5 mixtapes that put B.o.B on the map

At one time B.o.B was the guy who stopped you in the street to hand you a mixtape. In fact, he did that for four years before his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, dropped. Each mixtape added a new element of musicality, allowing you to witness the young prodigy growing right in front of your eyes. Here is a look at five mixtapes that introduced B.o.B to the world.

The Future


Checking in at a whopping 30 tracks of songs and skits, B.o.B’s first mixtape featured him at his rawest, displaying his skills as a rapper, producer and catchy hook writer.


Cloud 9


Though many were introduced to B.o.B though this mixtape, it is actually his second. Whereas its precursor was mostly a one-man show, Cloud 9 paired B.o.B with fellow rapper-turned-pop star Pitbull.


Hello! My Name Is B.o.B


With his third mixtape, B.o.B began flexing more of his creativity, rapping over beats he produced sampling everyone from the Beatles to the Outfields and singing on more of his hooks. The ambitious effort drew some Andre 3000 comparisons.


Who The F#k Is B.o.B?


After introducing himself to national media with his previous effort, B.o.B returned later in the year, hoping to answer all of the questions it posed. The tape featured the single “I’ll Be in the Sky,” which signaled his lean toward a pop sound.


B.o.B vs Bobby Ray


This two-sided mixtape is B.o.B’s attempt to put together all of his musical stylings into one package. One end has him trading bars with Killer Mike and OJ Da Juiceman, whereas the other has him singing over acoustic guitar.