B.o.B is breaking down the walls and inviting fans into his world on his sophomore album Strange Clouds. The Atlanta musician is taking a more hands-on and honest approach the second time around.

“I feel like this album is the culmination of my life story,” B.o.B told Rap-Up. “I’m bringing people into my world with just the story and the building blocks that created B.o.B, and I wanted to spend a lot of time with it. It’s a lot more centered with a core sound. I was a lot more honest on this album. I feel like I’m continuously honest in the moment to moment, but I’m constantly changing.”

The follow-up to his 2010 debut B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, due May 1, features the Lil Wayne-assisted single “Strange Clouds,” “Play the Guitar” with André 3000, and the Ryan Tedder-produced “So Good,” along with production from Dr. Luke, Jim Jonsin, Polow Da Don, T.I., and B.o.B himself, who did “about 60 percent of the production.”

“When I made this album, I wanted to make sure that I was a part of everything that was made, even from the time a demo was recorded to the time it’s mixed,” he explained. “I really wanted to be hands-on with the project. You really got to treat it like a child. You gotta nurture it and give it the right amount of attention.”

Bobby Ray recently returned from Buenos Aires, where he shot part of the video for “So Good” with director Justin Francis.

“It’s basically me taking my significant other around the world to these different places and it really illustrates that in a very artistic way,” he said.