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B2K | |
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Also known as | Boys of the New Millennium |
Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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Years active |
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Past members | |
Website | b2kofficial |
B2K (Boys of the New Millennium) was an American boy band that was active from 1998 to 2004, and again from 2018 to 2019. In 1998, the group was formed by American dance choreographer Dave Scott and Interscope A&R Keshia Gamble. The members consisted of Lil' Fizz, J-Boog, Raz-B, and Omarion. The group released their self-titled debut album on March 12, 2002. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
The group was originally formed in 1998, when Jarell "J-Boog" Houston Sr., De’Mario "Raz-B" Thornton and Dreux Pierre "Lil' Fizz" Frédéric were a part of another group called Melodic. [3] On New Year's Eve in 1999, Omari "Omarion" Grandberry was invited to join the band. Together, they would adopt the name B2K, an acronym for "Boys of the New Millennium," and a reference to the Y2K era. [4]
In 2001, B2K released their debut single, "Uh Huh," produced by Tricky Stewart. Their debut album, B2K, which also included the singles, "Gots ta Be" and "Why I Love You," peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was later certified Gold. Their 2002 album Pandemonium! debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. It featured "Bump, Bump, Bump", a collaboration with P. Diddy, which reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, becoming the group's first number one song. [5]
In 2003, the group won a Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Singing Group. That same year, all of the members filmed the movie You Got Served . In 2004, around the time the movie was released, B2K's manager Chris Stokes announced the group's split, with their label Epic Records claiming internal disagreements as the cause. Lil' Fizz, Raz-B, and J-Boog issued a joint statement confirming the end of their professional relationship with Stokes. The trio also said they "just want[ed] to be treated fairly". [6] Omarion would remain under Stokes' management and pursue a solo career.
Omarion went on to release several solo albums, as well as a collaboration album with Bow Wow. [7] From 2005 to 2007, Lil' Fizz guest-starred on Fox's comedy series The War at Home which aired for two seasons. After much controversy, Raz-B relocated overseas to China in pursuit of a solo career, as well as becoming an entrepreneur and manager of his own record label. [8] In 2009, J-Boog collaborated with Lil' Fizz on the 5-Track EP album "Nightlife". [9] He also partnered with IMx member and relative Marques Houston, becoming a writer, producer and vice president for Houston's film production company, Footage Films. [10]
In 2014, Omarion and Fizz became main cast members of VH1's reality show Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood , where both members showcased their private lives and relationships. [11] Omarion left after two seasons to focus on his personal life with his then girlfriend and newborn child, while Fizz remained as supporting cast for the remainder of the seasons. During the series in 2017, J-Boog made an appearance as Fizz attempted to get the band back together with Omarion not being present and possibly having co-star and long time friend Ray J be a part of the group as a replacement. [12] Ultimately, Ray J's ego caused tension between him and J-Boog, [13] [14] which resulted in Fizz and Boog deciding it was best to just let the group rest in their history and reunite the right way. [15]
On December 31, 2018, it was announced by group managers Michelle Le Fleur and Damuer H. Leffridge that after 15 years, B2K would reunite for The Millennium Tour in 2019. [16] The 3-month city tour occurred during March, April and May 2019. The location and dates were released through the G-Squared Events website. [17] The tour featured all four members of B2K, as well as several other mid-2000s urban artists, including Pretty Ricky, Chingy, Ying Yang Twins, Mario, Bobby V and Lloyd. [18] During the NYC show at Madison Square Garden, Ashanti made a brief surprise appearance performing with Lloyd on their hit single "Southside". [19]
During the 3-month Millennium Tour, Raz-B was involved in multiple incidents, which were set to be documented as he officially joined the cast of VH1's Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood , and agreed to chronicle his life experiences while on tour. [20] This never came to fruition as the reality show was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. [21]
In 2021, Omarion did an interview with the New York Post , addressing issues with his bandmates. He stated that he had "matured" and that within the group, there was "a lack of communication" and "lack of knowledge". [27]
On June 23, 2022, Omarion performed a Verzuz where he insinuated his former bandmates were "glorified backup dancers", prompting J-Boog to negatively respond. [28] Shortly after, Omarion announced the arrival of his five-part docuseries titled Omega: The Gift & The Curse, where he finally addressed issues during the 2019 Millennium Tour, the group's downfall, Lil' Fizz's relationship with the mother of his children, and more. [29]
On September 3, 2022, J-Boog, Raz B and Lil' Fizz appeared on the Revolt series Drink Champs as a trio to discuss their side of the turmoil. [30] [31]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | "Uh Huh" | Viewer's Choice Award | Won |
B2K | Best New Artist | Nominated | |
Best Group | Nominated | ||
2003 | "Girlfriend" | Video of the Year | Nominated |
"Bump, Bump, Bump" | Viewer's Choice Award | Won | |
B2K | Best Group | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | B2K | Favorite Music Group | Won |
2004 | B2K | Favorite Music Group | Nominated |
"Bump, Bump, Bump" | Favorite Song | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | B2K | Best R&B/Soul Album – Group, Band or Duo | Won |
"Bump, Bump, Bump" | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | Won | |
2004 | Pandemonium! | Best R&B/Soul Album – Group, Band or Duo | Won |
"Girlfriend" | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2005 | B2K | Favourite Music Group | Nominated |
Omari Ishmael Grandberry, better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor, and dancer from Inglewood, California. 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".
Kimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
De'Mario Monte Thornton, known as Raz-B, is an American singer and actor, He is a founding member of R&B boy band B2K.
Chris Stokes is an American filmmaker and former record executive. He founded the record label the Ultimate Group in 1997, whose roster included B2K, Omarion, Jhené Aiko, Marques Houston, IMx and NLT, among others. He has also directed the 2004 dance drama film You Got Served, as well as the direct-to-TV films House Party 4 (2001) and Somebody Help Me (2007).
Pretty Ricky is an American R&B/hip hop group originating from Miami, Florida. The group originally consisted of brothers Diamond Smith and Spectacular Smith, plus Corey Mathis and Marcus Cooper. Pleasure P was the group's main singer, while the other three members performed as rappers. After he departed in 2007 to embark on a solo career, the group shuffled through several replacement vocalists.
Sammie Lee Bush, Jr., known by the mononym Sammie, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for his 1999 hit single, "I Like It", from his debut album, From the Bottom to the Top (2000). He returned with his second studio and self-titled album, Sammie in 2006. Since then, he has released several EPs, mixtapes, and albums including Indigo, Coming of Age, and Everlasting. Sammie announced via Instagram that he would be releasing a new album in 2020 after the completion of the Millennium Tour 2020.
Dreux Pierre Frédéric better known by his stage name Lil' Fizz, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor best known for being the youngest member and rapper of the R&B group B2K. Formerly, he starred on the television show Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood.
"Why I Love You" is the third single from B2K their self-titled debut album and the song was released in May 2002 and it peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song is also featured on the group's second album, Pandemonium!.
"Entourage" is a song by American singer Omarion. It was written by Omarion, Andre Merritt, and Eric Hudson for his second studio album 21 (2006), while production was helmed by Hudson. The song was released as the album's first single and reached the top 30 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The official remix features rapper 50 Cent.
American singer Omarion has released five studio albums, three collaborative albums, two extended plays (EPs), one mixtape and thirty singles.
B2K is the debut album by B2K. It was released on March 12, 2002. The album debuted number 2 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart selling 109,000 copies in the first week.
You Got Served: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 2004 film, You Got Served. It was released on December 23, 2003 through Epic Records and mostly consisted of songs performed by B2K, but various other artists also appeared on the soundtrack. The soundtrack peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200, No. 7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and No. 2 on the Top Soundtracks chart. The single "Badaboom" performed by B2K and Fabolous reached No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is the last album B2K made together before their break up in 2004 and before coming back in 2018.
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo is an American R&B singer-songwriter and rapper from Los Angeles, California. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by their record label, The Ultimate Group that same year and was marketed as the "cousin" of B2K member Lil' Fizz to cultivate her own following, although they are not related. Her debut album, slated for a 2003 release through the label with Epic Records, was shelved due to Aiko instead further pursuing her education.
"Girlfriend" is the second single by American boy band B2K from their second studio album, Pandemonium! (2002). It was written and produced by R. Kelly. The song was included on the special edition of the album, which was released in March 2003. The single peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It's also B2K's final top-40 hit.
"What a Girl Wants" is the fourth single by Boy band B2K from their studio album Pandemonium!. It was written and produced by R. Kelly. The song was included on the special edition of the album, which was released in March 2003. The single was released in May 2003 and peaked at number 47 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The discography of Jhené Aiko, an American musical artist, consists of three studio albums, one extended play (EP), one mixtape, 17 singles and 21 music videos.
Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood is the third installment of the Love & Hip Hop reality television franchise. It premiered on September 15, 2014 on VH1 and chronicles the lives of several people in the Hollywood area, involved with hip hop music. The show features appearances from notable figures associated with West Coast hip hop.
The Millennium Tour is a concert tour predominantly headlined by Omarion. When 2019 dates were announced they were promoted as B2K being the main headliner with Mario, Pretty Ricky, Lloyd, Bobby V, Ying Yang Twins and Chingy as an opening acts for different dates. The tour became one of the year’s most successful new concert experiences grossing over $28 million.
Jarell Damonté Houston Sr., known as J-Boog, is an American R&B singer, rapper, producer and actor. He is a member of R&B group B2K. The group achieved success in the early 2000s with singles like "Bump, Bump, Bump", "Uh Huh", and "Girlfriend", which all reached success on the Billboard Hot 100.
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