Omarion is ready to leave his teen image behind.
The singer, who announced his signing to Maybach Music Group last May, is currently in the studio prepping his fourth solo album Love & Other Drugs, which is currently without a release date. The project follows December’s Care Package EP, which showed Maybach O embracing adult themes in his music.
“That’s the most important thing, just growing up and showing different sides of my music and myself, especially being with the crew that I’m with,” Omarion tells HipHopDX. “It’s been a journey but I think I’m piquing the curiosity of people with my music and where I’m taking it. That’s been enough for me.”
Omarion last released his third studio album Ollusion in 2010, entering the charts at No. 19 with 19,300 copies sold. For Love & Other Drugs, he’s already hit the studio with a handful of producers and songwriters including Pharrell Williams, Tank, James Fauntleroy and Eric Hudson, though he wants to keep features light.
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“Tank, he was a writer and producer on my first album. He’s been a part of every project I’ve done as a solo artist. He’s done some awesome music for the album,” he said. “I cut some records with Pharrell. I don’t know whether we’re going to be able to keep him on the album, but he’s someone who’s worked with me and is an all-time favorite to me. When I look back on the records I’ve done, that’s something that sticks out to me. Pharrell, Tank… A lot of new producers. I’m working with Eric Hudson again. James Fauntleroy.
“I haven’t gone crazy feature on my album because this is the mature me, the more authentic me,” he continues. “I want people to hear me and I want people to hear me differently. I’m not going super crazy on the features and stuff like that, but it should be exciting by album closing time.”
He does plan on linking with his Maybach Music Group family for the remix to “M.I.A.,” which was originally included on the Self Made Vol. 2 album. He has enlisted Rick Ross, French Montana and Rockie Fresh and is still waiting on verses from two other rappers. “It’s a special record. On the remix, there’s Rozay of course, got French Montana and we got Rockie Fresh. There are two other people I’m supposed to be getting verses from but you know how that go. That’s kind of where I’m at right now.”
As for the possibility of a Self Made Vol. 3, Omarion says that there are no concrete plans to team back up with his MMG brethren but that they haven’t ruled out a third installment. “Nah, we haven’t just yet. But knowing Rozay, in the future, most definitely, whether it’s touring or it is a Self Made Vol. 3,” he says. “I think that album concept has always been a great way to show what it is that we do. I don’t see why we wouldn’t, but there haven’t been talks yet.”
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