Omarion Bounces Back From "Ollusion" And Has An "Awakening"

If there’s still any leftover residue form his B2K days, Omarion has done his part to crush any and all misperceptions, as he officially addresses his critics on his new mixtape "The Awakening."

One year ago, the 26-year-old was prepping his third solo album "Ollusion," which was not as commercially successful as he may have hoped. After label shake-ups that took him from the newest member to sign to the Young Money imprint, to being released from the label and starting his own company, StarrWorld Entertainment, his career has definitely had its ups and downs. With over a decade of experience in the music industry under his belt, the Los Angeles native has done everything from act, to release his own sneaker overseas, yet the rumors still seem to follow him around.

Earlier this year, Omarion addressed false stories surrounding his sexuality and went back to the basics to gift his fans with a mixtape in hopes of giving them what the R&B game has been missing. He’s even testing out his rap skills on a DJ Drama hosted project out today. Featuring the likes of Method Man, YG, and M.I.A’s new artist Rye Rye, he classifies "The Awakening" as a way to hit back at the naysayers. GlobalGrind caught up with the former B2K frontman turned solo artist, to explain the title behind the new project and why his fans shouldn’t count him out just yet.

GlobalGrind: Why did you opt to put out a mixtape instead of an album?

Omarion: I’ve done so much. The game has changed so much, especially from what I’ve known it to be. When you start in the game as young as I did, a lot of people, I think that they forget, I was working. I was making music, I was being a business man and to come from that place and fast forward to now where the person behind the computer can be just as famous as the person behind the ground work, I’ve had to change my perspective.

You rap on one of the songs ‘Bulls---’ featuring Method Man, that’s pretty out of the box for you, what are some other ways that you pushed yourself on this project?

I took away the boundaries. When you’re dealing with a company and some type of format, you’re involved with people that give you the type of advice that benefits everyone. But we’re in such a selfish world now, that it does not work that way. So really I had to say ‘wait a minute, hold up!’ singers are rappers, rappers are singers, if you don’t do everything, someone might take your place. You have to kind of do everything in order to compete.