B2K: My First Love

The 2000’s was the era comprised of songs that I will never forget. The sounds of smooth beats and soulful vocals. The sound of my heart beating when seeing my crush on TV or hearing him on a track. This was the time when every young girl saved her money just to buy a magazine that featured her fav so that she could put the posters on her bedroom walls. The portable cd player and cd case days (can’t forget the AA batteries). The good ‘ol days for us twenty something year olds. These are the tunes that I’ll be telling my future children and grandchildren about. “What y’all know ‘bout this here?” Boy bands were very popular in the 2000’s and all of them stole the hearts of girls across the country, but B2K is another story! There is no boy band (in my time) that tops B2K. Feel free to debate, but I’m spitting facts! B2K stole my heart.

Omarion, Lil Fizz, J-Boog and Raz B made up the R&B boy band, B2K (Boys of the new millennium). A group of talented young black boys from Los Angeles. Quite different when compared to groups like the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. I liked those groups, but seeing a group that I could relate to on so many different levels made it that much more meaningful. Their sound and style was completely different, but relatable. That was important!

In late 2001 I was in the first grade, which means I was around the age of seven. I remember one year for Christmas my cousins and I got to choose a random present. They were all cd’s, but each one was different. I happily chose mine and opened it up. THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER! (My brother got a Kid Rock cd) Perfectly wrapped with a bow was B2K’s “Uh Huh”. It only contained six songs, three of those were snippets, but it included a bonus video that you could view on the computer. I was the happiest seven year old ever. From then on, it was a wrap!

When it comes to boy bands most girls love the lead singer. In this case, Omarion, but I instantly fell in love with Lil Fizz, the rapper. For those of you who know me and my love for Chris Brown, before him was Lil Fizz. Everyone had their favorite. It’s funny now thinking about crushing on guys from boy bands, but back then it was so real. We young girls grew fond of the members from B2K and felt so connected to them. We knew interesting facts about these guys (mainly our favs). These things ranged from knowing their full names, birth dates, zodiac signs, favorite colors, what they looked for in a girl to what they disliked. All things that really just made us look like stalkers, but hey! Those of us who never got to attend a concert were glad to see them on 106&Park, in a magazine or on the big screen. At the age of seven I just knew that Lil Fizz was my boyfriend and it didn’t matter what any other girl said because he was mine. They have a song titled “What a Girl Wants” and at the end they each state their zodiac signs to the smooth beat. “Yo! Yo! What’s up ladies? It’s Lil Fizz and I’m a sag and I know all the things that a girl needs. Ya heard?” I heard you alright and I’m a sagittarius, too! It was meant to be. We connected. Yep. I even received their Pandemonium! album for Christmas. My mama knew me so well that she gifted me the one with my love on the cover.

When the group broke up in 2004, every girl’s heart broke. I know mine did as I sat and watched their three day special on 106&Park as they discussed the reason behind their split. We never thought that day would come. B2K splitting was the equivalent to Ray Allen leaving the Celtics. Just devastating! I’m about to shed a tear.

Despite who your favorite was, we all experienced our first love. More like first real crushes. For some reason, they made us feel special. They made us feel beautiful and loved. We were “pretty young things”. They said all the right things. Our time was spent watching every episode of 106&Park that they were on, every music video and movie. We lurked on their Myspace page for the latest updates. Each of us had the slightest bit of hope that one day we could be our fav’s girlfriend. We knew that whoever our future guy would be that they should be somewhat like them. B2K was the first boy band that I was overly obsessed with. The great thing is that I’m left with songs and music videos that I will never forget. The group was E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G (only real fans will catch that). B2K was my first love.

-Terrionna