B.o.B might be a rock star in disguise as the savior of hip hop.

There was a time when the term “rapper” was an instant typecast. Artists who wore that name tag were expected to walk and talk a certain way and never conform to the status quo. But now, as music sheds definitions and genre lines continue to be erased, the climate is ripe for “rappers” to redefine that job title and make the world conform to them.

Leading that charge is Winston-Salem born, globally-raised B.o.B aka Bobby Ray.

B.o.B introduced himself to the world in 2006 with his mixtape Cloud 9, and has since traveled the world, topped the charts and broken invisible barriers that the music world didn’t know existed.

Now with his latest album Strange Clouds, the six-time Grammy nominated rapper/songwriter is on a quest to show the fans he’s had from day one, as well as the ones he just made yesterday, that his float to the top is no fluke.

 Just as he proved on his Gold-certified debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray with his multi-platinum, breakout hits “Airplanes” featuring Haley Williams of Paramore, and “Nothing On You” featuring Bruno Mars, which was nominated for “Record Of The Year” at the 2010 Grammy Awards, B.o.B flies well with passengers.

But, it’s the solo flights on Strange Clouds that show that he is one of the greats of his time.

“Being on the road and getting to record this album all over the planet gave me a chance to bring my fans on a journey with me,” says B.o.B who headlined tours throughout Asia, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom in 2011 and received a personal invitation from President Barack Obama to perform at his National Gen44 Summit Kickoff Concert in September 2010. “I’m glad to come home with a story to tell.”

With well-balanced offering of genre-defying songs and a world view to match, B.o.B proves that living with your head in the clouds, isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Personally, we love this interview that B.o.B did with Nan for Big Day Out 2013

And dig these stats: 

B.o.B – Airplanes (Feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore) has 170 million views on YouTube

B.o.B – Nothin’ On You (Feat. Bruno Mars) has 98 million views on YouTube