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Bobby Valentino
Valentino performing in Southeast Missouri State University during the Xi Gamma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha's Miss Black And Gold Pageant in 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Robert Wilson
Also known as	Bobby V, Bobby V-Tino
Born	February 27, 1980 (1980-02-27) (age 29) Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre(s)	R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Piano
Voice type(s)	Tenor1
Years active	1996–present
Label(s)	Disturbing tha Peace, Def Jam, EMI, Blu Kolla Dreams
Associated acts	Mista
Website	www.justbobby.com

Robert Wilson (born on February 27, 1980), better known by his stage name Bobby Valentino, or Bobby V is an American R&B singer (his nickname being "Valentino" because he was due to be born on Valentine's day).² He is known as Bobby V or Bobby V-Tino in the United Kingdom due to a lawsuit involving a British musician who has been recording under the same name since 1975.³⁴

Early life and career beginnings

Valentino was born Robert Wilson on February 27, 1980, in Jackson, Mississippi.⁵ He later moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he attended North Atlanta High School. 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. Bobby 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.⁶⁷ 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 didn't 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 Communication's and although many people think it he did not pledge Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. While in school, Bobby continued to record in his free time in hopes of one day returning to the stage.⁸ In the spring of 2002 he auditioned for season one of American Idol, but didn't make the cut.⁹

After graduating in 2003, Bobby decided to focus on music again. 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.² 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 2004.⁸

Career

2005–2007: Debut album and Special Occasion

Bobby Valentino was released in the spring of 2005 through Island Def Jam and Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label. His first single, "Slow Down", became a top 10 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, receiving a large amount of radio and TV airplay. Also in 2005, Bobby joined Bow Wow, Omarion, Marques Houston, B5 and Pretty Ricky on the Scream Tour IV. After the success of "Slow Down," Bobby released a second single titled "Tell Me (Remix)" 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, Valentino 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, and has since been certified gold.

2008–present: New label and The Rebirth

In early 2008 Valentino confirmed that he was no longer signed to either Def Jam or Disturbing The Peace during an interview with DJBooth.net. He stated:

Despite Special Occasion's gold certification, Valentino was reportedly frustrated with the album's delays and less than expected sales, culminating in his decision to leave the labels.¹⁰ Although business ties have been severed, Valentino maintains positive relationships with CEO Chaka Zulu, Ludacris and the DTP/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, Valentino signed a new deal with EMI, which will house his imprint Blu Kolla Dreams.¹¹ In regards to the new label Bobby's manager and co-CEO of Blu Kolla Dreams Courtney "Colt Luv" Stewart stated:

In addition, Bobby announced the release of a new album titled The Rebirth. When asked about his powerful new album Bobby stated:

The Rebirth was released on February 10, 2009. The album's first official single "Beep" featuring Yung Joc was released via iTunes on October 7, 2008. Valentino's third studio album features production by Big Fruit, Raphael Saadiq, LOS Da Maestro and Tim & Bob.

Discography

• Bobby Valentino (2005)
• Special Occasion (2007)
• The Rebirth (2009)

Awards and nominations

• NAACP Image Awards
  • 2006, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated)

• Soul Train Awards
  • 2006, Best R&B/Soul Single, Male: "Slow Down" (Nominated)
  • 2006, Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist (Nominated)

• Vibe Awards
  • 2005, Reelest Video: "Pimpin' All Over the World" (Nominated)

References

External links

• Official website