Bobby Ray aka. B.o.B. stopped through Chicago last week to give people in the industry a chance to hear his upcoming album Strange Clouds exclusively during a private listening session held at The Mid. It was sponsored by Heineken Light so needless to say, there were a few beverages going around. As we arrived, the setting was very intimate and casual, something I’m not so familiar with when visiting The Mid. This was my first time seeing a Hip-Hop act come to The Mid, not necessarily to perform, but just in general. It’s typically filled with some of the best artists within the EDM scene so the venue is always packed with people dancing.
A few photogs from around the city gathered to greet B.o.B. as he stepped into the venue. He stood in front of a few Heineken pop-ups as everyone snapped away. Once he was done, his entourage escorted him downstairs until it was time to begin the listening session. I found myself a nice seat right in front and awaited some words from B.o.B.. It was during this time I found myself extremely annoyed with the DJ (no shots). I don’t know if this was his doing, or someone from B.o.B.’s crew, but he proceeded to play “Strange Clouds” (the song, not the album) over and over. I think we tallied at least 8 plays in a row. This should never happen, anywhere. I realize it’s a listening session, but that should be no excuse when we’re going to be listening to it at least 1 more time during the album play out.
Once the DJ stopped playing “Strange Clouds”, I thanked him, and then B.o.B. walked out on stage to a cheering crowd. He thanked everyone for coming out to check out his album, mentioned a little bit about his thoughts on the recording process, music started playing, and then B.o.B. walked off the stage and back into the back. I was sort of expecting him to chill out on stage with his crew and do a track-by-track run through of the album with his commentary, but that didn’t really happen. After a few songs, I decided it was time to part ways. From what I did hear from Strange Clouds, it’s a more mature sound from Bobby Ray compared to the first album. You’ll just have to wait and see for yourself. Hit the jump for a few photos.
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