As hip-hop continues to grow and expand its parameters, there is an artist from Atlanta taking the genre to a new ground-breaking level. If you are thinking T.I., guess again. Andre 3000? Big Boi? Nice try, but B.o.B ( or Bobby Ray) is a product of all of those aforementioned emcees, while also drawing from rock and pop music to form a juxtaposition of sounds unique to the game.

The Chronicle's Mike Damante recently spoke to B.o.B while the rapper is currently on tour with Lupe Fiasco, the pair plays the House of Blues on Monday.

CHRON: What inspires you think outside the box of conventional hip-hop?

B.O.B : Honestly, just allowing myself to be me and not trying to fit into the box. I think it is actually harder to fit into the box then it is just to be yourself for some reason.

CHRON: You've had many quality mix tapes full of songs that could have easily been radio hits, so how does it feel to have Nothing On You be such a huge single?

B.O.B: I didn't think it would be as big of a radio hit as it is now. The main thing is where I go from here. You have to understand you really have to keep your ambition in mind and be really strong because there are so much other contenders that could arrive and steer you way off course and make your plans for you.

CHRON: On your upcoming album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, you have a track called Airplanes that features Hayley Williams from the band Paramore singing the hook and the song Magic features Rivers Cuomo from Weezer. Can you elaborate on these collaborations?

B.O.B : I'm a huge, huge rock fan. I really wanted to crossover boundaries with the album and really show everyone that music is universal and doesn't have to fit into a format.

CHRON: There are a lot of instruments like piano and guitars on your album and past mix tapes. How involved are you in the instrumentation and production process?

B.O.B: I produce most of my stuff, but what I picked for the album was not most of my stuff. The overall album, the purpose of it, was to be this one melting pot ( of sounds).

CHRON: On the track Airplanes Part II, you have Eminem on the song. How did it feel to have one of your heroes appear on your debut album?

B.O.B : There was definitely a gratitude level that was through the roof. For Eminem to do that, he didn't have to.

CHRON: At the 2009 SXSW festival you performed a freestyle called Patron and Swag that attacked the trends of hip-hop at the time. Do you think yourself and artists like Kid Cudi and Wale are ushering in a new wave of hip-hop?

B.O.B: I feel like each one of us our ushering in our own sounds.

The Adventures of Bobby Ray comes out this Tuesday, April 27 via Atlantic Records. B.o.B will be performing with Lupe Fiasco 8 p.m. Monday night April 26 at the House of Blues.