Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor and dancer. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the boy band

B2K B2K (Boys of the New Millennium) was an American boy band that was active from 1998 to 2004, and again from 2018 to 2019. In 1998, the group was formed by American dance choreographer Dave Scott and Interscope A&R Keshia Gamble. The members ...

. The group achieved success in the early 2000s with their singles " Gots ta Be", " Uh Huh", " Girlfriend", and the number-one hit " Bump, Bump, Bump". After the group disbanded in 2004, Omarion embarked on a solo career, with the release of his debut solo album, '' O'' (2005), which debuted at the top of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. He was also featured on the single "

Let Me Hold You "Let Me Hold You" is a song by American rapper Bow Wow. It was the first single off his fourth album, '' Wanted'' (2005). Released on March 11, 2005, the song features American R&B singer Omarion (the first collaboration they did together). It ...

" by Bow Wow, which reached the top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ''O'' received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the

48th Annual Grammy Awards The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning from October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005. Irish rock band U2 were ...

. His second solo album, '' 21'' (2006), became his second chart topper in the United States, and spawned the hit single " Ice Box". He released his third solo album, ''

Ollusion ''Ollusion'' is the third studio album by American R&B singer Omarion. It was released on January 12, 2010, by EMI, StarrWorld Entertainment, and MusicWorks. The album sold 21,200 copies its first week of sales. Background Omarion asked for a ...

'' in 2010. His fourth solo album, '' Sex Playlist'' (2014), spawned the single " Post to Be" (featuring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

and

Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American singer who embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in several music videos for R&B group B2K. In an effort to promote Aiko and cultivate a following for he ...

), which reached the top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified 3× platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). Omarion has also ventured into acting, with appearances in films such as '' You Got Served'', '' Fat Albert'', ''

Somebody Help Me "Somebody Help Me" is a single by The Spencer Davis Group, which was released in 1966. As with "Keep on Running", it was composed by Jackie Edwards. Chart performance "Somebody Help Me" became the band's second consecutive and last number-on ...

'' and '' The Proud Family Movie''. As a solo artist, he has received a BET Award, a Billboard Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award.

Early life and career

Omarion was born Omari Ishmael Grandberry on November 12, 1984, in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

to Leslie Burrell and Trent Grandberry. His younger brother,

O'Ryan Ryan (Irish: ''Ó Riain'') is a common surname of Irish origin, as well as being a common given name in the English-speaking world. Origins and meaning There are several different origins for the surname. In some cases it may be a shortened fo ...

, is also a singer. He appeared in commercials for both

Kellogg's Corn Pops The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toas ...

and McDonald's. He started his dancing career as a background dancer for the R&B girl group Before Dark and appeared in their music videos. Omarion soon began pursuing a career in music, and would go on to become the lead singer of the boy band

1999–2004: B2K

Omari joined the group

in 1999 and took the stage name Omarion. The group named themselves B2K, an acronym for "Boys of The New Millennium". They began touring with Lil Bow Wow and eventually released their debut single, " Uh Huh", in 2001. They soon after released their debut album, the self-titled ''B2K'', on March 12, 2002. The album peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. They followed the album up in December with their second album, '' Pandemonium!'', supported by their most successful single, " Bump, Bump, Bump" featuring P. Diddy. The single peaked at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. This would prove to be the group's last album, as they would disband in early 2004.

2004–2008: ''O'', ''21'', and ''Face Off''

In early 2004, Omarion appeared in several films, most notably '' You Got Served'', in which he starred alongside Marques Houston, as well as his former

bandmates. The movie centered on a group of friends in a hip hop dance crew who take part in underground dance competitions. That same year, he played the role of the school bully "Reggie" in the comedy '' Fat Albert,'' based on the animated series '' Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.'' On February 22, 2005, Omarion released his debut solo album, '' O''. The album debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The first single from the album was " O". The single peaked at No. 27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The second single, " Touch", peaked at No. 94 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album received a third and final release with "

I'm Tryna "I'm Tryna" is a song from American R&B singer Omarion. It was released on April 6, 2005 as the third and final single off his debut album '' O''. It was produced by production team The Underdogs and written by R&B singer-songwriter J. Valent ...

