Born & Raised:
Birth name: Robert Wilson.
Born: Feb. 27, 1980 in Jackson, Miss. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia.
Born: Feb. 27, 1980 in Jackson, Miss. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia.
Early Life & Career:
Bobby V., aka Bobby Valentino, was born in Mississippi but raised primarily in the Atlanta area. He was an R&B fan at a young age, and inspired by such popular groups as Tony! Toni! Tone! and Jodeci, Bobby and three other friends from school, Darryl Allen, Brandon Brown and Byron Reeder, formed an R&B quartet called Mista in the mid-1990s. They signed with Elektra Records in 1995 and released their self-titled debut album the next year. The album produced one hit, the first single, "Blackberry Molasses." But by 1998, the group had permanently split up.
Solo Struggles:
After Mista's demise, Bobby enrolled in college and began attending Clark Atlanta University, majoring in Mass Communications. He continued to record in his free time however, and in the spring of 2002 he auditioned for the first season of "American Idol." He was not selected by the judges, but continued working on his music and shopping his demo to various labels. Eventually, he came to the attention of rapper Ludacris who, like Bobby, lived in Atlanta. He was eventually signed to be the first artist on Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace Records.
Going Solo:
Bobby, now going by the name Bobby Valentino, released his self-titled solo debut album in 2005 via Disturbing Tha Peace/Island Def Jam. The album was a hit, selling over 700,000 copies, partially due to the success of its first single, "Slow Down." His sophomore album, Special Occasion, followed in 2007, but only sold 270,000 copies and generated no hit singles. In early 2008, Bobby announced that he was leaving the Disturbing Tha Peace clique and Island Def Jam, partially due to unhappiness with his second album's lack of promotion and weak sales.
The Indie Route:
In early 2008, Bobby started his own label, Blu Kolla Dreams. In April of that year, he released his third album, The Rebirth on his label, in conjunction with EMI. Sometime before this, Bobby shortened his stage name to Bobby V. after being sued by a British singer-songwriter who had performed under the Bobby Valentino name since the 1970s. As of 2011, Bobby still releases music under the Bobby V. name on his own label. His fourth album, Fly in the Wall, came out in March 2011.