PHOTO CREDIT: Johnny Nunez

Say what you will about the BET Awards. Most insiders know that it’s all about the afterparty. Case in point the The Atlantic Records Party Presented by SWAGG, which was  was held at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood. On tap were Atlantic Urban recording artists (and Couch Sessions favorites) Janelle Monael, B.O.B., Trey Songz, and Estelle.

B.O.B. and Janelle Monae

Jermaine Dupri

Trey Songz and Mom

Estelle

I know these videos are a few days old (and it goes against our “Don’t post anything that’s been on 500 other blogs” policy), but I had to feature these videos of Bobby Ray, most notably for the track “Lovelier Than You” which he’s played a few times on tour. The guitar track is hands down one of my favorites on the album.

“Lovelier Than You,” is just downright beautiful. What sets Bobby Ray apart from his hip-hop counterparts is his versatility, and lyricism that can’t be matched. I’m convinced the dude really need to work with Coldplay on an upcoming project.

Lovelier Than You

Nothing on You

Bruno Mars – Otherside

Bruno Mars – Our First Time

UPDATE: Here is the final version of Otherside with Cee-Lo and B.O.B.

Bruno Mars is the luckiest dude in America right now.

Plucked from obscurity his delicious hook (probably one of the top 10 of the decade) has ended up gracing the top song in the country. BOB’s Nothing on You is a brilliant pop track, but let’s face it, it would be nothing without Mars’ booming vocals.

But the question remains, who exactly is Bruno Mars? It’s not like BOB picked an already notable artist…say Trey Songz to back him up. Even though Mr Mars (aka Peter Hernandez) is not a household name , the dude has been in the background of the industry, penning the hit “Right Round” for Flo Rida and chalking up songs for Maroon5 and Brandy. The artist, , also has some brilliant solo material, and fronts his own band, playing critically acclaimed shows at LA’s Temple Bar.

With a sound that crosses left field, pop and indie rock and R&B, Mars’ palate might be as diverse as his pal Bobby Ray. The Hawaiian born Mars is dropping a new EP through Electra called “It’s Better If You Don’t Understand” and the tracks that I’ve heard so far have been superb. “Otherside” is an upbeat pop track with a somewhat Coldplay-like hook while Our First Time is an classic R&B stunner. On top of that he plays hook duty on Travie (Travis?) McCoy’s new single “Billionaire.”

Bruno’s solo career seems to be bright and there is no doubt that he will become a household name soon.

If you’ve ever seen B.O.B. live then you know that he’s one of the most talented rappers in the game right now. The guy mixes everything from Southern hip-hop, new school, acoustic alt-soul, and now….pop into his sets effortlessly flowing through all styles without looking back.

We first profiled B.O.B. back in 2008 and I’m glad to see that his album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray is dropping today, and early buzz predicts that it might be one of the best selling hip-hop albums this year.

Thanks to the great blog All The Way Live, we have the full set of Bobby Ray’s Coachella performance, which took place last week in Indio, California. Enjoy.

Setlist:
1.) Airplanes
2.) Surprise Me
3.) Haterz Everywhere
4.) Top of The World
5.) Generation Lost
6.) Goodnite
7.) Out of Time
8.) Created A Monster
9.) Satellite
10.) No Mans Land
11.) Don’t Let Me Fall
12.) I’ll Be In The Sky
13.) Nothin On You
14.) Voltage (ft. Playboy Tre)

B.O.B. feat Janelle Monae – The Kids

B.O.B. feat Eminem and Hayley Williams – Airplanes Part 2

Let’s all hope and pray that Atlanta’s Bobby Ray Simmons never changes. With a disarming charm and wit and wholesome nature that makes every word he speaks sound honest and heartfelt, let’s all welcome the rising prince of emo hop to the table. In just over 46 minutes, the Atlanta born and bred emcee creates 2010′s first pop masterpiece, his debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray signaling to every other emo emcee that there’s fun, color, and happiness to blend with all the pain, and that happy days are to be had to balance all of the apparent sadness in the universe. It’s a pop music silver lining of an album at play here, one that elevates the spirit as well as is a perpetual listening good time, quotable and memorable hooks, brilliant melodies and nearly note perfect production allowing for B.o.B. to shine as bright as humanly possible on his debut.

The key element that makes this album a success is that B.o.B. never lets us see him sweat. As at home with Hayley Williams of Paramore or Rivers Cuomo of Weezer as he is with frequent collaborator Playboy Tre and his Grand Hustle label head T.I., the lengths that the artist is willing to extend himself to for the goal of his artistic expression are quite evident. This album is a pop album steeped in hip hop sensibilities. It’s one of the first of it’s kind in quite some time, as on a major label release, what so many independent artists have attempted and succeeded in doing on a smaller level is explored and successful on an international stage. “Airplanes,” both the duet with the waif-like and cute Paramore lead singer and especially with her and hip hop legend Eminem is the front-runner for song of the year. A hopeful, yearning pop song about changing your stars and making it out of your situation is the front runner for “Song of the Year” consideration. Eminem on the remix is a brilliant turn, as between 8 Mile and “Lose Yourself,” he’s the best known arbiter of the hopeful dreamer that succeeded archetype in hip hop today.

