Discovered while singing on the bus, Bobby V first made his mark as the lead singer in the hit teen group, Mista. As a new found member of the Organized Noize Family, Bobby learned firsthand how great music was made from icons such as Outkast, TLC, and Goodie Mob. In 1996 the group released their self-titled debut album and produced chart topping single, "Blackberry Molasses," which still remains a classic to this day. A second unreleased album was recorded with hit makers, Tim & Bob and Delite, but creative differences split the group. After earning his degree in 2003, Bobby returned to the studio full-time and changed his name to Valentino ignoring the fact that the name Bobby Valentino was already in use by a UK singer, songwriter and violinist. Bobby V tried to jump start his career by auditioning for the first season of the hit reality show American Idol, but was rejected by judges, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. However, with three albums of demos and by chance one of them got in the hands of multi-platinum recording artist Ludacris. Immediately impressed by his talents, Ludacris and his business partner, Chaka Zulu (president of DTP) signed V as the first R&B artist on Disturbing Tha Peace Records. Soon after, V was re-introduced to the world as a solo artist and featured on the hit single, " Pimpin All Over The World " off of Ludacris' multi-platinum selling album " The Red Light District " in 2004.