For those of you who have been wondering what happened to Bobby Valentino since his sophomore solo release Special Occasion, this one’s for you. I’mma be honest, I wasn’t feelin Bobby’s first joint, it just didn’t sit well in my headphones so I didn’t care too much for it, but after he released some bangin singles for his second one, I picked it up and it was a damn near classic album! So here’s the scoop: Bobby reportedly left Disturbin Tha Peace Records sometime in the Spring of ‘08 (not on any bad terms like, say CHINGY) in pursuit of a dream to start his own label and have more control over his music. He left Def Jam and DTP and has now signed a new deal with EMI which will be the home to his new label: Blue Kolla Dreams. His new album is entitled The Rebirth and is due in stores January 27, 2009.

In the meantime, here’s the video for his first single from the new project. The song is called Beep and features Bad Boy hip-hop star Yung Joc. Not sure who produced this joint but it sounds like a sample from Moments In Love by Art of Noise. Let’s examine the video for a minute… I’m all for bringing some trends back, but is this dude seriously trying to bring back the rattail? Check the video when he turns his head and he got the lil 3rd grader bush on the back of his neck like he’s trying to bring back a long lost (and wishfully forgotten) trend. Please Bobby V, don’t do it!! That’s all we need is a bunch of 30-somethings walkin around with a damn rattail. Beyond that, I can admire the style in the video, very fashionable for the fellas. That’s a good look. Alas, I digress. The song – lyrically he’s moving backwards, Special Occasion was more mature content, this sounds like he’s just trying to gain some attention on the airwaves. Right now, I’m a little leery about The Rebirth, a second single will be the determining factor for me. This song ain’t bad, but at this point in his career, I’m expecting a little more from Bobby V.