A rising R&B crooner,
Bobby Valentino was born Bobby Wilson on February 27, 1982 in Jackson, Mississippi. Moving to Atlanta, Georgia as a youngster, Valentino’s love for music evolved into a stint in the teenage quartet, Mista. The Boyz 2 Men- inspired group had a hit in 1996 with the single "Blackberry Molasses, but broke up soon after its inception. The future star enrolled in Clark-Atlanta University where he eventually earned his degree in 2004, but Valentino, (nicknamed because he was supposed have been born on Valentine’s Day), was still smitten with the
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music industry. His demo tape caught the attention of
Ludacris, who promptly signed him to his DTP label. In early 2005, Valentino” lit up airwaves everywhere with the undeniably banging Tim-and-Bob-produced love jam,” Disturbing Tha Peace Presents...Bobby Valentino." The album boasted the #1 smash hit "
Slow Down" as well as other hot Bobby Valentino songs like "
Tell Me" and "Give Me a Chance" which featured Ludacris. The first single off the star’s next album Special Occasion (released May 8, 2007) was titled "Turn the Page." The second single, "
Anonymous" (featuring
Timbaland), was released and the video premiered in April 2007 on BET. It’s hard to conceive how Valentino could have been passed over for the first season of American Idol, but that’s exactly what happened; It’s just a good thing for us that the artist didn’t give up!
