Monday, December 14, 2009
He was once the cornrow-sporting front man of the best-selling boy band B2K. But now, Omarion is a 25-year-old man with a close cut who is running his own record label, StarWorld Entertainment, via a venture with EMI Music. In addition to talking music, Omarion addressed reports that he doesn't like bisexual women, that he only dates light-skin black women, his rumored beef with rapper Bow Wow, whether he'll reunite with B2K and the thing he anticipates about his newfound religion.
What's the easiest thing about having your hair cut?
The easiest thing about having my hair cut is that I can just get up and go, but at the same time, I still want to keep a fresh lineup. It's still a pro and a con, because I still have to keep it maintained for a consistent look, but I can just brush it and I'm ready to go. I don't miss it, but I'm actually growing a duck tail it. It's gonna be long in the back.
You have this new label situation. Why did you decide to branch out and start your own record label?
I'm real excited because there aren't a lot of young people who get the opportunity to step into a place like that at the age of 25. I have such great mentors. Stepping into this is something that I've longed for, and I feel it's been calling me. I always see a sense of creativeness and control in my peers or people that I look up to. I can't say that I'm the type of person that likes to have semi-input. If it's about me then I want it to be about me. Not selfishly, but creatively, I know what I think I'm strong in. I've never really been able to give that type of input because I've always had to play artist. It's more of a business to me. I love the positivity involved in it, as well with my team and my squad. You have to keep the right people around you to know when to push and when to pull or when to give you constructive criticism and not come from a place of hating.
So this label has given you a new approach to the industry. You seem more driven.I hope to inspire my peers. I don't want to say I want to inspire the industry to become what it once was, because things change. But something interesting, bigger and better. I want it to be something to watch again. I always tell people that you always know what you're gonna get out of Beyonce. Kanye is the same way. I say this because I'm a fan, and I remember what it was like to rush to the TV and watch the awards. I see the effort, creativeness and the budget. I know we're in a place, too, where the budgets are an issue, but there are ways to get around that. Compete as if you had to compete with the world. In my video 'Get It In' it's like I'm coming.
Let's talk 'Get It In' because it's a little different for you. Clearly a bona fide club record.
This is just a small part of my story. Because I've been away for some time now, I'm excited that my fans are still there and rooting for me. It's time to get it. I'm glad that they like the song because it's something different for me, too. A lot of people hear the song and don't really know that it's me because my style is something totally different. My fans long for a slow song and that's really what they want to hear from me. This is the first time in my career, besides 'Touch,' that I've even been able to perform and dance. I'm really excited to hit the stage and perform that song.
This summer, you signed with Lil' Wayne's Young Money record label. Within weeks of that announcement came the news that you all parted ways. What's the story behind that?
It was about finding a home where I could really grow. It's almost like I was a foster kid and I met a whole bunch of parents but none that I felt suited me and would allow me to do certain things that, as a man, I needed to do. The idea of being with Young Money was great. Everyone over there is so creative, and because Lil' Wayne is an artist, he allows them to have full range, but timing was really an issue. When I talk about Wayne, I tell people that he's a driver and I'm a driver, but there's only one driver in the car. He has a certain movement that he likes to have just like any other man does. I was moving a certain way and felt that I had to build back up because I was away for so long. I've been doing promo tours just to let everybody see my new look and know this is how I am, this is how I'm talking and that I'm 25. I'm at a different stage in my career. I really felt like the move of me becoming an entrepreneur was the best move because it was a move that I long for.
There were rumors that you left Young Money because they signed Bow Wow shortly after you. Is that true, and is there really beef with you and Bow Wow?
It didn't have anything to do with that. Me and Bow Wow came up together. The first tour that recognized B2K and myself was the Scream Tour. We pretty much have started our careers together. He made the move to Cash Money, which is separate from Young Money, because if Bow wants something, he is gonna talk to Birdman. I was dealing with Wayne. There is no beef.
Since you've cleared that up, let's talk more rumors. There's this story out there that you don't like bisexual girls and that you apparently took a few digs at Amber Rose during an interview. Explain what happened.I love Essence, but I did this interview with them, and in the context that we were having this conversation about relationships, we were talking about the dos and don'ts for men. It wasn't necessarily about what I don't like in the world, because we were talking about bisexual women. For me, I wouldn't want to be with a woman who wanted to be with another woman, and that's just my preference. The way that it was stated was almost like I don't like bisexual people or that I was taking a shot at Amber Rose. The way that it was put was almost like I was dissin' her. I wasn't trying to diss her. I was just saying that I don't know if I could deal with knowing that I'm in a room with my girlfriend and she's attracted to another woman. That's just not my steeze. I immediately went on to Twitter and was like, "No disrespect to Amber Rose." I don't want Kanye or anybody to think that I'm dissin' them. I'm not the type of person that's gonna diss somebody to get something. What people do is what people do.
Do you think that social networking sites like Twitter now provide a platform for artists to be hands on with their own public relations?
I think things like Twitter can both help and hurt an artist. I was able to address [the Amber Rose story], so Twitter is cool in that way. You are also dealing with people who dislike you one on one. You have to deal with that now, because before they didn't have social networking sites where you could actually see it happening. I never had to deal with that before.
Another rumor was that you don't date dark-skin women. Folks were dogging you for that, however, when I read it, I thought you were saying that ideally you wanted a woman that reminded you of your mother.
Exactly! They were asking me if I date dark-skin women. I told them that I have, and I've had really dark women. But when people see me, they tend to see me with fair-skin women. My mom will tell you that she's a black woman. There's always been this light-skin-dark-skin thing, but the school that my mom comes from they we're all black. When people see me with a fair-skin woman it's because you really are attracted to women who are like your mom. That's really what I was saying, because I didn't say that I don't like dark-skin women. You've never heard me say that out of my mouth. I like all types of women: Spanish women, Asian women and all women that are beautiful. Of course, I have a preference like any man would.
Do you think some entertainment blogs fuel and manipulate quotes for traffic? Are you a fan of the blogs and do you view them differently knowing that you have had untrue stories about you posted on them?
I just don't understand it sometimes. I think it's unfortunate that blog sites get a kick out of being negative. That's the only reason that I like sites like ConcreteLoop.com, because they are very neutral. The only time they really have an opinion is when they post music, which I think is cool. Other sites out there are just haters and they have negative stuff to say. A lot of that has been going on with me and I don't know why because I'm such a nice person. I'm positive and optimistic that people will not take anything I say as negative.
I hear that you recently became a Jehovah's Witness.
I'm not technically a Jehovah's Witness, because I haven't been baptized, which you have to do in order to call yourself a Jehovah's Witness. You can become an un-baptized publisher, but in order to really be associated with the religion, you have to be baptized. I have been studying with Jehovah's Witnesses for about two years now.
Will you go door knocking?
Yeah. I can see myself doing it. Prince does it. I think it would be fun to go door knocking with him. It would be really interesting to knock on somebody's door and see them open it and be like, "Oh Prince!"
Got to ask this. I know its been asked before. Will you ever do a B2K reunion?
No, I would never consider doing a B2K reunion.
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