While sitting alongside Snoop Lion and Busta Rhymes, B.o.B. talked with HipHopDX about how Busta, in particular, has influenced his career. Bobby Ray said of the Brooklyn born rapper, "I used to watch Busta Rhymes videos back when I was a kid. I used to look at him like, ‘Wow! That’s crazy! That’s dope! I want to do that!’ So this is definitely coming full circle.”
He also went on to explain his feelings before and after signing a deal and releasing his hit song "Airplanes". "It really spoke more to how I felt at that time in my life. I was coming out of high school, a young aspiring dude trying to prove he can make it. At the same time, I was dealing with the timeline of life. This is around the time when you have to go to college and ‘pick your career.’ So for me, that song talked about those different places in life."
He further added, "When you’re an artist, you want to accomplish something. It’s similar to being an athlete and you want to get that championship so that everything will be better. You think it will take it all away. It’s like winning the lottery and then all your problems are gone."
However, his success has also led to some unwelcome realizations about the industry. "I’ve seen the cycle of the industry. I’ve seen how the politricks go and all of that. You know? You get more hip to what’s going on. Part two, which featured Eminem, was more about my past.”
In addition, B.o.B.'s fourth studio album is currently in the works. However don't expect anything traditional. According to Bobby Ray himself, "If you take a white beam of light and take it through a prism, it’s going to divide into many different colors. So it’s hard to say which one of those beams of light fully represents the full spectrum. I kind of approach my music that way. I don’t necessarily approach any song thinking like a rapper or like a singer or a musician. I just go and whatever comes out, I’m equipped to do."
