Omarion
The breakout star of the young vocal group B2K, Omarion has since reigned as one of the era's most popular solo R&B artists. Supported by hits such as the gold-selling singles "O" and "Ice Box," the singer and songwriter -- also known for his dancing and acting -- topped the Billboard 200 and R&B/hip-hop charts with his first two solo albums, O (2005) and 21 (2006). The debut also made him a Grammy-nominated artist. In the following decade, his career was boosted by an affiliation with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, a period highlighted by the multi-platinum single "Post to Be" (2014), his fourth Top 40 pop crossover hit. Omarion has since taken part in a brief B2K reunion and has released The Kinection (2020) and Full Circle: Sonic Book 1 and 2 (2023), unequivocally modern R&B albums not without some unexpected turns.
Born Omari Ishmael Grandberry in Inglewood, California, Omarion started his career in entertainment as an actor in commercials and as a background dancer for Before Dark. From 1999 through 2004, he fronted the pop-R&B group B2K, who hit the Top Ten with their two proper studio albums and scored a number one pop hit with "Bump, Bump, Bump." The group split after the filming of the 2004 domestic box-office topper You Got Served, and near the end of the year, Omarion appeared in the live-action version of Fat Albert.
Signed to major-label Epic, Omarion made his solo debut the following February with O. Featuring production help from the Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, and the Underdogs and Tank, the LP, carried by the Top 40 slow jam of the same title, topped the Billboard 200 and R&B/hip-hop charts. It was subsequently nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Contemporary R&B Album. The follow-up, 21, followed in December 2006 and fared identically on the charts. Its biggest single was the Timbaland and Keri Hilson collaboration "Ice Box," which peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100. The singer's next move was Face Off, a full-length collaboration with Bow Wow. Promoted by a BET special titled The Road to Platinum, the project -- which capitalized on the success of Bow Wow's Omarion-assisted smash "Let Me Hold You" -- entered the Billboard 200 just outside the Top Ten and, like O, was certified gold by the RIAA.
Following a separation from Epic parent Sony, Omarion was briefly connected to Young Money Entertainment but ultimately signed with EMI, where he released Ollusion in January 2010. The album debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200 (number seven R&B/hip-hop) and included the Tank collaboration "I Get It In," featuring a guest verse from Gucci Mane, as well as a handful of cuts with Marques Houston. Later in the year, he appeared as a judge on the fifth season of America's Best Dance Crew. Omarion then joined the roster of Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, signed a management deal with Roc Nation, and joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. In December 2014, after a series of mixtapes, EPs, and appearances on MMG releases including the second and third volumes of the Self Made series, Omarion returned with Sex Playlist. The album entered the R&B/hip-hop chart at number five. Ross and Jeremih were among the featured artists, as were Jhené Aiko and Chris Brown, who appeared on "Post to Be," a number 13 pop hit that went multi-platinum.
Omarion released a couple intermediary singles in 2015. Additional tracks arrived in 2017 as preludes to his fifth solo album, Reasons, but the LP was shelved. He responded by uploading a cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's like-titled classic on its intended release date. Newly independent, the singer issued the fourth volume in his EP series Care Package by the end of the year. After he reunited with B2K for tour dates in 2019, he made his solo return the next year with "Can You Hear Me?," on which he was joined by T-Pain. The full-length The Kinection arrived later in 2020. In addition to "Can You Hear Me?," it contained the Wale collaboration "Mutual" and dusted off "I Ain't Even Done," a heady 2016 recording assisted by Ghostface Killah. Omarion further proved his enduring relevance in 2021 when Summer Walker placed a duet with him on her chart-topping Still Over It.
Singles released in 2021 and 2022, as well as the publishing of Omarion's first book, Unbothered: The Power of Choosing Joy, held fans over until his next full-length project. Full Circle: Sonic Book 1 appeared in May 2023 with a mix of funk-infused slow jams and trap-styled ballads. The release was followed by its sequel, Book 2, in December.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Discography
61 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Post to Be (feat. Chris Brown & Jhené Aiko) (Sped Up)
Soul/Funk/R&B - Released by Atlantic Records on 10 Nov 2023
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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flying fish
Dance - Released by 7348458 Records DK on 19 Jun 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Ice Box (DJ Nabs Remix feat. Da Brat)
Pop - Released by Columbia on 16 Feb 2007
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Know You Better (feat. Fabolous & Pusha T)
Soul/Funk/R&B - Released by MMG - Atlantic on 13 Aug 2013
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
I'm Up (feat. Kid Ink & French Montana)
R&B - Released by MMG - Atlantic on 18 Jun 2015
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Never Gonna Let You Go (She's A Keepa) (featuring Big Boi)
R&B - Released by Sony Urban - Epic on 28 Sep 2004
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
O (Clean Album Version)
R&B - Released by Sony Urban - Epic on 23 Nov 2004
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Distance (VICE Remix)
Dance - Released by MMG - Atlantic on 12 May 2017
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
O (Urban Clean Mix featuring Ray Cash)
R&B - Released by Sony Urban - Epic on 29 Mar 2005
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
O (Urban Clean Mix)
R&B - Released by Sony Urban - Epic on 15 Mar 2005
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Cut Off Time (Album Version)
R&B - Released by Columbia on 11 Sep 2007
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Post to Be (feat. Chris Brown & Jhené Aiko) (Sped Up)
Soul/Funk/R&B - Released by Atlantic Records on 10 Nov 2023
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo