Raz B was booked on a domestic assault charge on May 1, and it was reported that the B2K singer allegedly got into an ‘argument’ that turned ‘physical’ with his girlfriend. He was in the midst of a tour with his R&B group, B2K.
Raz B, 33 — real name De’Mario Monte Thornton — was arrested on a domestic assault charge on May 1, according to online records. The singer is currently being held without bail in Minneapolis’ Hennepin County Jail, which isn’t good news for B2K. The R&B ensemble is still scheduled to perform at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wednesday night, May 1. Although it’s unclear why Raz was booked, he allegedly got into an argument with his (unidentified) girlfriend that “turned physical when she attacked him, and Raz’s side claims he was defending himself,” sources close to the singer told TMZ. The report also claimed the alleged confrontation happened in a parking lot. HollywoodLife has reached out to the Hennepin County Jail and Raz’s rep for comment. Here’s what else you should know about the early 2000s pop culture icon as he faces a domestic violence charge:
1. Raz is one of the four members in B2K. With the help of J-Boog, Omarion and Lil’ Fizz, the group transitioned R&B from the 20th to 21st century — hence their group name, which is a play on the “Y2K” era. The band formed in 1998, but didn’t release its debut album, B2K, until 2002. Four of B2K’s singles shot up Billboard’s “Hot 100′ chart: “Bump, Bump, Bump,” “Girlfriend,” “Gots Ta Be,” “Uh Huh” and “Badaboom.”
2. Raz is currently touring with B2K. That’s right — the band’s back together! Following a 15-year hiatus after disbanding in 2004, B2K broke big news in Dec. 2018: the members would reunite for The Millenium Tour to perform from March to May 2019. The tour will wrap in Glendale, Arizona on May 25.
3. He enjoyed a solo career in music. Raz dropped his first single “Fire” in 2007, to a receptive audience: the track debuted at the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s “Hot R&B” sales chart. He followed the debut single with his first mixtape, Boy 2 King, in 2010.
4. Raz starred in a movie you may remember from the early 2000s. Not just a singer, Raz played Vick in the 2004 dance competition film You Got Served. And it looks like he’s returning to acting, because his IMDb page reports that he’ll play Coach Vinny Banks in We’ve Got Something in Common, a television show that’s still in development.
5. Raz was never in a coma, despite reports. Raz was a popular subject in 2013, when a report claimed that the singer entered a coma while touring in China. His manager debunked these rumors, revealing that Raz was only hurt during a nightclub fight near Shanghai.