". ''O'' has sold over 758,000 copies in the United States since its release. Omarion received a Grammy nomination for the album at the

for Best Contemporary R&B Album. On December 26, 2006, Omarion released his second album, '' 21''. The album debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The first single from the album was " Entourage". The second single, " Ice Box", produced by Timbaland, peaked at No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and is Omarion's most successful solo single to date, reaching gold certification by the RIAA. ''21'' has sold over 390,000 copies in the United States since its release. Towards the end of 2007, he displayed his acting skills in the thriller ''

.'' This movie was released exclusively on DVD and aired on BET in celebration of

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

. Omarion has also made several appearances in a number of TV shows, including ''One on One''. Omarion also played the voice of Fifteen Cent in '' The Proud Family Movie.'' His portrayal of a rapper who gets involved with thugs in the movie '' Feel the Noise'', which he co-produced, received mixed reviews from critics. In late 2007, Omarion and Bow Wow recorded a collaboration album titled '' Face Off''. The album sold over 100,000 copies in its first week and went on to sell over 500,000 copies, reaching gold certification by the RIAA. The first single from the album was " Girlfriend", followed up by " Hey Baby" as the second single.

2009-2010: EMI and ''Ollusion''

On March 30, 2009, Lil Wayne confirmed that Omarion was affiliated (though not officially signed) with Young Money Entertainment. Four months later, he parted ways with the label; both Lil Wayne and Omarion confirmed that his departure had been for business reasons. Omarion then signed with EMI and created his own label, StarrWorld Entertainment. He later re-released the single " I Get It In" with Lil Wayne replaced by Gucci Mane. In January 2010, Omarion released his second single, " Speedin'". That same month, he released his third studio album, ''

'', which sold 19,400 copies in its first week. Omarion also became a judge on the fifth season of ''

America's Best Dance Crew ''America's Best Dance Crew'', often abbreviated as ''ABDC'', was an American competitive dance reality television series that features both national and international dance crews. The show was produced by singer, record producer, and former ''Am ...

'', replacing former judge

Shane Sparks Melvin Shane Sparks (born June 25, 1969) is an American hip-hop choreographer best known for his work as a choreographer on ''So You Think You Can Dance'' and judge on '' America's Best Dance Crew''. Early life Sparks was born in Cincinnat ...

. He left after Season 5 to focus on his music career.

2011–2017: ''Sex Playlist''

In early 2011, Omarion worked on his first mixtape presented by DJ Drama, titled ''The Awakening''. Originally set to be released on April 27, 2011, the mixtape was instead released on May 11, 2011. In November 2011, Omarion was seen on set with Japanese star Koda Kumi. On December 6, 2011, it was revealed that he collaborated with the star on the song "Slow" for her 2012 album '' Japonesque'' and appeared in the music video. On May 2, 2012, Omarion signed with

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

label

Maybach Music Group Maybach Music Group (; abbreviated MMG) is a record label imprint founded by American rapper Rick Ross. Maybach Music Group albums are distributed by Atlantic Records, a division of the Atlantic Records Group. Atlantic took over distribution fo ...

and Warner Bros. Records. He then appeared on ''

Self Made Vol. 2 ''Self Made Vol. 2'' is the second compilation album by MMG. The album was released on June 26, 2012, by Maybach Music Group, Warner Bros. Records and Def Jam Recordings. Like the previous album, ''Self Made Vol. 2'' features contributions from ...

