Tell Me
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 a British singer, song writer and musician
who has been recording and performing under the name Bobby Valentino
for over 35 years.
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. Many believe V pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity,
Inc, though this is not true. While in school, 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," off
of Ludacris' multi-platinum selling album The Red Light District
in 2004.[4]
[edit] Career
[edit] 2005–2007: Debut album and Special Occasion
Bobby V performing at a concert in 2007.
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.
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.
[edit] 2008: New label and The Rebirth
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.
[edit] 2011: Fly on the Wall
Bobby V will be releasing his fourth studio album Fly on the Wall
and the first single released is "Phone #", which features
rapper Plies and was produced by Jazze Pha. The album is expected
to be released on March 8, 2011 as stated by Bobby on 106 & Park.
[edit] Discography
Main article: Bobby V discography
* Bobby Valentino (2005)
* Special Occasion (2007)
* The Rebirth (2009)
* Fly on the Wall (2011)
[edit] Awards and nominations
* NAACP Image Awards
o 2006, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated)
* Soul Train Awards
o 2006, Best R&B/Soul Single, Male: "Slow Down" (Nominated)
o 2006, Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist (Nominated)
* Vibe Awards
o 2005, Reelest Video: "Pimpin' All Over the World" (Nominated)
* Urban Music Awards
o 2009, Best Music Video: Mrs Officer (Nominated)
o 2009, Best R&B (Won)
o 2009, Best Male (Won)