Why did B2K break up? Their Age, Members, Jail, Net Worth, Wiki

B2K members

American boy band Boys of the New Millennium aka B2K was formed in 1998 by Interscope A&R Keshia Gamble and dance choreographer Dave Scott, who saw the lack of and need for a new boy band. The band comprised four members: American R&B singer-songwriter and actor Omari Ishmael ‘Omarion’ Grandberry, American singer and actor De’Mario Monte Thonrton aka Raz-B, American rapper and actor Jarell Damonte Houston Sr. aka J-Boog and American rapper, singer-songwriter and rapper Dreux Pierre Frederic aka Lil’ Fizz.

It took the band four years to release their debut album, then they broke up in 2004 citing ‘internal disagreements’, as their label Epic Records stated in a report announcing their split; the band members also released a statement, claiming that they only wanted to ‘be treated fairly’.

They briefly reunited in 2018, splitting again in 2019.

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B2K’s success and albums

Prior to the creation of B2K, three of its members were part of another band called Melodic; Omarion wasn’t with the band from the beginning as he was invited to join on the 1999 New Year’s Eve. They chose the name B2K as a reference to the year 2000 problem, also known as the Y2K problem.

Their debut single “Uh Huh” came out in 2001 and was produced by Tricy Stewart, a popular American record producer and music publisher. B2K released their self-titled debut album on 12 March 2002 and it peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, as well as topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart; the album sold nearly 110,000 copies in only a week and was thus certified Gold by RIAA.

Their second studio album “Santa Hooked Me Up” came out on 29 October 2002; it was a Christmas album and wasn’t as popular as its predecessor. It features 11 tracks, with the most popular amongst these having perhaps been “Why’d You Leave Me on Christmas”, which was also the only one to have its own music video.

The band’s third and final album “Pandemonium!” came out on 10 December 2002 and peaked at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, as well as at #10 on Billboard 200; the album spawned the hit song “Bump, Bump, Bump”, on which the boys collaborated with famous American rapper and record producer P. Diddy, and it topped the Hot 100 chart.

The year 2003 saw B2K win a Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Singing Group, while the following year saw the release of their movie “You Got Served”, a musical drama which follows two friends who have to win a local dance contest if they want to achieve their dream of opening a recording studio; it won one of its six award nominations. It wasn’t long after this that B2K split.

Following their split

Omarion continued working on his solo career after B2K split and released several albums, with the most popular having perhaps been the one on which he collaborated with famous American rapper and actor Bow Wow.

Lil’ Fizz went on to star in the comedy series “The War at Home” from 2005 through 2007, while Raz-B moved to China and launched his own record label. The year 2009 saw Lil’ Fizz collaborate with J-Boog on the extended play (EP) “Nightlife”, which comprised five songs and received mixed reviews; at around the same time, J-Boog partnered with the production company Footage Films and became their writer, producer and eventually vice president.

Lil’ Fizz and Omarion joined the cast of the reality show “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” in 2014 but Omarion quit two years later as he wanted to focus on being there for his girlfriend and their newborn child; J-Boog also made an appearance in the show.

B2K’s new managers Damuer H. Leffridge and Michelle Le Fleur revealed on 31 December 2018 that the band would be reuniting after 15 years and would be embarking on their The Millennium Tour in 2019; they performed all around the USA in March, April and May, with all four members present. Some of the other musicians who performed during the tour were Lloyd, Mario, Bobby V, Ying Yang Twins, Chingy and Pretty Ricky; famous American singer and actress Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas also made a surprise appearance.

There was some controversy surrounding Raz-B during the tour as he struggled with his mental health and caused problems for the band; it was announced on 10 May 2019 that he wouldn’t be continuing the tour, but would seek professional help.

B2K didn’t continue performing together following the tour, and Omarion revealed in an interview with the magazine “New York Post” in 2021 that he saw no future for the band as the boys lacked knowledge and communication; he went on to perform on the webcast series “Verzuz” on 23 June 2022 and referred to his former bandmates as ‘glorified backup dancers’. Omarion’s documentary about the group’s downfall and problems during their tour, entitled “Omega: The Gift & The Curse” was released in the second half of 2022; the other three members of the band made a guest appearance in the show “Drink Champs” on 3 September 2022, telling their side of the story.

YouTube channel

The band’s YouTube channel was launched on 27 December 2018 and is today subscribed to by more than 400,000 people, while only 16 videos have been uploaded onto it; all of these together number nearly 300 million views and most are their original songs, with others featuring them giving interviews. We’ll cover the three most popular videos as these have contributed to their still-growing popularity.

The #1 video “B2K, P. Diddy – Bump, Bump, Bump (Official Music Video)” has been watched nearly 180 million times since 25 October 2009, and is a song which they recorded in collaboration with P. Diddy.

The band’s second most popular video “B2K – Uh Huh” has been watched more than 20 million times since 25 October 2009, and is also their original song.

Their #3 video “B2K – What A Girl Wants (Video)” was uploaded on 27 September 2010 and has since been watched close to 13.5 million times.

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