'', which made the Top 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Also in 2012, Omarion signed to

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's Roc Nation Management. On November 29, 2012, he released his debut EP, ''Care Package''. September 2013 saw the release of '' Self Made Vol. 3'' featuring Omarion, which also reached the Top 10 on ''Billboard'' 200 at number 4. ''Care Package 2'', his second EP, was released on November 5, 2013. On February 14, 2014, he released "You Like It", the first single in promotion of his fourth studio album, '' Sex Playlist''. On August 18, Omarion was cast to be a part of '' Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood'' along with his mother, and girlfriend Apryl Jones while awaiting the arrival of their first child. In November 2014, he released a second single, " Post to Be", featuring

and

. ''Sex Playlist'' was released on December 2, 2014. "Post to Be" gained substantial commercial success, reaching No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song peaked in the top ten on the Urban Radio chart, the Rhythmic chart, and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reaching gold status by the RIAA in May 2015. The song also won him a Soul Train Music Award for Best Collaboration. In June 2015, Omarion stated in an interview that he wanted to open his own dance studio by the end of the year. He released his third EP, ''Care Package 3'' on November 12, 2015. November 2017 was met with the release of the fourth EP, ''Care Package 4''. Omarion released the song " Distance" in 2017, for which he filmed a music video in South Africa.

2018-present: ''The Millennium Tour'' and ''The Kinection''

In 2018, he was featured on the track "Tell Me" from Anatii's album '' Artiifact''. That same year, he also appeared in the "Get It Now" remix music video by Tiwa Savage as a featured artist. In 2019, B2K briefly reformed to go on The Millennium Tour; joined by supporting acts Mario, Ying Yang Twins, Chingy, Pretty Ricky, Bobby V and Lloyd. The tour kicked off on March 8 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and wrapped up on April 28 in Louisville, Kentucky. It was later announced that Omarion would be continuing The Millennium Tour without his bandmates and with Bow Wow and other acts added to the lineup for 2020 dates. The group was nominated for Top R&B Tour at the

2020 Billboard Music Awards The 2020 ''Billboard'' Music Awards were held on Wednesday October 14, 2020 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was broadcast live from NBC. Hosted by Kelly Clarkson for the third year in a row, the ceremony was spon ...

. In 2020, Omarion released the single "Can You Hear Me?" featuring a guest verse from T-Pain. The single was announced as the lead song from Omarion's fifth album, ''The Kinection''. On October 29, ''Omarion presents Thriller Night'' premiered on YouTube in celebration of the album release. The event included Prince Jackson live from Michael Jackson's

Hayvenhurst Hayvenhurst is a compound in the Encino neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley in California, United States. It became the home of the Jackson family, including Michael Jackson, who perfected the Moonwalk and recorded demos for the albums '' ...

Estate. Omarion released ''The Kinection'' on October 30, 2020. In 2021, Omarion competed in

season five A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...

of ''

The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' as the wild card contestant "Yeti". Certain performances have the Yeti's feet swapped out with different footwear. He finished in fourth place. On May 31, 2021, "We Will Never Forget" with Omarion, Lalah Hathaway, and Kierra Sheard was released by being featured in the documentary film, '' Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street'' which was executive produced by LeBron James, with all proceeds going to

Color of Change Color of Change is a progressive nonprofit civil rights advocacy organization in the United States. It was formed in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in order to use online resources to strengthen the political voice of African Amer ...

. Omarion headlined The Millennium Tour in the fall of 2021 and concurrently released a single with

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence, after his self published debut single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peake ...

and Bow Wow titled "EX" from his forthcoming album ''Sex Playlist 2'', which he announced through

Songtrust Songtrust is a global digital rights management platform which allows songwriters and artists to manage their music publishing and related rights. Based in New York, it is a division of Downtown. Overview Songtrust was founded by Downtown CEO ...

. He was nominated for Top R&B Tour and Top Rap Tour at the

2022 Billboard Music Awards The 2022 ''Billboard'' Music Awards were held on May 15, 2022, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Hosted by Sean "Diddy" Combs, the show aired live on NBC and was also available for streaming on Peacock. Nominations across 62 categorie ...

