Have You Heard Of Bobby Ray?
BET Music has a post listing 13 Must-Have Mixtapes For 2009. There are a bunch of those I still need to hear myself, but one that I can speak on is B.o.B vs Bobby Ray. I’ve been curious about B.o.B (whose mixtape also signifies him changing him name to Bobby Ray) since I first heard “I’ll Be In The Sky.” I also eventually saw a segment about him on Last Call With Carson Daly, where he talked a little about his approach to music and tackling both hip-hop and R&B/Soul while still bringing something new to the table. Several people have attempted to do both, but few really pull it off. Bobby Ray is someone that had convinced me.
On the mixtape, he displays his apt for clever rhymes while also showcasing later in on in the line-up that he’s a competent instrumentalist and knows a thing or two about arranging something even more melodic. His choices for samples range from live Kanye West tracks to that infamous Mickey & Sylvia song, “Love Is Strange,” featured in Dirty Dancing, also proving that he’s the kind of guy who isn’t afraid to use even unexpected influences as a jumping off point.
Check out a few tracks!
Bobby Ray – My Sweet Baby
Bobby Ray – Satellite
