Omarion Biography

Omarion is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer who became one of the more popular solo contemporary R&B artists of the late 2000s.

Early Life

Born in Inglewood, California on November 12, 1984, Omari Ishmael Grandberry was born as the eldest of 7 siblings. He began performing at 5 and was known for his dance moves in school.

Career Beginnings

Omarion was the lead singer of the pop-R&B group B2K from 1999 until their split in 2004. As a band, the guys achieved 5 Top 20 R&B/Hip-Hop hits, one gold certified album, and one platinum certified album.

Solo Career and Success

After a few movies, the band disbanded and Omarion focused on music. Under the Epic label, he released his debut album O.  The LP was received well, as it reached number 1 spot on Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Best Contemporary R&B Album Grammy award. The following LP, 21, was released in 2006, debuting at number 1. The album also spawned the hit single Ice Box. In 2007 he released a collaborative album with Bow Wow, which was certified gold. Omarion left Epic Records and under the new management of EMI, he released the less successful 2010 Ollusion. He also participated in the TV dancing competition America’s Best Dance Crew as a judge. In 2011 he made a deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label and released a series of mixtapes and EPs in the next few years. In 2014 he revealed the album Sex Playlist, peaking at number 5 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. He announced a new album release in 2017, entitled Reasons.

Photo credit: Billboard