Strange Clouds is the second studio album by American rapper B.o.B, released on May 1, 2012, under Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Morgan Freeman, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, T.I., Nicki Minaj, Ryan Tedder, Lauriana Mae, Playboy Tre, Trey Songz, Nelly and Roscoe Dash, while the production was handled by Dr. Luke, Cirkut, Ryan Tedder, Lil' C, Mynority, Stargate, Frequency, Mike WiLL Made It, P-Nasty, Super Water Sympathy, Kutta, Billboard, Jamieson Jones, Jim Jonsin and B.o.B himself.
Four singles were released from the project. The first single, the title track (featuring Lil Wayne), was released on the 27th of September, 2011, and peaked within the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The next two singles, "So Good" and "Both of Us" (featuring Taylor Swift) were also modestly successful, peaking at number 11 and 18 respectively. The fourth single, "Out of My Mind", was the album's final single and features Nicki Minaj. "Where Are You (B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray)" and "So Hard to Breathe" were released as promotional singles for the album, and the single "Play the Guitar" was also released for the album, but was later excluded from the album's track listing. Three other songs, "Arena" (featuring Chris Brown and T.I.), "Ray Bands", and "Castles" (featuring Trey Songz) would also chart.
Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, witnessing a slight commercial decline from its predecessor, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. It also topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts and peaked within the top 10 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. Strange Clouds was also certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for equivalent sales units of 1,000,000 copies in the United States.
Background B.o.B first spoke of the album, back in May 2011 in an interview with MTV. "I would have to parallel my album coming out to my first one," he told MTV at the South by Southwest music festival. "The first time you record an album is way more exciting than the second time. Not that the second time isn't exciting, it's just ... the initial excitement of finally having that first album." During the interview he stated: "I think that people will definitely be surprised at the music they hear on the second album, I don't think they would expect that coming from me."
On June 9, 2011, B.o.B confirmed he was working on the follow-up album to his debut, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010). In a statement given to Detroit's Mlive.com, Bobby Ray said: "I’m really excited about this one. You’re always excited about every project. But I really feel like I’m in my groove with this one. I’m more aware of myself as an instrument, as a sound. It's more intentful." As the Atlanta rapper continued, he spoke on his process of making songs as if he was performing the song live: "I make music just to perform it. A lot of the thought process (of working on an album) goes into actually performing it."
On September 27, 2011, B.o.B appeared on an online video stream on Atlanta's V-103 WVEE radio station, to promote the lead single "Strange Clouds". While there he announced the title of the album to also be Strange Clouds and revealed the album was to be released in early Spring of 2012. Bobby Ray held the first listening session for the album at Tree Sound Studios on October 25, 2011. Seven new songs were previewed during the listening session, including his single "Play the Guitar" which features André 3000. Other guest appearances confirmed, as the album was not fully complete, include Lil Wayne, Big K.R.I.T., Nelly and a song with T.I. titled "Arena". In addition he has worked with OneRepublic on a song and has been quoted as having: "the song of 2012 with a mega feature from somebody who never does features with anyone!".
On November 15, 2011, B.o.B revealed a then-upcoming mixtape titled E.P.I.C. (Every Play Is Crucial) prior to the album's release. The mixtape was released on November 28, 2011, featuring guest appearances from Eminem, Mos Def, Roscoe Dash, Meek Mill, and Bun B, and included production from Ryan Tedder to Lil' C and Jim Jonsin. Two songs off the mixtape, "What Are We Doing" and "Guest List", both appear on the Deluxe Edition as bonus tracks, respectively. The album was originally set to be released on March 13, 2012, however on February 9, B.o.B announced the album had been pushed back, and the new release date was May 1, 2012. On February 21, 2012, the official second single, "So Good", was released to radio and digital download.
B.o.B explained the album title comes from a concept of his: "Strange Clouds is kind of a science-fictiony kind of title, mixed with recreational activities. It's really like a fusion between the hip-hop lifestyle and the people whose thoughts cross into the other realm of thinking, outside of the norm, which may be considered strange or weird, or unique. And, I feel like it's all about hybridizing these two different worlds – on the ground level to the skies. If that makes sense." B.o.B previously promised fans a "different sound" compared to his debut: "I feel like the sound is a continuum from the last album, just more mature, more refined, more conversational at moments. You know, I really bring people closer to who I am, and what makes me think, and … my story, growing up as a kid and just letting people know who I am really. I don’t think people really know enough of who I am. You know, I had a really good year last year, and it happened really fast … I needed to sit down for year. I recorded my album — I spent about 13–14 months on it. I’m ready to really build the connection with my fans."
