B.o.B And Hayley Williams Take Off With “Airplanes”

Becky Bain | April 12, 2010 4:58 pm

B.o.B.’s career is taking off and flying high, so it only seems appropriate that the “Nothin’ On You” rapper’s newest jam is (loosely) about airplanes. Okay, it’s actually a forlorn track about the perils of fame and fortune, but there’s a bright spot: it’s a catchy tune, and even better, he nabbed Paramore’s bite-sized rock goddess Hayley Williams to sing the chorus. Take off your shoes, return your seat to the upright position, and fly high with “Airplanes” below.

[wpaudio url=”//idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Airplanes-Ft.-Hayley-Williams.mp3″ text=”B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams – Airplanes” dl=”0″] The track starts off with a sweet, solemn piano line, as Hayley sings, “Can we pretend that the airplanes in the night skies are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now.” Over a marching beat by Alex Da Kid, B.o.B chimes in with a poignant verse about yearning for “a place much simpler than this,” and his style jibes perfectly with Hayley’s distress-signal vocals.

This song has a sequel, too—closing track “Airplanes (Part II)” will feature Hayley Williams and none other than Eminem. “As if the song couldn’t get any better,” Williams told MTV about the collaboration that was as much a surprise to her as it was to us. “He just slays me, he’s such a genius.”

T.I., Lupe Fiasco, Janelle Monae and Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo are also set to appear on the Atlanta rapper’s debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, due April 27. He’s set to perform at Coachella this weekend, and is on the impressive pop-heavy lineup for Lollapalooza.