| Bobby V | |
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Wilson performing in Southeast Missouri State University during the Xi Gamma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha's Miss Black and Gold Pageant, 2006. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bobby Wilson |
| Also known as | Bobby Valentino, Bobby V-Tino |
| Born | February 27, 1980 Jackson, Mississippi, United States |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, Piano |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Disturbing tha Peace, Def Jam, EMI, Capitol, Blu Kolla Dreams |
| Associated acts | Mista, DTP, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne |
| Website | Official Website |
Bobby Wilson (born on February 27, 1980), better known by his stage name Bobby V (previously known as Bobby Valentino), is an American recording artist (his nickname being "Valentino" because he was due to be born on Valentine's Day). He is now known as Bobby V due to a lawsuit involving an English singer, song writer and musician who has been recording and performing under the name Bobby Valentino for over 35 years.
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Bobby V was born Robert Wilson on February 27, 1980, in Jackson, Mississippi.[1] He later moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he attended North Atlanta High School. Growing up V listened to Michael Jackson, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Marvin Gaye, Jodeci, and The Isley Brothers. Those were the artists that inspired him to become a R&B singer. He later returned to his old high school appearing on the debut episode of MTV's Once Upon A Prom, which aired on May 19, 2007. V entered the music scene in 1996 as a member of the R&B youth quartet Mista, at this time using his real name, Bobby Wilson.[2][3] Under the production of Organized Noize (TLC’s "Waterfalls"), the group released their self-titled debut album, which produced the chart topping single, "Blackberry Molasses". Unfortunately, the album did not follow in the same success and despite a second album being produced by Tim & Bob, it was never released. Due to management issues the group split in 1997. Bobby later enrolled at Clark Atlanta University majoring in Mass Communications.While in school, Bobby V continued to record in his free time in hopes of one day returning to the stage.[4] In the spring of 2002 he auditioned for season one of American Idol, but did not make the cut.[5]
Armed with three albums of demos, he set out to pursue his music career dream. The demos reached Puff Daddy who then forwarded them onto Ludacris and Disturbing Tha Peace president Chaka Zulu, and "the rest is history" as Bobby says.[6] Soon after being signed as the first R&B artist on Disturbing Tha Peace Records, Bobby was featured on the hit single "Pimpin' All Over the World", from Ludacris' multi-platinum selling album The Red Light District in 2004.[4]
Bobby Valentino was released in the spring of 2005 through Island Def Jam and Ludacris's Disturbing tha Peace label and was certified gold by the RIAA selling over 708,000 copies in the United States.[7] Primarily produced by the hitmakers Tim & Bob, His first single, "Slow Down", became a top 10 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 R&B single Billboard R&B Singles receiving a large amount of radio and TV airplay. Also in 2005, he joined Bow Wow, Omarion, Marques Houston, B5 and Pretty Ricky on the Scream Tour IV. After the success of "Slow Down", he released a second single, a remix of his song "Tell Me" featuring Lil Wayne produced by Tim & Bob as well. The album's third and final single, "My Angel", was released in the fall of 2005, however it gained little popularity.
Gearing up for the release of his 2007 sophomore effort Special Occasion, V released the album's first single titled "Turn the Page" with mixed reviews. His second single, "Anonymous" featuring Timbaland, was released on April 9, 2007. Overall, the album received positive reviews from critics and audiences.
In early 2008 V confirmed that he was no longer signed to either Def Jam or Disturbing The Peace during an interview with DJBooth.net. He stated:
| “ | The decision to leave [the label] was totally mine. I sat down with Ludacris and Chaka Zulu, and I explained to them that it was time for me to venture out on my own. They had no problem with it; they are cool with it, no beef at all. | ” |
Due to the poor album sales of the second album, Special Occasion's failing to reach gold or platinum sales, Bobby V was reportedly frustrated with the album's delays and less than expected sales, culminating in his decision to leave the labels.[8] Although business ties have been severed, V maintains positive relationships with CEO Chaka Zulu, Ludacris and the Disturbing tha Peace/Def Jam staff.
In April 2008, Come with Me was released through digital outlets and featured the single "Another Life". In July 2008, three months after being dropped from Def Jam Recordings and leaving Disturbing tha Peace Records, V signed a new deal with EMI, which will house his imprint Blu Kolla Dreams.[9] In regards to the new label his manager and co-CEO of Blu Kolla Dreams Courtney "Colt Luv" Stewart stated:
| “ | Blu Kolla Dreams is the start of a new business venture for anyone who has taken the Blu Kolla approach and worked extremely hard over time to make an impact in their communities, achieve greatness and make their dreams come true.[10] | ” |
In addition, V announced the release of a new album titled The Rebirth. When asked about his powerful new album Bobby stated:
| “ | I have been blessed to be in the music industry for over 10 years, and my past endeavors have been great learning experiences. Now I have the opportunity to step out on faith and use the knowledge and experience that I have gained to take my career to the next level.[10] | ” |
The Rebirth was released on February 10, 2009, under his new stage name "Bobby V". The album's first official single "Beep" featuring Yung Joc was released via iTunes on October 7, 2008. V's third studio album features production by Tim & Bob, Raphael Saadiq, LOS Da Maestro and Big Fruit.
Bobby V released his fourth studio album Fly on the Wall on March 22, 2011. The first single was "Phone #", which features rapper Plies and was produced by Jazze Pha. In December 2010 Bobby V released his second single "Words" off of "Fly on the Wall". In February 2011, Bobby V released his third single "Rock Wit'cha" a remake from the Bobby Brown 1989 album Don't Be Cruel. "Grab Somebody'", which features rapper Twista will be his fourth single. In the summer of 2011, V stated that he is recording his fifth studio album entitled V5. K.I.T. is the lead single for V5.
{{main/Bobby V Mixtapes
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