Composition Recording and production Strange Clouds features B.o.B working with his usual collaborators such as Jim Jonsin and Dr. Luke, the latter of whom produced hit singles "Magic" and "Strange Clouds". In an interview with Rap-Up, Jim Jonsin spoke of his Rebel Rock artist's upcoming album: "We cut four songs and there's two that I really like. One record has like a reggae vibe to it, hip-hop with some reggae. It's pretty big. I think that's a possible single. He's kinda figuring out the direction and I’m hoping to close out with him to do another three or four songs before the album's done", Jonsin told Rap-Up. While his debut may have been jam-packed with features, Jonsin didn't expect too many guests this time around: "I don’t think he's doing as many features. I think most of his singles will be him and he just wants the fans to hear a lot more of him on this album. It's gonna be incredible."
Mack of Sound-Savvy inquired about how he approached this album differently from his previous projects to which B.o.B responded: "I feel like I had to combine the way I approached a mixtape AND an album. With The Adventures of Bobby Ray, it was a very condensed version with only 11–12 tracks. I wanted to be able to show people who fell in love with the album and the people who fell in love with the mixtapes, from Cloud 9 to The Adventures of Bobby Ray, I wanted to make music for those fans." That said, he stressed the importance of remaining true to himself and always use his voice and candor to present his ideas and deliver a message. "My dad always says "Now you wanna show people you know music, but pretty soon you’re gonna wanna show people that you know people. And I feel like this album is more on that tip but it still has even better and more mature musicality."
B.o.B told Rap-Up, that for this album he was taking a more hands-on and honest approach: "I feel like this album is the culmination of my life story. I’m bringing people into my world with just the story and the building blocks that created B.o.B, and I wanted to spend a lot of time with it. It's a lot more centered with a core sound. I was a lot more honest on this album. I feel like I’m continuously honest in the moment to moment, but I’m constantly changing." In the same interview B.o.B claims he did about "60 percent of the production": "When I made this album, I wanted to make sure that I was a part of everything that was made, even from the time a demo was recorded to the time it's mixed," he explained. "I really wanted to be hands-on with the project. You really got to treat it like a child. You gotta nurture it and give it the right amount of attention."
Songs and lyrics At the October 25th listening session at Tree Sound Studios, B.o.B played 8 songs from the album for a private audience, then sat down with Mack of Sound-Savvy to talk about the new album. One of the tracks premiered was "Play the Guitar", B.o.B's ode to his instrument of choice. He describes the song as one that expresses his "love for music and love for the guitar". The song features André 3000 (who is notorious for his frequent guest appearances). Of the song, B.o.B says: "I feel like it shows people that we are two different artists and we actually do sound different and have our own styles. Not to say that I wasn’t influenced by Outkast and André, but I feel like it's a ‘pass-the-torch’ type of moment. He really gave me a lot of love on the feature and I'm looking forward to hearing what people have to say about it." The hook for "Play the Guitar" features a sample of T.I.'s verse from Drake's ‘Fancy’. B.o.B. introduced this one with his origins on playing the guitar, which he picked up after urges from his brother. The song, however was left off the album due to its lackluster performance on the charts.
B.o.B also played an incomplete version of "5 on the Kush", that hadn't been mixed or mastered. This track features Big K.R.I.T. and one other undisclosed rapper whose verse wasn't heard. B.o.B described this as a "Good Southern hip hop song…". Mack of Sound-Savvy wrote "It had a very old school sounding, slow beat with a southern thump to it. This one's a banger for the car." The undisclosed rapper was later revealed to be Bun B, once one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK. The song, produced by 2 Much, was released on B.o.B's eighth mixtape, E.P.I.C (Every Play Is Crucial). Mack of Sound-Savvy called "Arenas" featuring T.I. "a real stadium sounding record, inspired by his live performances and his penchant for interacting with his fans in concert." B.o.B said he wanted to make "something for the fans to sing along to at the shows" and Mack agreed saying: "Sure enough, towards the end of the song, one glance around the room told me that his plan had worked: a large part of the audience was mouthing the hook. Catchy and not too complicated."
A song titled "So Hard to Breathe" was played at the listening session, where B.o.B called it a "sibling or sequel to ‘Don't Let Me Fall’". B.o.B produced this one, and wrote the hook along with Sean Garrett. Mack of Sound-Savvy stated "it opened with a solemn acoustic guitar intro and progresses into a soaring electric guitar backing. Lyrically, it has a tone that's both introspective and retrospective of his career thus far and his life before stardom. He informed us that this song is a favorite of both he and his team. I can definitely hear why." In an interview with PopCrush B.o.B claimed his favorite track on the album to be "So Hard to Breathe": "My favorite track on the album is … it's called ‘Hard to Breathe.’ It may have a different name. I'm not sure what I want to call it yet. But now I guess it's [going to be called] ‘Hard to Breathe.’ I could call it ‘Asphyxiation,’ but then it wouldn't be [something] very good." He went on to say: "It would kind of be the answer to ‘Don’t Let Me Fall’". "So Hard to Breathe" was released as the second promotional single on April 17, 2012.