Chart-Topping Multi-Platinum Hip-Hop Heartthrobs Bow Wow & Omarion Join Forces to Create Major Event Collaborative Album

The chart-topping multi-platinum hip-hop dynamos Bow Wow and Omarion have joined forces to create a new collaborative collection that promises to become one of the major musical events of 2007. The top secret Bow Wow-Omarion project will be released Tuesday, November 13.

While details of the Bow Wow-Omarion project remain under wraps, the new album marks the culmination of a joint collaborative process dating back to 2005, when Omarion's vocal contributions to "Let Me Hold You," the first single from Bow Wow's fourth album, Wanted, peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Bow Wow his first-ever Top 10 single and Omarion his first Top 10 as a solo artist.

That same year, Bow Wow and Omarion hit the road as co-headliners on the SRO "Scream Tour IV Presents: The Heart Throb Tour."

"Me and O have been trying to put this together for so many years, and now we've got the opportunity to do it," Bow Wow told Billboard.com earlier this month. "We're in the creative process right now, coming up with ideas daily, so the process is real smooth. We're anxious to make this whole thing happen. It's gonna be a special event. It's gonna be crazy, something the people have been waiting on -- the girls have been waiting on -- for years. O's one of my best friends. Anytime you get a chance to work with somebody you're best friends with, it's not even work, it's like working with family."

Omarion shares his best friend's enthusiasm for the as-yet-unnamed project. "This isn't about money, this is about music," says Omarion. "We both started young and have grown up together, working on the same tours, and have developed our identity in the music world. Jay-Z and R Kelly were the first big R&B/Rap combo, and we have great respect for them and have been inspired by them, but we still want to create something we can call our own. We just want to do our own thing. We want to have a great time and make good music for our fans. This is gonna be fun, so 'World, Watch out! We're coming!'"

Currently on the road with his "Price Of Fame Tour," Bow Wow is riding the success of his latest Top 10 album, The Price Of Fame, which reached #6 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The Price Of Fame kicked out a string of hit singles including the #1 Hot Rap Tracks chartbuster "Shortie Like Mine" as well as "I'm A Flirt" and "Outta My System."

Released in December 2006, The Price of Fame is the first new studio album from Bow Wow since July 2005 when his RIAA platinum-certified Wanted debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 and generated the smash singles "Let Me Hold You" (featuring Omarion) (#1 Rap, #2 R&B/Hip-Hop, #4 Hot 100) and "Like You" (featuring Ciara) (#1 Rap, #1 R&B Hip-Hop, #3 Hot 100).

Bow Wow -- whose film credits include "Like Mike" (one of the 50 Top Grossing films of 2002), "All About The Benjamins" (2003), "Johnson Family Vacation" (2004), "Roll Bounce" and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006). This past year, he also starred in the CW hit television series, "Smallville."

Bow Wow first burst on the scene back in 2000 -- under the wing of super producer Jermaine Dupri -- with his debut album, Beware of Dog, which went on to sell more than three million copies while solidifying his status as an authentic hip-hop heartthrob.

Bow Wow took his brand of rap to the next level with 2001's Doggy Bag, hitting the road in support of his multi-platinum sophomore CD with the sold- out "SCREAM Tour II," wowing fans all over the country with hits like "Take Ya Home" and "Thank You."

With his third album, 2003's Unleashed, Bow Wow became more directly involved with writing and producing his music, creating a collection directly from the heart, conveying a more personal overview of life from Bow Wow's perspective.

He is the youngest musician to open the Grammy Awards, is the first "kid" to be included in Vanity Fair's prestigious annual music issue (October 2001), and entered "The Guinness Book of World Records" as the youngest solo rapper to hit #1 on the U.S. charts.

Bow Wow is launching his own media company, LBW Entertainment, which handles emerging artists including Young Jinsu and Clee-O.

With numerous hit singles, platinum-plus albums, sold-out tours, starring roles in hit films, and a place in "The Guinness Book of World Records" already on his resume, Bow Wow continues to prove that he's the 100% real deal with the indisputable goods: a bona fide superstar blessed with talent, tenacity, and a deep connection to his audience.

R&B superstar Omarion rang in 2007 with 21, the year's first #1 album. The performer's second solo album (and first on Columbia Records) entered the Billboard Top 200 best-selling albums and the R&B sales charts at #1, mirroring the achievement of his debut solo album, O, which entered both those charts at #1 in February 2005. An important new voice in contemporary R&B and hip-hop, Omarion is one of a select group of artists to have achieved back-to- back #1 debuts on both the Hot 100 and the R&B charts with two consecutive albums.

Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Omarion rose to fame while still a teen as a member of the groundbreaking urban "boy band" B2K. His soulful vocals, riveting stage presence, and undeniable charisma helped B2K score a hit with the group's very first single, "Uh Huh," in 2001; achieve gold status with the group's self-titled debut album in 2002; and go RIAA platinum with the group's best-selling sophomore outing, Pandemonium! in 2003.

Omarion's undeniable media-geniality has led to numerous television guest appearances including "Punk'd," "The Sharon Osbourne Show," "Regis & Kelly" and "Soul Train." In addition to his musical performances, Omarion has acted on the big screen with key roles in "You Got Served" and "Fat Albert." Omarion stars in "Somebody Help Me," an innovative horror film directed by Chris Stokes and may be seen in the upcoming films "Reggaeton" and Tyger ("Menace II Society") Williams' "Street Soldier."

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Edwin Banacia of Columbia Records, New York, +1-212-833-5072,
Edwin.Banacia@sonybmg.com, or Patti Webster of W&W Public Relations, New
Jersey, +1-732-469-5955, Patti@w-wpr.com

Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/
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