Bobby Ray Simmons (born November 15, 1988), also simply known as Bobby Ray, formerly B.o.B, is an American recording artist and producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle and Atlantic Records. In December 2008, he appeared on the cover of XXL magazine along with Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, and Wale as "Hip-Hop's Class of '09". In October 2008, B.o.B was featured on the cover of Vibe along with some of these same young musicians and was similarly identified as promising young talent. He has described his influences as "80's music, Rap, techno, rock, and funk.