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It’s been quite a year for the R&B singer and rapper B.o.B. In April he released his number one album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, followed by the hit singles Nothin’ on You (ft. Bruno Mars) and Airplanes (ft. Hayley Williams), and in early August he found out he was nominated for five 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Now he’s discovered he’s going to be performing at the VMAs as well – and he has a surprise in store for the viewers.

“I’m just gonna wear rocket boots the whole night. And nothing else”, he joked. “Buck naked, rocket boots. That’s how I roll.” But when he was asked about his chances of walking away with an award, he became a lot more humble. “I don’t know. I really don’t know. There are a lot of very talented artists and musicians in the categories I am nominated for so, really, I feel like just being nominated is cool.”

The 2010 VMAs will be broadcast live from Los Angeles at 9pm (ET) on 12^th September 2010.

Jeffrey Atkins, better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper and hip hop singer.

Born 29^th February 1976 in Queens, New York City, Atkins took an interest in hip hop from a young age and in 1994, at the age of eighteen, he began his rap career with the group Cash Money Click, for which he chose the pseudonym Ja Rule. The group released one single – Get Tha Fortune – and recorded an entire debut album but it was never released. His first mainstream solo appearance was on Jay-Z’s 1998 single Can I Get A…, along with the rapper Amil, which reached the Top 20 on the Billboard 200.

Ja Rule released his debut album Venni Vetti Vecci on 1^st June 1999. It shot to number three on the Billboard 200, selling over a million copies before the year was out, and producing the Hot 100 Top 40 single Holla Holla. This was followed by the 2000 album Rule 3:36, which hit the top spot, sold over five million copies and scored hits with the singles Between Me and You (ft. Christina Milian), Put It on Me (ft. Lil’ Mo and Vita) and I Cry (ft. Lil’ Mo), then the 2001 release Pain Is Love. Also shooting to the top of the Billboard 200, the rapper’s third album gave him the first two (and to date only two) US number one hits of his career - I’m Real (Murder Remix) (ft. Jennifer Lopez) and Always on Time (ft. Ashanti) – as well as the Top 10 hit Livin’ It Up (ft. Case). The album also earned him three Grammy Award nominations and three MTV Video Music Award nominations – winning one for Best Hip-Hop Video (I’m Real).

The rapper has since released three more albums and scored hits with singles like Mesmerize (ft. Ashanti), Wonderful (ft. R. Kelly and Ashanti) and New York (ft. Fat Joe and Jadakiss). His eighth studio album The Renaissance Project is due for release towards the end of 2010.

Artis Leon Ivey, Jr., better known by his stage name Coolio, is a rapper and hip hop singer.

Born 1^st August 1963 in Monessen, Pennsylvania but brought up in Compton, California, Ivey started rapping at a young age, and by his late teens was making regular appearances on the Los Angeles radio station KDAY. However, he soon got into dealing cocaine and ended up being charged by the police. He cleaned up his act and went to work briefly as a firefighter, before deciding to focus on a career in music. He self-recorded two singles in the late 1980s – Watcha Gonna Do and You’re Gonna Miss Me – and joined the rap group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991. They were reasonably successful and released two albums – Ain’t a Damn Thang Changed and Curb Servin’ in 1995 – before splitting up in the mid-90s, which led to Coolio signing a solo contract with Tommy Boy Records.

The singer’s debut album It Takes a Thief was released in July 1994. It reached number eight on the Billboard 200 and produced the singles Fantastic Voyage – a Hot 100 number three hit – County Line and I Remember. Next came 1995’s Gangsta’s Paradise, which also reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and sold over two million copies worldwide. It produced the smash hit title single Gangsta’s Paradise – which shot to number one in over a dozen countries worldwide and became the biggest international chart hit of 1995 (and one of the most successful rap songs of all time) – as well as the Top 5 hit 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New) and the Top 30 single Too Hot.

Since the mid-90s Coolio has released a further five studio albums and scored hits with singles like It’s All the Way Live (Now), C U When U Get There (ft. 40 Thevz), I Like Girls, Gangsta Walk (ft. Snoop Dogg) and From The Bottom 2 The Top.

Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques, better known as simply Sean Paul, is a Grammy Award-winning Jamaican reggae singer, musician and rapper.

Born 9^th January 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, Sean Paul had two interests from a young age – athletics and music. Although he spent much of his childhood swimming and even went on to play water polo for the Jamaican national team, he quit the sport in 1994 to focus on his music full time. After performing with the Dutty Cup Crew for several years, Sean Paul found success as a solo singer after recording the single Top Shotter for the soundtrack to the 1998 film Belly (which reached number five in the US Billboard 200 chart). This led to a recording contract with the renowned New York reggae label VP Records.

His debut solo album Stage One was released in March 2000, which produced the single Deport Them – featured in the hit film 2 Fast 2 Furious. This was followed by his hugely successful 2002 album Dutty Rock, which shot to number nine in the Billboard 200 and number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling over six million copies worldwide. It also produced the US Billboard Hot 100 number one smash hit Get Busy, as well as the Top 15 hits Gimme the Light, Like Glue and I’m Still in Love with You (ft. Sasha), and was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 2004 Grammy Awards. Following the release of this album the singer also appeared on Beyoncé’s number one hit Baby Boy (which stayed on the top spot for nine consecutive weeks) and Blu Cantrell’s UK number one single Breathe.

