the guitar, arrange, mix, and in your bio refer to yourself as a one-stop shop. When working with other people such as producers, engineers etc, is it hard to be just the artist and follow someone else’s vision?

B.o.B.: It definitely is a job because I can do so much. Whenever I create a vision is like a project that I just bring upon myself. So when someone wants me to do a verse, it’s not just a verse, it’s so much more.

TSS: Ok, but when you’re in the studio with other producers, say Timberland or Swizz, and they have a particular vision of how they want their beat to sound, do you ever see a conflict because you may have a different vision from you as a producer?

B.o.B.: I’ll give you a particular example. Jim Jonsin is on his grind right now and recently I got in the studio with him. It took a while to feel each other out and see where we could go, because we both have such vivid visions. And we had to get on the same ground and on the same page, and sometimes it takes a while to do that. Whereas with other artists it may be like ok, cool it’s whatever.

We actually got some good tracks. Eventually when you do combine it, you can get some good stuff. You just have to be patient.

TSS: That’s what I meant. Cool. Ok, so let’s talk about the album The Adventures Of Bobby Ray. It will be released via Grandhustle/Atlantic/Rebel Rock.

B.o.B.: Yeah. It will be release under the three. You know when we initially made the venture we all had to get together for a big meeting. And everyone flew in and met at the Grand Hustle offices. It was like a big Godfather meeting (laughs).

TSS: Did each person have a different vision for the album for you?

B.o.B.: You know the hardest thing for me to do was to draw the lines of what I wanted to do. Because the vision for it was so huge, I had to figure out what it was that I wanted. Even now it’s still defining itself. The more press and awareness I get, the more I’m like “Ok, well I may need to go back to the drawing board and work on this one.”

TSS: So how did the two situations, RebelRock and Grand Hustle, come together? I think you signed with Rebel Rock first right?

B.o.B.: Well, both of them were prospects before I even signed, I just got with Rebel Rock first. TJ knew Jim Jonsin and we flew to Miami to meet with him.

TSS: Did you get in the studio with T.I. before or after you signed to Grand Hustle?

B.o.B.: Well we got in the studio after, but I wanted to get a vibe from him and get to know him as a person first. I wanted anything we did to have the right energy and effort into it.

TSS: Did he give you any good tips?

B.o.B.: Oh yeah. He definitely put the workload into perspective for me. He really taught me how to keep a positive attitude because the workload gets so crazy. The day that I went to his house he had flown in from LA, went to a photo shoot for his clothing line, and went to Yung LA’s video shoot for “Ain’t I.” He had to do some studio for that night. Then after he was done recording, he had to go to a flight back to LA. But the type of person I am, I feel like I am cut out to do a lot of things.

TSS: Is there a final release date for the album?

B.o.B.: We’re thinking summer of 2009, although I’m not rushing it because I want it to meet my expectations. I’m myself worst critic. I’ve got people to bounce ideas back and forth, but yeah we’re thinking summer of 2009.

TSS: You have said you’ve wanted to go diamond with the album, how do you plan to accomplish that?

B.o.B.: Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll get there though. Either way, just the name…people will know the name.

TSS: You have already conquered the billboards, the internet, the print, and you don’t even have an album out. What is next for B.O.B.?

B.o.B.: The movies?

TSS: Ok so who would be your all-time favorite cast to star in a movie with?

B.o.B.: You know what would be a dope cast? Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino…and I’ve got to throw some ladies in there. Why not Jada Pinkett and why not Kerri Washington and (pauses momentarily) Uma Thurman?

(Both Laughing)

TSS: Just throw Uma in the mix.

B.o.B.: Yup. Just put her in the mix. Oh and you have to add Will Ferrell. The movie would be called Phenomenal. (Both laughing)

TSS: Well that’s all the questions I had for you. Thank you for being so easy to talk to.

B.o.B.: No, thank you. You really made the interview an interview. It was fun.

The Adventures Of Bobby Ray, coming early 2009. For more info, visit www.myspace.com/bobatl.

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