Bobby Dewayne Session, Jr, known professionally as Bobby Sessions, is an American rapper. He wrote and performed the title track for the 2018 film, '' The Hate U Give'', and signed with

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

that same year. He co-wrote

Megan Thee Stallion Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Megan initially gained recognition when videos of her freestyling began to circulate widely on social me ...

's 2020 single, " Savage" (featuring

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

), which won a

Grammy Award for Best Rap Song The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...

and peaked at #1 the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

. In 2021, Sessions worked with

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

writers to create to outsource stories for

Ta-Nehisi Coates Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates ( ; born September 30, 1975) is an American author, journalist, and activist. He gained a wide readership during his time as national correspondent at ''The Atlantic'', where he wrote about cultural, social, and political is ...

' final three issues of

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

, with Sessions contributing to issue 24.

Early life

Bobby Sessions was born and raised in Pleasant Grove,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. He and his family relocated to Rowlett, a suburb northeast of Pleasant Grove. He began writing hip-hop songs as a teenager and would freestyle in class and in the locker room before football practice. His father's love of jazz and soul music greatly influenced his passion for music. Sessions played basketball, football, and ran track, and has attributed to his competitive edge in his music career. Football played a large role in his youth. When asked about his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

, Sessions said:

Musical career

While attending the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

, where Sessions was studying philosophy and journalism, he began honing in on his rapping skills at the student led organization, ''Poetic Justice''. He has cited

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

, and

Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

as his major influences. He became active in the rap/hip-hop community performing with the ''Brain Gang'' (also known as ''The Rowdy Bunch'') in Deep Ellum in Dallas, known for its music scene. The group sold-out venues and was known for its element of rage (punk rock style), mosh pits, and jumping. Sessions worked at

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

and the

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

while playing in clubs in the Dallas area establishing a name for himself. He quit his job in 2014 with only $50 in his bank account to pursue his music career full-time. In 2015, Sessions signed a record deal with High Standardz and released his debut album, ''LOA (Law of Attraction)'' which was listed as the ''"Best Album of 2015"'' by the Dallas Observer. His 2017 sophomore release, ''Grateful'', earned him ''"Best Rap/Hip-Hop Act"'' at the Dallas Observer Music Awards as well as single ''Dollars & Sense'' winning ''"Best Rap Song"''. In 2018, Session's manager, J Dot (Jeremy Jones), played early versions of Session's ''RVLTN Chapter 1: The Divided States of AmeriKKKa'' for the-then new CEO of Def Jam Recordings, Paul Rosenberg. Sessions was the first artist that Rosenburg signed. He wrote and performed the title track for the soundtrack, '' The Hate U Give'', which includes songs by

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. M ...

Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

, and

. He was asked by his label to write the song as his cousin, James Harper, was shot and killed by a police officer in 2012 in South Dallas, Texas. 911 had received a call reporting an armed kidnapper which was later determined to be a hoax. The case was highly controversial as Harper was unarmed and shot three times. No charges were brought against the officer. Sessions' involvement in Deep Ellum's (Dallas) music scene, community, and years of live performances was celebrated by a mural painting of him in Deep Ellum by artist JD Moore, commissioned by the Deep Ellum Foundation in 2019. In 2020, Sessions' co-write '' Savage'', co-written and performed by

and

, peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart which led to a publishing deal with

Sony Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing LLC (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American music publisher. Responsible for publishing the largest quantity of music, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021, it is part of Sony ...

. ''Savage'' won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for ''Best Rap Song'' in 2021, was listed on the Rolling Stone's ''500 Greatest Songs of All Time'', and was certified 4× Platinum. ''Savage'' and ''Savage'' remix won awards for the ''Most Performed Songs of the Year'' at the 2021 BMI Rap/Hip-Hop Awards. Sessions teamed up with Stallion again on, '' Girls in the Hood'', which peaked at #28 on Billboard's Hot 100 and was certified 2× Platinum. ''I'm a King'' (co-written and performed by Sessions and Stallion) was featured in the film, '' Coming 2 America'', and released as the lead single on the film's soundtrack. Additional collaborations include Sessions' co-write, ''

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'', recorded by

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(featuring

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) which went platinum in 2022 as well as composing songs and being executive producer on

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ), is an Australian rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. She earned public recognition ...

's, 2021 album The End of an Era. Sessions released singles that featured artists such as

Royce Da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hi ...

on ''Still Alive'',

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

on ''Penthouse Prayers'', and Benny the Butcher and

Freddie Gibbs Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper and songwriter. He signed with Interscope Records in 2006 and recorded his debut album for the label; however, its release was cance ...

on ''Gold Rolex''.

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sessions, Bobby Living people Rappers from Dallas Def Jam Recordings artists Songwriters from Texas Grammy Award winners Year of birth missing (living people)