Sean Paul released his third studio album The Trinity in September 2005. which reached number seven on the Billboard 200 and produced the US number one hit Temperature, as well the Top 10 hits We Be Burnin’ and (When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me. His latest album, 2009’s Imperial Blaze, has produced a total of three singles to date: So Fine, Press It Up and Hold My Hand (ft. Keri Hilson).

Bryan Williams, better known by his stage name Birdman (formerly B-32/Baby) is an American rapper, record producer and co-owner of the major label Cash Money Records.

Born 15^th February 1969 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Williams took an interest in hip hop and rap music from a young age. He set up the label Cash Money Records with his brother in 1991 and released his only independent album I Need a Bag of Dope in 1993 – under the moniker B-32 (Baby with the 32 Golds). Then, in 1997, he teamed up with the rapper Mannie Fresh to form the rap duo Big Tymers.

The duo’s debut 1998 release How Ya Luv That? and the follow up How You Luv That Vol. 2 both reached the Top 30 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. These were followed by the 2000 album I Got That Work, which reached number three in the Billboard 200 and produced the hit singles Number One Stunna (ft. Lac, Juvenile and Lil Wayne) and Get Your Roll On, while 2002’s Hood Rich shot straight to number one – selling over a million copies – and produced the number eleven smash hit Still Fly (which was nominated for a Grammy Award) and the follow-up single Oh Yeah (ft. Tateeze, Boo and Gotti). The duo released one more album – Big Money Heavyweight – before disbanding in the early 00s.

Since then, Williams has released four solo studio albums – 2002’s Birdman, 2005’s Fast Money, 2007’s 5* Stunna and 2009’s Pricele$$ – which have all charted inside the Billboard 200 Top 40, sold millions of records between them and produced hits like Do That (ft. P. Diddy, Mannie Fresh and Tateeze), Pop Bottles (ft. Lil Wayne), Always Strapped (ft. Lil Wayne) and Money to Blow (ft. Drake and Lil Wayne). He also collaborated with Lil Wayne on the 2006 album Like Father, Like Son, which reached number three in the US charts and produced the Hot Rap Singles Top 20 hits Stuntin’ Like My Daddy and Leather So Soft.

Birdman’s fifth solo studio album Bigger Than Life is due for release in September 2010.

Willard Christopher Smith, Jr., better known as simply Will Smith (or ‘The Fresh Prince’), is an American rapper and hip hop singer, as well as a highly successful actor and film producer.

Born 25^th September 1968 in West Philadelphia, Smith took an interest in hip hop music from a young age. In his late teens he teamed up with childhood friend Jeffrey Townes to form the hip hop group DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. They were soon signed to Word Up Records and released their debut hit single Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble, followed by the album Rock the House, shortly before graduating from high school.

After signing to Jive Records, the group released their second album He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper in March 1988. It reached the Top 5 on the Billboard 200, selling over three million copies in the US alone and produced the hits Summertime, Nightmare on My Street and the Grammy Award-winning Parents Just Don’t Understand. The group released a further three albums in the late 80s and early 90s – And in This Corner…, Homebase and Code Red – scoring hits with singles like I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson, Ring My Bell and the UK number one hit Boom! Shake the Room, before Smith embarked on his solo career.

After appearing in the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and the hit films Independence Day and Men in Black, Smith released his debut solo album Big Willie Style in November 1997. It reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and produced the international number one singles Men in Black and Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, as well as the Hot 100 Top 20 hits Just the Two of Us and Miami.

Since then Will Smith has released a further three studio albums – Willennium, Born to Reign and Lost and Found – selling millions of copies worldwide and producing hits like Wild Wild West (ft. Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee), Will 2K (ft. K-Ci), Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head) (ft. Christina Vidal) and Switch.

Jonathan Mortimer Smith, better known by his stage name Lil’ Jon, is an American rapper, hip hop singer, musician and record producer.

Born 27^th January 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia, Smith’s first job in the industry was as a producer with So So Def Recordings. In the mid-90s he set up the hip hop group Lil’ Jon & the East Side Boyz, alongside Sam ‘Big Sam’ Norris and Wendell ‘Lil’ Bo’ Neal, and in 1996 they signed to Mirror Image Records. The following year they released their debut Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album, which produced the singles Who U Wit? and Shawty Freak a Lil’ Sumthin’.

The group followed up with the album We Still Crunk!! – released in August 2000. The lead single I Like Dem Girlz debuted at number three on the Hot Rap Singles chart and helped the album make an impression on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. This was followed by 2001’s Put Yo Hood Up, which produced the singles Who U Wit, Bia’ Bia’ (their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100) and Nothins Free, and then 2002’s Kings of Crunk, which charted inside the US Top 20 and produced the group’s first US Top 10 single Get Low (ft. Ying Yang Twins). Finally there came Crunk Juice, released in November 2004, which reached number three on the Billboard 200 and produced the Top 5 single Lovers & Friends, as well as the hits What U Gon’ Do and Real Nigga Roll Call.

