Omarion

Omarion

Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known as Omarion, is an American Grammy-nominated R&B singer, actor, songwriter, record producer, founder of the group 2 Much, and the former lead singer of boy band B2K.

Early life

Omarion was born in Inglewood, California, the son of Leslie (née Burrell) and Trent Grandberry. He was born around midnight at home. He is the oldest of seven children. His younger brother O'Ryan is also a singer. Omarion began to perform at age five. He was part of "UAC" but soon disbanded as he wanted to focus on his talent, hip-hop and R&B. Before he made it into the music business, he was in commercials for Kelloggs Corn Pops and McDonald's.

Music career

Solo career

Almost a year after B2K's split, Omarion released his debut album, O. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, eventually going gold. The album is rated 2.5 out of 5 stars by All Music Guide, which is average. The album, as reviewed, is said to have some good songs, but it doesn't have the solid body required for a really good album. The album included the relatively successful song "O". That same year, he was featured on Bow Wow's hit song "Let Me Hold You". The song reached #4 of the Billboard 100, becoming Omarion's first top-ten single as a solo artist.

In December of 2006, Omarion released his second album, 21, named for his age at the time he recorded it (though he turned 22 before the CD was released.) This album is rated 4 out of 5 stars(great) by All Music Guide, and is considered Omarions best album ever (solo and collaborative.) "Entourage", the first single, reached only #58 on the Hot 100. The video featured former B2K bandmate Lil' Fizz. Omarion and Chris Stokes founded 2Much. They are signed on O record label.

Omarion has toured with Bow Wow, Ciara, Yung Joc, Ne-Yo, Usher, Lloyd, Mario (singer), Pretty Ricky, Jibbs, and many others. The second single from 21, "Ice Box", produced by Timbaland, has gained significant radio airplay and has become his biggest single to date, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. There is an official remix featuring Usher as well as a DJ White Owl mix featuring Usher & Fabolous and another remix featuring Tah'Burner.

Face Off (with Bow Wow)

Omarion and Bow Wow have been in the studio for the past few months recording their new album due out December 11. The first single off their new album is "Girlfriend", a video which had premiered late October. The follow-up single "Hey Baby" has already been leaked before it's official debut via the internet, [1].

Acting career

In early 2004, Omarion appeared in several movies, most notably You Got Served, in which he starred alongside his label mate Marques Houston and his fellow B2K bandmates at the time. The movie centered around a group of friends in a breakdancing crew who take part in a street dancing competition. The movie was panned by critics, earning a 17% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and 2.1/10 on IMDb, though it still managed to earn $40 million worldwide. Later that year he had a minor role in the comedy Fat Albert, based on the animated series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. This also starred Marques Houston.

Omarion will next appear in Somebody Help Me also starring Marques Houston, opening sometime in 2007. Omarion also starred in Feel the Noise, which was produced by Jennifer Lopez. The single for the film, called "Cut Off Time", features Kat DeLuna. He will also star in the upcoming sequel to You Got Served, You Got Served 2, most likely being released sometime in 2008. The film will, like its predecessor, will also star Marques, however it is most likely that the rest of B2K will not return.

London Bombings Controversy

Omarion was in London at the time of the London bombings on July 7, 2005. While he was not near any of the stations, nor did he travel on the London Underground during his stay, a press release was released on his behalf asking for people to pray for his safe return to the US. This has given rise to many online communities (such as Fark) "praying for Omarion" whenever there is a disaster or terrorist attack.

However, the same day, his website released a statement saying that he was in no way affiliated with the company or writer who had released the statement on his behalf. He apologized for the confusion and asked his fans to pray for those affected by the attack.

Discography

Main article: Omarion discography

Solo Albums

• 2005: O
• 2006: 21
• 2008: A New Rush

Collaborative Albums

• 2002: B2K (with B2K)
• 2003: Pandemonium! (with B2K)
• 2007: Face Off (with Bow Wow)

Solo Singles

• 2005: "O"
• 2005: "Touch"
• 2005: "I'm Tryna"
• 2006: "Entourage"
• 2006: "Ice Box" (featuring Timbaland)
• 2007: "Cut Off Time" (featuring Kat Deluna)

Collaborative Singles

• 2002: "Uh-Huh" (with B2K)
• 2002: "Gots Ta Be" (with B2K)
• 2002: "Why I Love You" (with B2K)
• 2003: "Bump, Bump, Bump" (with B2K featuring P. Diddy)
• 2003: "Girlfriend" (with B2K)
• 2003: "What a Girl Wants" (with B2K])
• 2004: "Badaboom" (with B2K featuring Fabolous)
• 2007: "Girlfriend" (with Bow Wow)
• 2007: "Hey Baby (Jump Off)" (with Bow Wow)

Featured Singles

• 2003: "Feelin' Freaky" (Nick Cannon featuring B2K)
• 2005: "Let Me Hold You" (Bow Wow featuring Omarion)

Awards/nominations

• American Music Awards
  • 2005, Favorite R&B Male Artist (Nominated)

• BET Awards
  • 2005, Viewer's Choice Award: "O" (Winner)
  • 2005, Best New Artist (Nominated)

• Image Awards
  • 2006, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated)

• Grammy Awards
  • 2006, Best Contemporary R&B Album: O (Nominated)

• MTV Movie Awards
  • 2004, Best Male Breakthrough Performance: You Got Served (Nominated)
  • 2004, Best Dance Sequence: You Got Served w/ Marques Houston (Nominated)

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Good Burger	Friend
	2004	You Got Served	David
		The Bernie Mac Show	Shonte
	One on One	Nyghtmare/Darius
Fat Albert	Reggie
2005	Cuts	Darius
	The Proud Family Movie	Fifteen Cent (Voice)
2007	Somebody Help Me	Darryl Jennings
	Feel the Noise	Rob
2008	Backdown	David

External links

• TUG Official Site
• Official Myspace Site
• Official Fansite
• Omarion News & More
• Omarion at IMDb
• MTV article on press release controversy