Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor and dancer. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the boy band B2K. The group achieved success in the early 2000s with their singles “Gots ta Be”, “Uh Huh”, “Girlfriend”, and the number-one hit “Bump, Bump, Bump”.

After the group disbanded in 2004, Omarion embarked on a solo career, with the release of his debut solo album, O (2005), which debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. He was also featured on the single “Let Me Hold You” by Bow Wow, which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. O received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

His second solo album, 21 (2006), became his second chart topper in the United States, and spawned the hit single “Ice Box”. He released his third solo album, Ollusion in 2010. His fourth solo album, Sex Playlist (2014), spawned the single “Post to Be” (featuring Chris Brown and Jhené Aiko), which reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified 3× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Omarion has also ventured into acting, with appearances in films such as You Got Served, Fat Albert, Somebody Help Me and The Proud Family Movie. As a solo artist, he has received a BET Award, a Billboard Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award.

Omarion was born Omari Ishmael Grandberry on November 12, 1984, in Inglewood, California to Leslie Burrell and Trent Grandberry. His younger brother, O’Ryan, is also a singer. He appeared in commercials for both Kellogg’s Corn Pops and McDonald’s. He started his dancing career as a background dancer for the R&B girl group Before Dark and appeared in their music videos. Omarion soon began pursuing a career in music, and would go on to become the lead singer of the boy band B2K.

Omari joined the group B2K in 1999 and took the stage name Omarion. The group named themselves B2K, an acronym for “Boys of The New Millennium”. They began touring with Lil Bow Wow and eventually released their debut single, “Uh Huh”, in 2001. They soon after released their debut album, the self-titled B2K, on March 12, 2002. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. They followed the album up in December with their second album, Pandemonium!, supported by their most successful single, “Bump, Bump, Bump” featuring P. Diddy. The single peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This would prove to be the group’s last album, as they would disband in early 2004.

In early 2004, Omarion appeared in several films, most notably You Got Served, in which he starred alongside Marques Houston, as well as his former B2K bandmates. The movie centered on a group of friends in a hip hop dance crew who take part in underground dance competitions. That same year, he played the role of the school bully “Reggie” in the comedy Fat Albert, based on the animated series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. On February 22, 2005, Omarion released his debut solo album, O. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The first single from the album was “O”. The single peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The second single, “Touch”, peaked at No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album received a third and final release with “I’m Tryna”. O has sold over 758,000 copies in the United States since its release. Omarion received a Grammy nomination for the album at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary R&B Album. On December 26, 2006, Omarion released his second album, 21. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The first single from the album was “Entourage”. The second single, “Ice Box”, produced by Timbaland, peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is Omarion’s most successful solo single to date, reaching gold certification by the RIAA. 21 has sold over 390,000 copies in the United States since its release.

Towards the end of 2007, he displayed his acting skills in the thriller Somebody Help Me. This movie was released exclusively on DVD and aired on BET in celebration of Halloween. Omarion has also made several appearances in a number of TV shows, including One on One. Omarion also played the voice of Fifteen Cent in The Proud Family Movie. His portrayal of a rapper who gets involved with thugs in the movie Feel the Noise, which he co-produced, received mixed reviews from critics. In late 2007, Omarion and Bow Wow recorded a collaboration album titled Face Off. The album sold over 100,000 copies in its first week and went on to sell over 500,000 copies, reaching gold certification by the RIAA. The first single from the album was “Girlfriend”, followed up by “Hey Baby” as the second single.