, winning the latter award alongside Bow Wow. On June 23, 2022, he did a Verzuz on season 2 with Mario. He soon after announced his new book, ''Unbothered: The Power Of Choosing Joy'', his second book after 2005's ''O'', which was published by

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. He also announced a new 5-part docuseries called, ''Omega: The Gift and the Curse'', set for

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

release on July 21, 2022 via the website Omarion Worldwide.

Personal life

Omarion has two children, a son born in 2014 and a daughter born in 2016, with ex-girlfriend Apryl Jones, whom he dated from 2013 to 2016. Their relationship was chronicled on '' Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood''.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' O'' (2005) * '' 21'' (2006) * ''

'' (2010) * '' Sex Playlist'' (2014) * ''The Kinection'' (2020) * ''Full Circle'' (TBA) ;Collaboration albums * ''

'' (with

) (2002) * '' Pandemonium!'' (with

) (2002) * '' Face Off'' (with Bow Wow) (2007)

Filmography

;Films ;Television

Tours

* Scream Tour I (2001) * Scream Tour II (2002) * Scream Tour III (2003) * Scream Tour IV (2005-2006) * Scream Tour V (2006) * The Millennium Tour (2019-2021)

Awards and nominations

* African Muzik Magazine Awards , - , 2018 , African Beauty" ">Best Collaboration "> * - , [African Entertainment Awards, 2018 , Diamond Platnumz Feat Omarion - "African Beauty" , Best Collaboration , * - , 2005 , Himself , Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist , * - , rowspan=2, 2005 , Himself , Best New Artist , , - , " O" , Viewer's Choice , * - , 2016 Billboard Music Awards, 2016 , " Post to Be" (Featuring

& Jhene Aiko) , Top R&B Song , , - , 2020 Billboard Music Awards, 2020 , ''The Millennium Tour'' (with

) , Top R&B Tour , , - , rowspan=2,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, rowspan=2, ''The Millennium Tour'' (alongside Bow Wow) , Top Rap Tour , , - , Top R&B Tour , * Urban Music Awards , - , 2007 , Himself , Most Inspiring Act , * NAACP Image Awards , - ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, Himself , Outstanding New Artist , , - ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, Omarion with Bow Wow , Outstanding Duo or Group , *

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, - ,

, '' O'' , Best Contemporary R&B Album , * iHeartRadio Music Awards , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, " Post to Be" (featuring

& Jhene Aiko) , R&B Song of the Year , * MTV Movie Awards , - , rowspan=2,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, rowspan=2, '' You Got Served'' , Best Male Breakthrough Performance , , - , Best Dance Sequence with Marques Houston , * Soul Train Music Awards , - , 2015 , " Post to Be" (Featuring

& Jhene Aiko) , Best Collaboration , * Teen Choice Awards , - ,

, '' You Got Served'' , Choice Breakout Movie Star – Male , , - , rowspan=3,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, " O" , Choice Music: Make-Out Song , , - , Himself , Choice Music: R&B Artist , , - , " Touch" , Choice Music: R&B Track , , - ,

, "

Hey Baby (Jump Off) "Hey Baby (Jump Off)" is the second single from the collaborative album ''Face Off (Bow Wow & Omarion album), Face Off'' by rapper Bow Wow (rapper), Bow Wow and R&B singer Omarion. This song samples "Going Back to Cali (LL Cool J song), Going Back ...

" w/ Bow Wow , Choice Music: R&B Track ,

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1984 births Living people 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American singers African-American male actors African-American male dancers African-American male rappers African-American male singers African-American male singer-songwriters African-American record producers Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles) alumni American contemporary R&B singers American male film actors American male pop singers American male rappers American male singer-songwriters American male television actors American male voice actors B2K members Cash Money Records artists EMI Records artists Epic Records artists Male actors from California Male actors from Inglewood, California Musicians from Inglewood, California Participants in American reality television series People from Inglewood, California Rappers from California Record producers from California Roc Nation artists Singer-songwriters from California