# Omarion
**Omarion** (born Omari Grandberry, 1984, in [Inglewood, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/inglewood-california)) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor who rose to fame as the lead singer of the boy band B2K before building a solo career that has included two Billboard 200 number-one albums and a Grammy Award nomination.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/Omarion/profile/) • [2](https://www.einpresswire.com/article/922465949/multi-platinum-star-omarion-returns-with-o2-part-1-a-new-chapter-rooted-in-where-it-all-began-o2-part-1-out-now)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Omari Grandberry, 1984, Inglewood, California[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/Omarion/profile/) |
| Breakthrough | Lead singer of B2K, debuting in 2001 with the single "Uh Huh"[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/Omarion/profile/) |
| Solo debut | *O* (2005), which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album[2](https://www.einpresswire.com/article/922465949/multi-platinum-star-omarion-returns-with-o2-part-1-a-new-chapter-rooted-in-where-it-all-began-o2-part-1-out-now) • [3](https://omarionworldwide.com/pages/about) |
| Signature songs | "O," "Ice Box," "Touch," "Entourage," and the multi-platinum "Post to Be" (2014, with Chris Brown and Jhené Aiko)[4](https://www.iheart.com/artist/omarion-38891/) |
| Acting | Starred as the lead of the 2004 dance film *You Got Served*[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/Omarion/profile/) |
| Reunions | Headlined the 2019 Millennium Tour, B2K's first reunion after 15 years, and the 2026 Boys 4 Life Tour co-headlined with Bow Wow[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/why-millennium-tour-matters-2019/) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644) |
| Latest album | *O2 - Part 1* (June 26, 2026), released via Create Music Group/Immaculate Frequency Records[2](https://www.einpresswire.com/article/922465949/multi-platinum-star-omarion-returns-with-o2-part-1-a-new-chapter-rooted-in-where-it-all-began-o2-part-1-out-now) |
## B2K
B2K took shape in Los Angeles around Raz-B (De'Mario Monte Thornton), J-Boog (Jarell Damonte Houston Sr.), and [Lil' Fizz](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-fizz) (Dreux Pierre Frederic); Omarion joined as the fourth member in 1999, at a [New Year's Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-eve) party hosted by the group's manager, Chris Stokes.[7](https://gazettereview.com/2017/03/happened-b2k-news-updates/)
The group debuted in 2001 with the single "Uh Huh," a top-20 R&B hit, and followed with the self-titled album *B2K*, released March 12, 2002 on [Epic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/epic-records), which reached No. 1 on the R&B chart.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/Omarion/profile/) • [7](https://gazettereview.com/2017/03/happened-b2k-news-updates/) Their hits included "Bump, Bump, Bump" featuring Diddy, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, along with "Gots Ta Be" and "Girlfriend."[6](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644) • [8](https://rapindustry.com/iconic-rb-group-b2k-signs-label-deal-with-bpc-music-group/) The group earned the BET Award for Best Group and [Soul Train Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/soul-train-music-awards) for "Bump, Bump, Bump" and for the album *Pandemonium!*.[8](https://rapindustry.com/iconic-rb-group-b2k-signs-label-deal-with-bpc-music-group/)
The breakup came in 2004, after roughly three years together. Chris Stokes announced the split, with Epic Records citing internal disagreements.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/why-millennium-tour-matters-2019/) The Washington Post later described the end in concrete terms: on December 30, 2003, Omarion played what turned out to be B2K's last concert, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington; the next day he was the only member to show up for a Philadelphia date as internal tensions reached a breaking point.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2006/12/29/r38/c4bc5359-3784-4992-b4a7-3b3e1f1d36b9/) The Associated Press attributes the split to internal friction and financial disagreements with Stokes, as well as resentment when Omarion stayed with the management to launch a solo career.[6](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644)
## Solo career
**Film and the first albums.** In 2004 Omarion starred in *You Got Served*, a surprise hit about battle-dancing crews in Los Angeles, and his bandmates were also featured in the film.[1](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/Omarion/profile/) • [9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2006/12/29/r38/c4bc5359-3784-4992-b4a7-3b3e1f1d36b9/) His solo debut album *O* was released in 2005 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200; the title track was a gold-selling single, and the album made him a Grammy-nominated artist.[2](https://www.einpresswire.com/article/922465949/multi-platinum-star-omarion-returns-with-o2-part-1-a-new-chapter-rooted-in-where-it-all-began-o2-part-1-out-now) • [4](https://www.iheart.com/artist/omarion-38891/) His second album, *21* (2006), also topped the Billboard 200 and the R&B/hip-hop charts, and included the Timbaland-produced single "Ice Box."[4](https://www.iheart.com/artist/omarion-38891/) A 2006 Washington Post review described *21* as the work of a more involved lyricist with traditional romantic interests, noting contributions from the Underdogs, Pharrell Williams, and [Timbaland](https://www.edgepedia.org/timbaland).[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2006/12/29/r38/c4bc5359-3784-4992-b4a7-3b3e1f1d36b9/)
**Collaborations and the middle years.** In 2007 he released *Face Off*, a dual album with Bow Wow, with whom he had toured on the Scream Tour II in 2002; the pair's relationship later cooled before they reconciled for the 2026 tour.