B2K In Concert
For a whirlwind two years in the early 2000s, boy band B2K held the world in their sensitive but rugged palms, creating bouncy, hip-hop–enhanced R&B with P. Diddy ("Bump, Bump, Bump") and even starring in a blockbuster dance drama (You Got Served) that showcased their lithe bodies and voices equally. Though the group split up in 2004, late 2018 brought the welcome news that Omarion, Fizz, Boog, and Raz-B are back together and ready to inspire screams and swoons around the U.S. with The Millennium Tour, a bill stacked with names who also call up the flash and flirtation of the aughts: Pretty Ricky, Chingy, Mario, Lloyd, and more.
Boys of the New Millennium, as they're officially known, began as four ambitious kids mostly from southern Los Angeles (Inglewood, Compton, Watts) brought together by industry veteran Chris Stokes, the guru behind predecessors Immature/IMx. But after B2K dropped a self-titled debut in 2002 — filled with slinky bump-n-grinders like "Gots Ta Be" and jiggy dance grooves like "Uh Huh" — it was clear they had a seductive magic all their own. Their recurring spots on the legendary, aptly named Scream tours were thrilling combinations of synchronized dance, perfect harmonies, and intimate interactions with an audience that never stopped squealing.
As their faces plastered the walls of more and more teens' bedrooms around the world, B2K worked tirelessly to please, releasing a splashy holiday collection called Santa Hooked Me Up (don't sleep on the swagged-up "Sexy Boy Christmas") and a second album, Pandemonium!, both before the dawn of 2003. The new songs expertly paired percussive production evoking Timbaland and the Neptunes with grade A songwriting by the likes of R. Kelly ("Girlfriend"). All of the boys' lyrical boasting and heartbreaking was backed up by their starring roles in and guest-studded soundtrack for 2004 flick You Got Served, which remains a cult favorite.
While B2K called it quits that same year, their talent, success, and youth ensured more to come. Lead man Omarion became a Grammy-nominated master of bedroom-oriented R&B and also joined rapper Fizz on VH1's Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. Boog and Raz-B have also pursued careers across music and film/TV, occasionally crossing paths with their bandmates, but few outside endeavors have stirred up as much fervor as the B2K reunion announcement.
