Bobby Marcel Wilson (born February 27, 1980), better known by his stage name Bobby V (also known as Bobby Valentino), is an American R&B singer. He was first a member of the R&B group Mista in 1994, before signing to rapper

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

through his label imprint,

Disturbing tha Peace Disturbing tha Peace Records (DTP) is an American record label founded by Ludacris, Jeff Dixon, and Chaka Zulu. History Beginnings Disturbing tha Peace was founded in 1998 by Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges, manager Chaka Zulu, and Zulu's brother ...

under

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

in 2005. Bobby V's first single as a solo artist, "

Slow Down Slow Down or slowdown may refer to: Music * ''Slow Down'' (album), by Keb' Mo', 1998 Songs * "Slow Down" (Bobby Valentino song), 2005 * "Slow Down" (Brand Nubian song), 1991 * "Slow Down" (Douwe Bob song), representing the Netherlands at Euro ...

", released in February 2005, peaked at number 8 on ''Billboard''s Hot 100 chart. The single was certified gold by the RIAA and became the lead single for his eponymous debut album (2005)—which peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and had a follow up single, " Tell Me" (featuring

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

). His next album, '' Special Occasion'' was released in May 2007, and warranted success from its second single, " Anonymous" (featuring

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

). He has charted three No. 1 albums on '' Billboard''s U.S. Top R&B Chart since 2006.

Life and career

1980–2004: Early life and career beginnings

Bobby Marcel Wilson was born on February 27, 1980, in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. He later moved to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. Growing up, Wilson listened to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Tony! Toni! Toné! Tony! Toni! Toné! was an American soul/ R&B band from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq ...

, Marvin Gaye,

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limi ...

, and

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

. Those were the artists that inspired him to become a R&B singer. Wilson 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. The new teenage R&B group released their first record. Under the production of

Organized Noize Organized Noize is an American production team from Atlanta, Georgia composed of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown. History Among the hit records they have worked on include TLC's "Waterfalls", En Vogue's " Don't Let Go (Love)", and L ...

(

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

's "

Waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several w ...

"), the group released their self-titled debut album, which produced the hit single "

Blackberry Molasses "Blackberry Molasses" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B group Mista. It is the opening track on their eponymous debut album and serves as the album's first single. The song was the group's highest chart appearance on the ''Bill ...

". However, the album did not follow in the same success and despite a second album being produced by

Tim & Bob Tim & Bob (Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson), also known as Funktwons, were a songwriting and production duo. Tim & Bob have discovered and or worked on some of the biggest artists in the music industry and has helped develop the Atlanta music scene ...

, it was never released. Due to management issues the group split in 1997. Wilson later enrolled at Clark Atlanta University majoring in mass communications. While in school, Wilson continued to record in his free time in hopes of one day returning to the stage. Bobbyv

2005–2007: Debut album and ''Special Occasion''

'' Bobby Valentino'' was released in the spring of 2005 through

Island Def Jam The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordin ...

and

label and was certified gold by the RIAA selling over 708,000 copies in the United States. Primarily produced by hitmakers

, his first single, "

", became a Top 10 hit on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and a #1 R&B single on the ''Billboard'' R&B Singles chart receiving a large amount of radio and TV airplay. Also in 2005, he joined Bow Wow,

Omarion Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor and dancer. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the boy band B2K. The group achieved success in the e ...

Marques Houston Marques Barrett Houston (born August 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actor. A member of the R&B group Immature/IMx from 1990 until 2002, Houston went solo in 2003. As an actor, he is best known for his role as Roger Evans ...

, B5 and

Pretty Ricky Pretty Ricky is an American R&B/ hip hop group originating from Miami, Florida. The group originally consisted of brothers Diamond Blue (Baby Blue) Smith and Spectacular Smith, plus Corey (Slick 'Em) Mathis and Marcus (Pleasure P) Cooper. Ple ...

on the

Scream Tour IV The Scream Tour IV (also referred to as Scream Tour IV: The HeartThrobs) was a summer 2005 concert tour featuring Bow Wow (rapper), Bow Wow, Omarion, Marques Houston, B5 (band), B5, Pretty Ricky and Bobby Valentino. It was an installment in the Scr ...

. After the success of "Slow Down", he released a second single, a remix of his song " Tell Me" featuring

, produced by

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'', Bobby V released the album's first single titled " Turn the Page" with mixed reviews. His second single, " Anonymous" featuring

, was released on April 9, 2007. Overall, the album received positive reviews from critics and audiences. He later returned to his pier appearing on the debut episode of MTV's
Once Upon A Prom
', which aired on May 19, 2007.

2008–2009: New label and ''The Rebirth''

In early 2008, Bobby V confirmed that he was no longer signed to either Def Jam or Disturbing tha Peace during an interview with DJBooth.net. He stated: Around this time the British musician Bobby Valentino brought an action against the Bobby V (then billed as "Bobby Valentino") and his then record label Def Jam for "Passing off, trademark infringement, and breach of contract, in relation to record sales, recorded content, and artist's live performances". 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. Although business ties have been severed, Bobby 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

and leaving

Records, Bobby V signed a new deal with

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

, which will house his imprint Blu Kolla Dreams. In regards to the new label his manager and co-CEO of Blu Kolla Dreams Courtney "Colt Luv" Stewart stated: In addition, Bobby V announced the release of a new album titled ''

The Rebirth ''The Rebirth'' (originally titled ''Underground Love'') is the third studio album by American R&B singer Bobby V, who had recorded his first two albums under the name Bobby Valentino. It was released on February 10, 2009. The album was V's firs ...