[6](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644) • [10](https://omarionworldwide.com/pages/music) *Ollusion* followed in 2010 after what [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly) described as years stuck in label limbo; the album received generally favorable reviews, with a Metacritic metascore of 71 based on four critic reviews.[11](https://www.metacritic.com/music/ollusion/omarion/critic-reviews) In 2012 he signed with [Rick Ross](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-ross)'s Maybach Music Group, a period a NOW Magazine review said followed years of struggling to find his footing in a changing R&B landscape.[12](https://nowtoronto.com/music/omarion-2013-11-28/) The MMG era produced the multi-platinum single "Post to Be" (2014), featuring [Chris Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-brown) and Jhené Aiko, from the album *Sex Playlist*.[4](https://www.iheart.com/artist/omarion-38891/) • [13](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/omarion/15559682)
**Later releases.** His catalog continued with *The Kinection* (2020), the two-part *Full Circle: Sonic Book One* and *Book Two* (2023), and *O2 - Part 1* (June 26, 2026), a seven-song, 21-minute project conceived as a "Sonic Book Two" homage to his debut album *O*, with production from the Grammy-winning duo Blaq Tuxedo and G-Elz.[10](https://omarionworldwide.com/pages/music) • [2](https://www.einpresswire.com/article/922465949/multi-platinum-star-omarion-returns-with-o2-part-1-a-new-chapter-rooted-in-where-it-all-began-o2-part-1-out-now) • [13](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/omarion/15559682)
## Reunions and touring
The 2019 Millennium Tour, toplined by B2K, marked the group's reunion after 15 years of inactivity and rounded up early-2000s R&B and hip-hop acts including [Pretty Ricky](https://www.edgepedia.org/pretty-ricky), Chingy, Lloyd, and the [Ying Yang Twins](https://www.edgepedia.org/ying-yang-twins).[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/why-millennium-tour-matters-2019/) B2K's members joined Omarion on stage for his final [Millennium](https://www.edgepedia.org/millennium) tour stop in April of that year.[6](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644)
The years between were marked by public discord. After the split, group members traded verbal attacks and went long stretches without speaking; Fizz later joined the cast of *Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood*, where his relationship with Apryl Jones, the mother of Omarion's children, became a storyline, prompting Omarion's "unbothered" response that became a viral catchphrase and the title of his book.[6](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644) • [5](https://www.grammy.com/news/why-millennium-tour-matters-2019/) By 2026 the relationship had repaired enough for the Boys 4 Life Tour, B2K's first major tour in years, co-headlined with Bow Wow: 28 cities across North America, presented by Black Promoters Collective, with support from Amerie, Pretty Ricky, Crime Mob, and [Waka Flocka Flame](https://www.edgepedia.org/waka-flocka-flame).[6](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644) Alongside the tour, B2K prepared their first album together since the *You Got Served* soundtrack, and Omarion readied a new solo album.[6](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644)
## Recognition
Omarion has received multiple [BET Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/bet-awards) and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and his recordings include platinum and multi-platinum certifications.[3](https://omarionworldwide.com/pages/about) • [2](https://www.einpresswire.com/article/922465949/multi-platinum-star-omarion-returns-with-o2-part-1-a-new-chapter-rooted-in-where-it-all-began-o2-part-1-out-now) Critics have often compared his profile as a singer-dancer to [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson)'s lineage of street-bred dance performers, a comparison the Washington Post called a good reference point for a young artist known as much for dancing as for music.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2006/12/29/r38/c4bc5359-3784-4992-b4a7-3b3e1f1d36b9/)
## References
1. [OMARION BIOGRAPHY, Sony Music Japan](https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/Omarion/profile/)
2. [Multi-Platinum Star Omarion Returns with O2-Part 1, EINPresswire](https://www.einpresswire.com/article/922465949/multi-platinum-star-omarion-returns-with-o2-part-1-a-new-chapter-rooted-in-where-it-all-began-o2-part-1-out-now)
3. [About, Omarion Worldwide](https://omarionworldwide.com/pages/about)
4. [Omarion, iHeart](https://www.iheart.com/artist/omarion-38891/)
5. [Why The Millennium Tour Matters in 2019, Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/why-millennium-tour-matters-2019/)
6. [B2K and Bow Wow's Boys 4 Life Tour is powered by forgiveness and accountability, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/c86b226d6e17e81b2c2823d2d55e8644)
7. [What Happened to B2K, Gazette Review](https://gazettereview.com/2017/03/happened-b2k-news-updates/)
8. [Iconic R&B Group B2K Signs Label Deal With BPC Music Group, RapIndustry](https://rapindustry.com/iconic-rb-group-b2k-signs-label-deal-with-bpc-music-group/)
9. [R&B's Omarion: On His Own and Loving It, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2006/12/29/r38/c4bc5359-3784-4992-b4a7-3b3e1f1d36b9/)
10. [Music, Omarion Worldwide](https://omarionworldwide.com/pages/music)
11. [Critic Reviews for Ollusion, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/ollusion/omarion/critic-reviews)
12. [Omarion, NOW Magazine](https://nowtoronto.com/music/omarion-2013-11-28/)
13. [Omarion, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/omarion/15559682)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 1990s and 2000s › R&B singers of the 2000s › Surnames M to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license