Right now, the amount of buzz going around for Grand Hustle Records can be felt all around the social media circles. The two biggest artists on the label both have singles in rotation in the radio and are both working on new albums. T.I. coming off of his prison bid is working on his new album, currently titled Trouble Man. But quite possibly, there is bigger buzz for his labelmate and his album, B.o.B. and Strange Clouds. B.o.B., born Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., has brought such a breath of fresh air to hip hop and to music in general. From his mixtapes to his debut album, he has consistently raised the bar and has worked to blend genres of music together. On his new album, Strange Clouds, Bobby Ray is continuing to do just that.
His lead single, from which the album gets it’s name, has a feature from the always popular Lil Wayne. It was produced by pop sensation Dr. Luke, famous for working with pop stars such as Ke$ha, Taio Cruz, and most famously with Katy Perry. It isn’t the first time that these two worked together, coming together for an album cut from B.o.B.’s first album that was turned into a single, “Magic”. What can we expect from this, the sophomore album? More hit records, definitely more high level collaborations that could be turned into hits.
Currently a confirmed track is “So Good” that features and is produced by veteran hit maker Ryan Tedder of One Republic, famous for producing and writing hits like Beyonce’s “Halo”, and Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love”. Another track that has been rumored but could be incredible is “Airborne” with Drake, Kanye West and produced by Boi-1da and Kanye West. I feel that an interesting collaboration, for an album cut would be to see if he could parlay a track with Jay-Z. After the Eminem featured Airplanes II, a track with Jay-Z would be an incredible next step. Furthermore, I think an Usher feature, would be exceptional, their connection to Atlanta, Georgia being prominent in the song.
When it comes to the production on the album, B.o.B. has some of the greatest producers in the world on speed dial. Dr. Luke, Ryan Tedder, Alex da Kid, and of course Jim Jonsin are easily reachable. But one can’t forget probably the greatest in Bobby Ray’s arsenal, himself. Out of 12 tracks on The Adventures of Bobby Ray, 5 of them were produced by B.o.B. himself.
Regardless of the outcome, Bobby Ray Simmons has built an incredible buzz and an incredible level of interest in his project. It’s easy to tell that when it’s released, it’s going to storm the charts and radio.