After disbanding the group in 2004 to focus on production and solo work, Lil Jon worked on a number of hit urban singles, including Salt Shaker by Ying Yang Twins, Yeah! by Usher and Shorty Wanna Ride by Young Buck. Then, on 8^th June 2010, he finally released his debut solo album Crunk Rock. To date it has produced one single: Ms. Chocolate.

Algernod Lanier Washington, better known by his stage name Plies, is a rapper from the USA.

Born 1^st July 1976 in Fort Myers, Florida, Plies grew up in Cape Coral. He developed an interest in music at a young age and in the late 1990s set up the label Big Gates Records with his cousin Ronnell Lawrence Lavatte. He first appeared as a rapper on the records of his label artists – notably on the single Tell Dem Krackers Dat – but soon ended up signing a solo recording contract with Slip-n-Slide Records. Between 2004 and 2007 he released a number of mixtapes and began working on his debut studio album.

Despite a short delay because of his arrest over illegal possession of a concealed weapon in a Florida nightclub, Plies released The Real Testament in August 2007. It reached number two on the Billboard 200 and produced the number nine single Shawty (ft. T-Pain), plus the Top 20 follow-up single Hypnotized (ft. Akon). Following this, the rapper appeared on Fat Joe’s 2008 single Ain’t Sayin’ Nuthin.

Plies’ second studio album Definition of Real was released in June 2008. Like its predecessor, the album debuted at number two in the US, selling over 214,000 copies in its first week, and produced the Top 10 hit Bust It Baby Pt. 2 (ft. Ne-Yo) and the single Please Excuse My Hands. This was swiftly followed by DaREAList in December 2008, which produced three singles in total: Put It on Ya (ft. Chris J), Want It Need It (ft. Ashanti) and Plenty Money.

After appearing on Ludacris’ song Nasty Girl (from the album Theater of the Mind) at the end of the year, the rapper released his fourth – and latest – studio album in June 2010. To date, Goon Affiliated has produced two singles: Becky and She Got It Made.

Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr., better known as simply Bobby Ray or by his stage name B.o.B, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, rapper, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.

Simmons was born on 15^th November 1988 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. He took an interest in music from a very young age and in his teens, after his family had moved to Decatur, Georgia, he began to get involved in the local rap and hip hop scene. He joined the rap group HamSquad along with Playboy Tre, TJ Chapman and B. Rich but also produced a demo tape of his solo work. It was the latter which began to get Simmons industry attention in the late 2000s, and he was featured on the covers of both XXL and Vibe magazines in 2008 – being lauded as one of the next big hip hop stars.

The singer was signed to Grand Hustle and Atlantic Records in 2008 and, after releasing the non-album singles Haterz Everywhere, I’ll Be in The Sky and No Man’s Land, he started work on his debut studio album. B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray was eventually released on 27^th April 2010 and shot straight to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 84,000 copies in its first week. It also reached the top 40 in Canada, the UK and Australia. The critically acclaimed album has produced two singles to date – the US and UK number one smash hit Nothin’ on You (ft. Bruno Mars) and the UK number one/US number two hit Airplanes (ft. Hayley Williams) – and the album’s third single Magic (ft. Rivers Cuomo) is set for release in mid-August.

B.o.B was recently nominated for three 2010 BET Awards – Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, Best Collaboration (Nothin’ On You ft. Bruno Mars) and Video of the Year (Nothin’ on You again).

Juaquin Malphurs, better known by the stage name Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper originally from New York City.

Malphurs was born in July 1986 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. His mother, Debra Antney, is the CEO of So Icey/Mizay Entertainment and the manager of rapper and hip hop artist (and Malphurs’ bandmate) Gucci Mane.

Malphurs took an interest in music from a young age and by his early teens – by which time his family had moved to Riverdale, Georgia – he was already rapping in public. He was given the name Waka by a cousin and the name Flame by his friend and future bandmate Gucci Mane.

The rapper released a series of mixtapes in 2009 and early 2010. His first was Lebron Flocka James (ft. DJ Teknikz), but this was soon followed by Shootin The Breeze Cookin That Fire (ft. DJ Cannon, DJ Banyon and DJ Dyce), Salute Me Or Shoot Me (ft. Trap-A-Holics and DJ Ace) and Lebron Flocka James 2 (ft. Trap-A-Holics). He started work on his debut solo album Murda-Man Flocka at the beginning of 2010 and, despite being shot in the arm by a robber in January, the album is still scheduled for release sometime later in the year. The lead single, O Let’s Do It, was released in June and reached the Top 10 on the US Billboard Rap Songs chart, as well as charting at 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.

Since early 2010 Malphurs has also been a member of the rap group 1017 Brick Squad – also featuring Gucci Mane, OJ Da Juiceman, Frenchie and Wooh Da Kid – and they are currently producing their first mixtape. Most recently, Malphurs has appeared on Lil Jon’s debut solo album Crunk Rock, rapping on the single Throw It Up, Pt. 2 (Remix).