Biography
R&B vocalist and actor Omarion shot to fame in chart-topping boyband B2K before launching an equally successful solo career in which he also became a reality show regular. Born Omari Ishmael Grandberry in Inglewood, CA in 1985, the oldest of seven children began performing aged five, and had already appeared in several TV commercials and music videos by the time he hooked up with Lil' Fizz, J-Boog and Raz-B on Millennium Eve to form B2K. The group made an immediate impact with teen audiences, reaching No.2 on the Billboard 200 with their self-titled 2002 debut album, and scoring a number one on the US Hot 100 with P. Diddy collaboration, "Bump, Bump, Bump." But shortly after appearing in "You Got Served" (2003), a surprise box-office hit in which Omarion played the leader of a dance crew, the rest of the group disbanded over concerns that their manager Chris Stokes was playing favorites. After playing school bully Reggie in live-action adaptation "Fat Albert" (2004) and voicing 15 Cent in animated feature "The Proud Family Movie" (2005), Omarion repaid the faith that Stokes had placed in him with O, a debut solo album which topped the US charts, spawned several hit singles and picked up a Grammy nomination. Featuring the Timbaland-produced Top 20 smash "Ice Box," sophomore 21 also peaked at number one in 2006, while 2007's Face Off, a collaborative LP with Bow Wow, continued his winning streak. Omarion then returned to acting with leading roles of aspiring reggaeton star Rob in dance drama "Feel the Noise" (2007) and college student Darryl Jennings in cabin-in-the-woods horror "Somebody Help Me" (2007) before releasing his third album, Ollusion, through his own StarrWorld Entertainment label in 2010. Later that same year, Omarion replaced Shane Sparks as a judge for the fifth season of "America's Best Dance Crew" (MTV, 2008-2015) and appeared in action film "Wrong Side of Town" (2010), while in 2014 he joined girlfriend Apryl Jones in reality TV spin-off "Love and Hip-Hop: Hollywood" (VH1, 2014-). Omarion returned to the US Top 20 in 2014 with "Post to Be," a collaboration with Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko which featured on his long-awaited fourth album, Sex Playlist.
