After appearing on the hip-hop radar with buzzed-about mixtapes, Bobby Ray Simmons, or as he is more commonly known, B.o.B., is on the tip of everybody’s tongue right now. His debut album, “B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray” functions as an impressive collaborative outlet for the rapper, with almost every track featuring a well-respected and popular artist (Lupe Fiasco, T.I. and Paramore’s Hayley Williams, to name a few). On just a few tracks, B.o.B. stands alone, showcasing his tremendous talents. Not only are his vocal stylings nothing to scoff at, it is important to note that the 21-year-old produced the majority of the album himself–in doing so, he has created tracks well-suited for each of his guests, allowing them to shine in their respective solos.

With the explosive popularity of his first single, “Nothin’ On You,” featuring Bruno Mars, anybody ever near a radio has gotten at least a little listen to B.o.B. However catchy this song is, it certainly is not the standout of the album. Sampling Vampire Weekend’s “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance,” B.o.B. and Janelle Monae rap and sing social commentary on “The Kids.” Also flooding the radio waves is “Airplanes (Part II),” featuring Eminem and Williams–both rappers imagine how life would differ if they had not made it in the hip-hop industry, all while Williams’ enticing vocals hook listeners in again and again.

However, the shortcomings in the album may lie embedded within its strengths–for all of the hype surrounding Bobby Ray Simmons as an original and indie artist, he relies very heavily on the work of others to carry his sound. In fact, in many of his collaborative tracks, it is the guest artist that stands out and makes the song worth listening to. On the aforementioned “Airplanes (Part II),” Eminem reminds us of why he was such a trailblazer in the first place–he sounds raw and intense, in stark contrast to Simmons’ tame rapping. On tracks where he stands alone, B.o.B. doesn’t sound bad, necessarily, he just smacks so wholly of Kanye West that it is impossible to get the comparison out of the listener’s head.

It is Simmons’ inability to hold on to a concrete identity that is the ultimate failure in this album. With the recurring sampling of popular tracks to the vast array of guest artists, there is no cohesive feel to “The Adventures of Bobby Ray.” Without this overarching unity, the listener is left wondering what really makes up this artist–what is the essence of Bobby Ray? Potentially daring rhymes are lost in generic riffs and beats, and more often than not, the rapper is overpowered by every other element in a particular song. Simmons is quoted as saying, “I’m just born to be different. Like my genetic DNA is just different. The ‘D’ in my DNA stand for different.”

It will undoubtedly reach commercial success, but if “The Adventures of Bobby Ray” is any indication, this young rapper is going to have to do a lot more to prove that he is indeed different.