Source: Roy Rochlin / Getty
Omarion sat down for a pretty lengthy interview with Joe Budden for his web series, Pull Up. We listened to the nearly two-hour chat, and the most interesting part, to us, was Omarion’s responses to questions about his decision to dump his group mates and do the second iteration of the Millennium Tour solo.
Joe joked about the situation, “You got rid of them ni–as,” to which Omarion responded by laughing and saying, “Nah, it wasn’t like that.”
It wasn’t though? It certainly seemed like it, especially what with the drama of bandmate Fizz dating Apryl Jones, the mother of his children, and O announcing on Fizz’s birthday late last year the new and improved Millennium Tour lineup. Instead, he said they were just moving in different directions, including when it came to their financial desires concerning the tour, and it was time to move on.
“I’m being honest. It wasn’t like that,” Omarion said. “I want to be very candid and honest with you. First of all, we haven’t been together in 15 years, and I mean together, together in one space for 15 years. We haven’t been around each other. We’re all on different paths.”
“[It was] because of the business,” he added. He claimed it was “difficult” for everyone to be on the same page about money, and Joe interrupted him.
“Them ni–as ain’t want no money,” he said. “They would have came on the road for some snacks.”
“Man, you don’t know the half,” Omarion replied.
Joe still refuted that story though (which I appreciated), pointing out that a few of the members were visibly surprised and upset they weren’t included for the new tour, particularly J Boog. So if they all were seeking more money, there wouldn’t have been a shock that they lost their place on the tour and they wouldn’t have seemingly blamed Fizz for that, either. O eventually admitted it was just time to move forward.
“I think that the moment for us to come together for the fans, it happened. It happened.”
To which Joe said, “And that sh-t will never happen again! [laughs]. You go get your little Love and Hip Hop check.'”
Omarion was later asked if he thought he could ever sit down and have a discussion with his former band mates to get in a good place. He politely said, in a very Omarion “namaste” way, no.
“You know, what I’ll say is, we shared something unique and special as kids and I always like to look at that aspect of our relationship because we were all so very innocent. We were all young and eager to perform. So I’ll always kind of respect and treasure that aspect of the connection, because without that, I wouldn’t have had the platform and opportunity to be who I am today,” he said. “Just like the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson. Just like Beyoncé with Destiny’s Child. Just like Justin Timberlake with N’Sync. So I appreciate that. But as far as having a conversation, if there is ever an opportunity, I don’t know that that would happen anytime soon because there needs to be some time for growth and maturity. And I think as long as that happens, which isn’t promised, then I wouldn’t mind chopping it up. I don’t know what we would have to discuss. I don’t know that I would be doing more listening than anything, because I don’t have much to say.”
“It was a moment in time, it was a great time, but now it’s time to move on,” he added.
As for Apryl and Fizz, he wasn’t too upset about them because he was “done” with her, noting that “I got the kind of personality, once I decide I’m done, I’m done. I don’t go back. I’m a Scorpio.”
However, he admitted that he was just as surprised as everyone else to find out because he wasn’t given a heads up by either party.
“I mean, to be honest with you, I was reading the damn newspaper just like everyone else like, ‘What?! For real? Oh!'”
All that being said, Omarion doesn’t hold any disdain in his heart for his former band mate or the rest of them, though when asked if he was still friendly with J-Boog he just smiled awkwardly.
“It’s all love,” he said. “You know I got love for all them cats.”
Check out photos of the group during happier, but not drama-free (if you know their history) times by hitting the flip:
Source: Evan Agostini / Getty
