B.o.B’s 2010 debut launched hits that co-starred Bruno Mars, Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo and Hayley Williams of Paramore. So for his second album, the rapper wanted to feature his many talents without assists from famous faces.

Then he bumped into someone.

“I ran into Chris Martin in a studio in New York, and I was like ...I don’t really want features on my project. And he was like, ‘Why the [expletive] not? Like, what? Like, why? What is the reason behind purposely not having features?’ ”

The 23-year-old Coldplay fan found himself rethinking his original plan. But B.o.B also wondered why Martin would advise him to do collaborations when his band rarely does so.

“I’m thinking like, ‘Coldplay, you don’t need a feature. You’re Coldplay.’ At the same time, I kind of understood what he was saying the more I progressed because it’s really just about the music,” B.o.B said.

Now Strange Clouds has guest appearances from Chris Brown, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Ryan Tedder, T.I. and Trey Songz. It’s the follow-up to the Grammy-nominated, gold-selling B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which includes the top 10 hits Nothin’ on You, Airplanes and Magic.

Listen to some of his hottest tunes, when B.o.B. rocks a 7 p.m. Tuesday show at Bank United Center. It’s a stop on the R You on the List Tour, with Cee Lo Green and Flo Rida. The North Carolina rapper talked to the Associated Press before the concert.

Why didn’t you want your new album to feature other performers?

I didn’t want to have features because I felt that on my first album people didn’t know who I was. They didn’t really get the full meaning behind who I was. They only saw a glimpse of me, and they made their opinions and drew their own conclusions from just a glimpse of something.

Dr. Luke produced four songs on “Strange Clouds.” What was it like working with him since he’s best known for his hits with Katy Perry and Ke$ha?

Working with Dr. Luke is good, but sometimes you may run into disagreements, certain things that may rub an artist a certain way. For example, when I recorded Both of Us (featuring Taylor Swift), I recorded my vocals on the hook, but when it was time to turn the masters in, he snatched my vocals right when it was time to turn in the masters. And so, as an artist it kind of makes you feel like, “I guess it’s his song.” I don’t know. He’s a talented dude, but sometimes when you work with a producer, sometimes their ego may get in the way into really making it a completely mutual project.

What was it like to hear Swift’s vocals on the song when it was done?

I played her the song at her show … and instantly she loved it. She was like, “Bob, I have tears in my eyes. I love this song. I’m down. I want to be a part of it.” … And she sounded amazing on the record. [She] actually rewrote some of my verses as well.

How was Nicki Minaj?

Just in the brief moments that I’ve spoken with her, she’s very much about her business. We had a couple of creative conversations, but the main thing was everything was professional and taken care of.

When you were a kid did you know you wanted to be a musician?

It wasn’t until I was 13 when I was really strongly adamant about being an emcee, to the point where it was like I had an ultimatum and I was like, “Man, I really need to decide what I’m going to do with my life.”

Tickets $99- $129 at Ticketmaster.