That’s not the only hit here. Newcomers The Smeezington’s production “Nothing on You” is a platinum single for a reason. It has a gigantic hook, and B.o.B. is perfectly comfortable in the role of lovelorn lothario. B.o.B. also takes a stab at becoming the next David Banner, a southern emcee as comfortable behind the boards as he is spitting bars. His three productions, album opener “Don’t Let Me Fall,” “Ghost In the Machine,” and “Lovelier than You” are sparse instrumental pieces barren of electronic handicraft that are definite winners. Katy Perry and Ke$ha’s best friend Dr. Luke produces blaring, Hot Topic hipster aimed synth pop number “Magic,” with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer on the hook, as yes, the same man who once said ”If you want to destroy my sweater, pull this thread as I walk away,”attempts more pop opulence with “when I hit the floor the girls come snappin’ at me,” but certainly falls woefully short, Weezer’s various attempts at hitching their wagons to 21st century popular culture as of late making them once again financially viable, but not necessarily doing their legacy any favors.

In final, what separates B.o.B.from the Drakes and Kid Cudis of the world is an intense refusal to have any modicum of self awareness. The second that Drake and Cudi stopped crying and started popping bottles, their innocence and vulnerability was gone,and so went a great deal of their ability to craft a direction for their rap careers. Drake and Cudi were made from celebrating a fleeting hopefulness in the face of the unspeakable weight of the 21st century reality. As soon as they made it to the mainstream, they seemingly became unencumbered of this pressure, and ave not been as focused or quite the same to their legions of fans. B.o.B. appears to be exactly what he is. Humble, happy and wanting to express a slightly different reality and existence. In not choosing to be effortlessly positive in the face of the pitiable nature of humankind, he has allowed himself the freedom to craft a successful vision of a career. The Adventures of Bobby Ray, in culling together all of the brief snapshots of joy, even in the face of pain, may indeed be the best album of 2010.

Atlanta’s B.O.B. is a man of many hats. His concerts feature him rapping over crunk, hip-hop, then switching it up by breaking the guitar and going all Coldplay on us. However, his latest single and video, Nothin’ on You has him going into the realm of radio pop. I’m not mad, this track is rather amazing and I’m glad to see that he’s getting radio airplay. I’m also glad to see that he will be dropping his debut album on April 27th.

One of the most talented MCs out of the “Class of 09,” B.O.B. is still critically slept on by most of music. The multiple threat MC can do crunk, introspective hip-hop, and alt rock with ease, switching between these three genres effortlessly on stage. His hits “Haters Everywhere,” and “Ill Be In The Sky” are solid and the dude definitely needs more exposure.

The track, “No Man’s Land” is a perfect example of the dude’s versatility. But when will we ever see a major label release?

There has been a lot of discussion about the future of hip-hop. Where will it go? What it would sound like? Who will be the key players?

If there is any indication, the future of hip-hop might just sound like Kid Cudi, Asher Roth, and B.O.B.

The three, along with New York rapper 88 Keys headlined the Great Hangover Tour at a sold-out 9:30 Club, consisting of artists who XXL Magazine calls the “new class” of hip-hop. Ironically, the “hangover” date in DC was packed to the gills with fans who were not old enough to take a legal drink, however, their overwhelming, and sometimes over the top support for the performers on the bill is endearing, considering that only 1 of these artists has an album that you can physically purchase at the music store.

Unfortunately, I missed 88 Key’s set, however, Atlanta rapper B.O.B. (aka Bobby Ray), held it down and gave the breakout performance of the night. B.O.B. combines Southern Hip-Hop with a bluesy drawl and some pop rock attitude. In addition to tracks like “Haters Everywhere,” which carry more Southern flavor, he rocks a guitar as well. Flanked by fellow Atlanta rapper Playboy Tre, his set consisted of tracks from his Who The Fuck Is B.O.B. Mixtape which everybody in the room it seems downloaded, because they all knew the words.

Even though he was not rocking a full band like the last time I saw him at SXSW, B.O.B’s stage presence sets this guy apart from most rappers I’ve seen in a while. He’s not only genuinely happy to be on stage, but was genuinely appreciative of the fans who got him into this position.

Next came Asher Roth, the 23 year old Pennsylvania rapper who came onto the scene with the track “I Love College,” earlier this year. Asher starts his set with the Saved By The Bell theme, which puzzles the audience, many of whom were probably still in the womb when that show was on television. That diversion is immediately proceeded by Asher rolling on stage in an Escalade Power Wheels to the track “Lark on my Go-Kart.”

Asher’s set was heavy on the props. In addition to the Escalade, he had a fake blunt (which he offered the audience to toke of course), and costumed stage hands dressed up as a Marijuana leaf running around the stage during the break to “Blunt Crusin’.” However, for a dude who already has an album, he did a little too much talking between songs and referencing other people’s tracks (most notably DJ Class’ “I’m the Shit” and Soul 4 Real’s “Candy Rain”) more than his own. The 50 or so minutes that he was on stage did hit the highlights of his album Asleep In The Bread Aisle, which included “As I Em,” “Be By Myself, and the radio favorite ” I Love College,” as well as the typical “get the girls on stage” routine for “She Don’t Want To Dance.”