''. When asked about his powerful new album Bobby V stated: ''The Rebirth'' was released on February 10, 2009, under his new stage name "Bobby V". The album's first official single "

Beep The Blocks Extensible Exchange Protocol (BEEP) is a framework for creating network application protocols. BEEP includes building blocks like framing, pipelining, multiplexing, reporting and authentication for connection and message-oriented pe ...

" featuring

Yung Joc Jasiel Amon Robinson (born September 20, 1980), better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2006 hit single " It's Goin' Down". and as a feature on T-Pain's US number-one single "Buy U a Drank (Shawt ...

was released via iTunes on October 7, 2008. In the fall of 2009, Bobby V performed under his new alias at Rutgers University Hot Dog Knight. V's third studio album features production by

Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...

, LOS Da Maestro and Big Fruit.

2010–present

Bobby V released his fourth studio album ''

Fly on the Wall Fly on the wall is a style of documentary-making used in film and television production. The name derived from the idea that events are seen candidly, as a fly on a wall might see them. In the purest form of fly-on-the-wall documentary-making, t ...

'' on March 22, 2011. The first single was "Phone #", which features rapper Plies and was produced by

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, (born April 15, 1974), professionally known as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Sho'nuff Records, to wh ...

. 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

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

's 1989 album ''

Don't Be Cruel "Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.Victor (2008), ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', p.115-116 It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in '' Rol ...

''. "Grab Somebody, which features rapper

Twista Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (formerly Tung Twista), is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for his chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastes ...

was his fourth single. Bobby V later appeared alongside rappers

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...

and Lil Wayne on the song "Sex in the Lounge" from Minaj's second album '' Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded''. In May 2012, Bobby V released the first single from his album, '' Dusk Till Dawn'', titled "Mirror", which features rapper

. On October 16, 2012. ''Dusk Till Dawn'' was released. The album sold 50 000 copies in the first week. In April 2013, Bobby V announced that he was working on a new project, ''Peach Moon''. The first single from ''Peach Moon'' was "Back To Love". Bobby V released ''Peach Moon'' on December 10, 2013. On January 28, 2015, Bobby V was featured in a single released by Gotti, called "I Need a Girl." In January 2016, Bobby V made a partnership with Michael Caseau to aid in media direction, investments, and management. Also in 2016, he released the soundtrack to the

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

film ''Hollywood Hearts''. In September 2017, Bobby V signed a new label deal with SoNo Recording Group distributed by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. The label reunites him with record producer and A&R man

Tim Kelley Tim Kelley (born May 20, 1986) is a former American Alpine skiing, alpine ski racer. He was born in Burlington, Vermont to former alpine skier Lindy Cochran and her husband Steve Kelley. His siblings Jessica Kelley and Robby Kelley both raced on ...

, who co-produced his 2005 debut, ''Disturbing Tha Peace Presents Bobby Valentino''. The new album ''Electrik'' which was produced entirely by Tim Kelley, was released on March 9, 2018. The album debuted on the ''Billboard'' R&B Album Chart at #7. ''Electrik'' includes a collaboration with Snoop Dogg on the album's first single "Lil' Bit". In June 2022, Bobby V participated in

Verzuz ''Verzuz'' is an American webcast series created by record producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, that airs on Verzuz TV. Verzuz was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a virtual DJ battle, with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz facing off in ...

, paired with Ray J and went against

Sammie Sammie Lee Bush, Jr. (born March 1, 1987), known by the mononym Sammie, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for his 1999 hit single, " I Like It", from his debut album, ''From the Bottom to the Top'' (2000). He returned with ...

with

Pleasure P Marcus Ramone Cooper Sr, (born December 27, 1984), better known by his stage name Pleasure P, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, who experienced success as a member of the group Pretty Ricky before embarking on a solo career in 2007. H ...

. Their segment went viral for multiple reasons, resulting in the four singers to meet virtually on social media where they came together and develop a R&B supergroup R.S.V.P, which currently is in development.

Personal life

Wilson has one child: a daughter born in 2017.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Bobby Valentino'' (2005) * '' Special Occasion'' (2007) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2011) * '' Dusk Till Dawn'' (2012) * ''Electrik'' (2018)

Filmography

* ''Hollywood Hearts'' (TV movie; 2016)

Awards and nominations

Urban Music Awards The Urban Music Awards (UMA) is a hip-hop, R&B, dance, and soul music awards ceremony which was launched by Jordan Kensington in 2003 and is now held in several countries. The US version of the award ceremony, the Urban Music Awards USA, was ...

** 2009, Urban Music Award for Best Male Artist (won) ** 2009, Urban Music Award for Best R&B Act (won) *

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

** 2006, Outstanding New Artist (nominated) *

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the p ...

** 2006, Best R&B/Soul Single, Male: "Slow Down" (nominated) ** 2006, Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist (nominated) *

Vibe Awards ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in ...

** 2005, Reelest Video: "Pimpin' All Over the World" (nominated) *

BMI Awards The BMI Film & TV Awards are accolades presented annually by Broadcast Music, Inc., honoring songwriters, composers, and music publishers in various genres. Based in the United States, the awards include the BMI Christian Awards, BMI Country Award ...

** 2005, Song of the Year: "Slow Down" (won)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1980 births 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American male singers American contemporary R&B singers American hip hop singers American tenors Clark Atlanta University alumni Living people Musicians from Atlanta Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from Mississippi 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American male singers American male songwriters