He Got Soul: Bobby V
The R&B singer will perform at the 2013 Soul Train Awards.
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First Big Break - Bobby V – formerly known as Bobby Valentino – entered the music scene in 1996 as a member of R&B youth group Mista. Though the quartet produced a chart-topping single – "Blackberry Molasses" – the group disbanded before their second album could be released.
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An American Idol - Not to be deterred, Bobby V continued to record whilst enrolled at Clark Atlanta University. In 2002, he auditioned for season one of American Idol, but unfortunately did not make the cut.
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Never Give Up - With three albums worth of demo material, Bobby V continued to pursue his dreams. Eventually, one of his records reached the offices of Bad Boy Entertainment. CEO Puff Daddy forwarded the music to rapper Ludacris’ Disturbing the Peace label and “the rest was history” as Bobby V says.
Photo By Michael Buckner/Getty Images for HollyRod Foundation
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The Big Debut - His self-titled debut – Bobby Valetino – released in the spring of 2005 and was certified gold. His first single “Slow Down,” was an instant hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts and earned Bobby a Soul Train Awards nomination for Best R&B/Soul Single. Later that year, he joined the Scream Tour IV line-up, which also featured Bow Wow, Omarion, Pretty Ricky and more.
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Sophomore Success - Bobby V’s sophomore effort Special Occassion, featuring “Turn The Page” and the Timbaland-produced single “Anonymous” received positive reviews from audiences and critics. The album, which featured three-fourths writing credit from Valentino, peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
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