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Omarion attends the 2025 Ebony Power 100 Gala and Mario attends The Baller Alert Show With Ferrari Simmons & BT at iHeartRadio Studios on September 25, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia
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Key Takeaways:
- Omarion addressed Mario’s “hit or miss” comment.
- He emphasized his longevity in R&B, saying his success comes from hard work; not luck.
- Omarion said that he’s not open to collaborating with Mario.
Omarion wants Mario to know who paved the way first.
In an interview with “Sway In The Morning,” which started making rounds online on Monday (Nov. 10), the “Post To Be” singer addressed Mario’s comments about his vocals.
In case you missed it, Cam Newton asked Mario about Omarion’s vocals on an earlier episode of his “Funky Friday Podcast.” The Turning Point singer paused before responding, “It [can] be hit or miss for me sometimes.” Speaking with Sway Calloway, who brought up the topic, Omarion called it a “wild conversation” to have. “We’re supposed to be here to uplift,” he said.
Calloway then asked if he’d consider collaborating with Mario after that incident. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so,” Omarion answered. “For me, it’s all about respect. I think you can have your opinion, but the moment I feel like there’s no respect there… I’m cool. I [would] rather step back.”
He continued, “I don’t think [there’s] respect there, especially for somebody like me that has been doing it before him. I’m just saying. It’s not by chance. It’s by hard work.” Technically, Omarion isn’t wrong. The O creator joined B2K in the late ’90s, while Mario released his self-titled debut in 2002.
That being said, the two aren’t exactly worlds apart in experience, as social media users pointed out in The Shade Room’s comments section. “Mario didn’t lie, and he said it in a nice way,” one person argued. Another said, “I don’t think it was disrespectful. If we’re being honest, Omarion is a performer, not a vocalist.”
People also couldn’t help but bring up the singers’ 2022 Verzuz match, which Newton briefly referenced in his chat with Mario. The former Panthers star asked if he’d ever consider doing a fan experience similar to Usher’s cherry stunt or Omarion eating watermelon on stage during their showdown.
“Definitely not the watermelon,” Mario replied after laughing a bit. See the full “Funky Friday Podcast” episode below.
In recent news, Mario appeared on Kehlani’s Folded Homage Pack last month. The feature helped the Oakland singer score their first Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.