B2K: hip-hop hunks tell the real deal behind their breakup

Jet, Jan 26, 2004 by Margena A. Christian

The breakup of B2K, music's most popular hip-hop boy group, has been a real shocker for the music industry and to their millions of adoring fans.

Disagreements among group members, which include Omarion (Omari Ishmael Grandberry), J-Boog (Jarell Damonte Houston), Lil Fizz (Dreux Pierre Frederic) and Raz-B (De'Mario Monte Thornton), reportedly fueled the split.

All four members granted JET Magazine interviews so that we could find out the real deal behind their breakup.

J-Boog, Lil Fizz and Raz-B said that they had severed their ties with their management company, The Ultimate Group (TUG), whose chairman/ CEO is Christopher B. Stokes. Omarion, the group's lead singer, has remained with TUG.

"We didn't break up. We left management, Chris Stokes," says J-Boog. "Omarion decided to stay. We don't want to do business with Chris. As long as he works with Chris, there won't be a B2K."

Continues J-Boog, "We're parting right now to get the business together, to work it out to see if it's going to stay together or if it's going to break up."

J-Boog, Lil Fizz and Raz-B said that alleged business improprieties they've discovered at Stokes' company explain their parting.

Omarion doesn't believe that the split is about management. He says it's about them wanting to do solo projects.

"I'm glad I can go on record and set everything straight," says Omarion. "It is true that B2K broke up but it's not about me leaving or them leaving. It's about us growing up and wanting to do our own thing. We have been together since we were 14 years old. The guys are like my brothers and I love them and only wish the best for them in everything they do, but the time was coming that we were all more focused on our solo projects than we were in the group.

"You can't be a tight unit when everyone is more concerned with their own stuff than they are in the group," continues Omarion. "Fizz is done with his solo record and Raz has been working on his album and managing some artists and I have been working on my new movie and my solo record. It was just time for all of B2K to do their own thing."

Stokes told JET that he has "no idea" why the group no longer wants to work with him and that he didn't know that they were unhappy with management.

One complaint in particular by JBoog, Lil Fizz and Raz-B was how they made no money on last year's sold-out Scream Tour III.

"We came off that tour and saw zero dollars," says J-Boog. "Not one penny. Not one dime. Not a nickel. Nothing."

Lil Fizz echoed J-Boog's sentiment. "We didn't make a penny."

Omarion disputes that. "Totally not true," he says. "I have plenty of money."

He also said, "I know that B2K split everything equally and as I said I have money in the bank and money to spend so I don't know what they are talking about or what they did with their money."

Stokes provided JET with an explanation regarding J-Boog, Lil Fizz and Raz-B's claim that they received no money from the Scream Tour III: "I know the other members of the group will be reading this so when Raz-B insisted on being in charge and the point person to plan and budget out Scream Tour III because he wanted to experience doing this, I advised him over and over not to. However, with the approval of the other three members, Raz-B insisted on being in charge of all the tour budgets and planning and in the process overspent monies in various areas of the tour. Now they are upset that they didn't make the money that they were expecting and people don't know that we as a company didn't receive over half of our management fee for the tour."

Omarion says that he remained with TUG because he found nothing wrong with management.

"When I heard about these allegations, the first thing I did was run to TUG with my mother and my lawyers and we went through all of the books and every penny was there. I know that I'm only 19 and I have a Mercedes, a house, I support my mom and my family and I have money saved, and money in the bank and some to spend on top of that.

"Chris and everyone at TUG have been great to me and were great to B2K. Chris was always the fifth member of the group and we would not have anything or be where we are now without him. I'm a businessman and as much as I love Chris, business comes first."

Omarion is adamant that he believes the real problem stems from them wanting to do solo efforts.

"As I said before, the problem is with us as a group and each of our desires to do our own thing over the group," he explains. "This never was about anything else than our solo careers ... We have all been working on our own stuff for a long time now and that's why B2K isn't together."

B2K last performed together as a group on December 30 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. It was there that J-Boog, Lil Fizz and Raz-B decided to sever their work relationship with Stokes.

The night of the concert was also their last time seeing or even talking to Omarion, they said.

Omarion had to be hospitalized, which is why the tour was cancelled, according to Stokes.

"My head and back were hurting very badly so I went to the hospital in D.C. where doctors gave me a big scare," says Omarion. 'They wanted to do some tests so I decided to go back home and have them done in LA. I had the tests and everything wound up OK. I got a clean bill of health from the doctors and everything is A-OK."