The headliner of the night, however, was Kid Cudi. Unlike the previous artists, whose stage setup could fit in your bedroom, Cudi’s set was flanked by a video screen and multimedia lighting setup which looked straight out of his mentor Kanye West’s Glow In The Dark tour.

Like Kanye, Cudi took the stage all by himself at 1:45 AM, with no DJ or backing band. Unlike his apperance at SXSW, he had enough swagger and stage presence to rise up to the challenge of fronting the show solo. While, I’m still out about his mainstream chances, the crowd treated him like Kanye himself was in the building. You can judge how popular an artist is by the number of digital cameras and iFlips that are busted out during their performance, and Cudi’s was no different with everybody in the venue trying to take a pic of him.

After energetic sets by Asher and B.O.B., Cudi was able to somehow keep that energy moving, even with emo driven and slow paced songs like “Heaven Tonight,” and “Man on the Moon.”  Even in the wee hours of the morning, while this writer was contemplating bed, the crowd was still rocking with Cudi until the last song. Even though traditional hip-hop has frowned on Cudi for his over emotional rants, “anti-Blogger rants,” and “I’m going to retire Tweets,” his fans genuinely love and appreciate him. They knew his freestyles, and tracks like “Sky Might Fall,” and of course his newest unexpected hit “Make ‘Em Say” (aka “Poke Her Face”).

The lesson learned by this tour? There is a brand new youth movement in hip-hop, whether the we like it or not. The iPod generation is real, and The Great Hangover tour demonstrates that you can put together a sold-out club tour based on online buzz alone. Let’s face it. The game done changed.

I’m loving what Reebok is doing with their new classics lines, flipping them with todays’ Blog-Hop artists. First it was Kid Sister’s “Ill House You,” and now its B.O.B. (aka Bobby Ray) dropping a signature shoe as well as remake of a classic hip-hop track, which drops on May 21st. I don’t wear Reeboks (Nike FTW!), but I might have to pick up the B.O.Bs in blue. I’m sure they will run a lot cheaper than those Air Yeezy’s.

FULL FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM HERE

When it comes to the new Class of ’09, B.o.B., the Atlanta native, signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle Entertainment, might just be that quiet music kid in the back of homeroom.

While rappers like Wale, Kid Cudi, and Asher Roth get showered with buzz like a high school football team, B.o.B. (aka Bobby Ray)  has gotten little buzz, even though he had a minor hit back in 2007 with “Haterz Everywhere.” For 2009, and his new album The Adventures of B.o.B., Bobby Ray hopes to be known more for his rootsier track “I’ll Be In The Sky,” than any crunk club banger.

His band setup sets him apart from every other rapper in the Class of ’09. The sound, a cross between Dungeon Family staples Outkast and Goodie Mob with soul crooners like Anthony Hamilton, is very stripped down, with the rapper picking up the guitar for tracks like “Ghost In The Machine,” and getting intimate for an acoustic rendition of “Generation Lost,” a introspective song in the vein of a soulful, Southern Coldplay. Don’t hate. Ray is a multi-instrumentalist, rocking the keys for some songs while picking up the guitar with ease for others.

And of course, with any rapper, you must have your family on stage. B.O.B. brought his boy Playboy Tre in for a few cuts. Tre, bringing that ATL Crunk to a Texas audience, plays to the solid ATL script, but offers a kind counterpoint to B.O.B.’s performance.

After seeing B.O.B. live I’ve completely come into his corner. He’s an artist that you want to see succeed. His Southern roots style is the complete antithesis of what were hearing in urban music today. Let’s hope that Bobby Ray can change the current direction of hip-hop.

With Beverly Bond one the 1s and 2s and Bizzare Royale in the house.

I touched on this a few weeks ago with their DC date, but I have some new information concerning the Hip-Hop Live tour featuring Talib, David Banner and Little Brother: The Rhythm Roots All Stars will back all of the acts on the bill for the entire tour. This has just been elevated to a must see event.

Tour Dates:

10/03/08 @ Roseland Theater (Portland, OR)

10/04/08 @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR)

10/05/08 @ Showbox SoDo (Seattle, WA)

10/08/08 @ Fox Theatre (Boulder, CO)

10/10/08 @ First Avenue (Minneapolis, MN)

10/11/08 @ Washington University (St. Louis, MO)

10/13/08 @ Bluebird Nightclub (Bloomington, IN)

10/16/08 @ Revolution (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

10/18/08 @ Georgia Theatre (Athens, GA)

10/19/08 @ The Orange Peel (Asheville, NC)

10/20/08 @ 9:30 Club (Washington, DC)

10/21/08 @ Trocadero (Philadelphia, PA)

10/22/08 @ Rec Center – Univ of Mass (Lowell, MA)

10/23/08 @ Clark University (Worcester, MA)

10/24/08 @ Showcase Live (Foxborough, MA)

10/25/08 @ Nokia Theatre (New York, NY)