Omarion

As the teenaged frontman for the R&B boy band B2K, Omarion lived every young singer’s dream of performing in front of screaming fans and lighting up the charts with hits like the frisky “Bump, Bump, Bump.” But for Omarion—who was born Omari Ishmael Grandberry in Inglewood, California, in 1984—that early success was just the beginning of a richer creative life.

As he told Apple Music, he felt like he came into his own artistically when he was able to work with The Neptunes on his first solo album.

“That was the moment I realized I’m here to make music,” he said.