Grammy-nominated R&B singer Omarion Grandberry is set to make an appearance at Norfolk State University to kick off Agoge Week at the university. Omarion will tour the campus and meet with student leaders and President Javaune Adam’s-Gaston in addition to participating in a fireside chat.
Omarion is best known for being the lead singer of the early 2000s boy band B2K. Omarion joined B2K in 1999. B2K, which is short for “Boys of The New Millennium,” got their start touring with “Lil Bow Bow” and released their debut single “Uh Huh” in 2001. Their debut album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The group released several hit songs, including “Gots to Be,” “Girlfriend,” and “Bump, Bump, Bump.” Omarion and the rest of B2K appeared in the 2004 dance drama You Got Served. B2K later broke up in 2004, and Omarion embarked on a solo career.
Omarion has appeared in several other films in addition to You Got Served, including Fat Albert, The Proud Family Movie, Feel the Noise, and Somebody Help Me 1 and 2. After leaving B2K, Omarion released his debut solo album, O, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. O earned Omarion his first and only Grammy nomination. Omarion has released several other albums, including 21, Ollusion, The Kinection, Pandemonium!, Face Off with B2K, and Bow Wow.
Omarion is not the first celebrity to take a trip to the land of Sparta. Back in October, New York Times bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates visited Norfolk State to discuss his memoir “The Beautiful Struggle.” This book was chosen as the NSU Common Reader for all first-year and transfer students for the fall semester.
Grammy Award-winning gospel star Kirk Franklin made an appearance at Norfolk State earlier this year for their Courageous Conversation: Black Fatherhood in America event. Franklin provided an insight into his journey as a Black father in America. Discussing the relationship between him and his own children and the process of finding his biological father at age 53.
Agoge Week at Norfolk State is a week of academic events and traditions that are designed to help freshmen become better prepared for the campus and serve as an opportunity to network with other students. Agoge Week is from August 10–18.
