Highlights
- B.o.B's career has declined in recent years, but he is determined to make a comeback and has released a new song addressing his controversial past.
- B.o.B had a rocky relationship with Atlantic Records, claiming they suppressed his artistry and limited his exposure.
- B.o.B shared controversial flat-earth beliefs in 2016, leading to backlash from Neil deGrasse Tyson and others. He has since joked about the situation and admitted to struggling with anxiety and depression during that time.
Once upon a time in the 2010s, B.o.B was a name that nobody could escape. The Georgia rapper, whose real name is Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., rose to fame as one of the prolific faces in the pop-rap subgenre, collaborating with the likes of Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and Hayley Williams of Paramore. He was so immensely talented that legendary rapper T.I. co-signed him to Grand Hustle Records.
The glory days are long gone, though, and it seems like Bobby has fallen into obscurity. It's almost like we haven't heard of his name at all over the past few years, at least not in the way we used to. B.o.B has gone indie now, and the last few albums he put out did not recreate that same magic.
Updated September 20, 2023: Despite his career taking a major dip after he shared controversial flat earther comments to X - then known as Twitter - back in 2016, B.o.B seems determined to make a comeback. His latest song, "Ted Talk" was released in 2022, specifically addressing the situation, and he's even spoken to TMZ about being in a dark place at the time, which led up to the incident in the first place. He's also continued with concerts in spite of protests against them, as was the case in August 2022.
One thing's for sure: B.o.B is on a mission to make a comeback.
6 Why B.o.B Left Atlantic Records In 2015
B.o.B's relationship with Atlantic Records was rocky at best, and the two parties parted ways in 2015. The reason? He said that the label had given less to no promotion for his projects and "suppressed his artistry."
"There's a ban on BoB," said the Atlanta rapper on Twitter, adding, "They boycott me, they are afraid I'll get too much exposure. When ppl say I'm 'under-rated' or 'slept-on' ... it's not entirely the case... 'suppressed' is a better word. All my social media outlets are heavily monitored and my reach is crippled." He ended up releasing music independently, under T.I's label.
5 B.o.B's New Focus
Since signing with T.I, B.o.B signed indie rappers like Jake Lambo, London Jae, JaqueBeatz, and Scooty ATL. They released a few collaborative mixtapes as a collective, including B.o.B. Presents No Genre: The Label back in 2016.
"I just let the artists do what they want to do creatively, and as far as who they want to be and the type of music they want to make," he told Raj Anand of Still Crew about his roster of flagship artists, adding, "Even if they don’t figure it out immediately, they’ll figure it out. It’ll make them that much better and that much more natural."
4 B.o.B's Controversial Flat-Earth Statements
After years on the up and up, everything began to come crashing down for B.o.B back in 2016, when he shared his take on the shape of the earth. In a since-deleted tweet, he quipped, "The cities in the background are approx. 16miles apart… where is the curve ? please explain this." Understandably, his allusions to being a flat earther saw him get some heat ... but then he doubled down.
"A lot of people are turned off by the phrase “flat earth” … but there’s no way u can see all the evidence and not know… grow up," he wrote.
Not long after, none other than Neil deGrasse Tyson weighed in on the matter. Specifically, he poked fun at B.o.B seeming to think he was being silenced for anything deeper than the absurdity of his comments. "Flat Earth is a problem only when people in charge think that way. No law stops you from regressively basking in it," the scientist tweeted.
Clearly incensed by the clapback, B.o.B released a diss track, "Flatline," aimed at Tyson. That still wasn't the last he had to say on the matter, though. A year later, he doubled down once again - this time, with a GoFundMe page named "Show BoB the Curve," aimed at raising money to send satellites into space to get photographic evidence.
The campaign has since been removed.
3 B.o.B's Other Controversial Statements
Flat earth sentiments weren't the only controversial statements made in "Flatline." Seemingly determined to share his thoughts on everything and anything, B.o.B also insinuated that science was a cult. That still wasn't all, though. He also encouraged listeners to learn more about Holocaust denier, David Irving. Also included in the song were references to alleged Freemason indoctrination.
One rapper who didn't take too kindly to the song was none other than Neil deGrasse Tyson's nephew, Ellect. In a diss track of his own, the rapper born Stephen Tyson Jr. made a point of commending B.o.B's talents, but called him out for spreading misinformation.
"I know we got a freedom of speech, but Bobby please ... Somebody stop this," he rapped.
2 B.o.B Has Since Joked About The Situation
As it turns out, the one to stop the situation was B.o.B. Thanks in no small part to his comments, his career did slow down significantly soon after.
However, several years on, he's spoken about how everything went down in a follow-up song to "Flatline."
In "Ted Talk," the rapper presents a back-and-forth with a fictional reporter, outlining where things went wrong, and making a statement that he believed things could have gone differently if everyone hadn't taken him so seriously at the time, or if he'd been laughed at, rather than lambasted.
It's a playful take on a pretty turbulent situation - and it's certainly his way of putting the issue to bed.
1 B.o.B Admitted That Anxiety And Depression Played A Role
More than six years on from the "Flatline" fiasco, B.o.B spoke with TMZ in 2022 about where he was at, emotionally, when he'd shared his controversial viewpoints. As it turns out, he was going through a lot at the time.
It wasn't the first time he'd been open about his struggles with mental health over the years. Back in 2020, he chalked a lot of it up to his profession. As he told DJ Sway Calloway, "As a musician, you have some real high highs and some real low lows."
It only made matters worse, then, that while at such a low point, he was also surrounded by people who he believed might not have been the greatest influences - though he didn't go into detail.
B.o.B explained that his response, which, post-"Flatline," was to disappear, fanned the flames. As he told TMZ, had he issued a statement earlier on, he probably could have mitigated some of the damage. However, that was the last thing on his mind back then.
What's done is done, but with B.o.B addressing the situation head-on in his new music, perhaps he'll be able to reinvent himself.
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