Omillio Sparks: Sparks Still Fyling

The split between Dame Dash and Jay-Z over Roc-A-Fella Records left Sparks, of Oschino & Sparks, without a corporate machine to back his next move, although the duo fell under the Damon Dash Music Group (DDMG) side of the split. Instead of sticking it out with DDMG, Sparks decided to regroup and put out solo music.

He's maintained good relationships with other members of State Property since going solo, but knows that if he's ever going to get his proper shine, he has to take matters into his own hands.

Here the Philly native and aspiring actor discusses his soon-to-be-released LP, This is The Life, and his solo mixtape intro, The Inauguration. Even without the Roc, Omillio keeps the sparks flying.

BallerStatus.com: What you been up to?

Omillio Sparks: Oh man, I'm working. We pushing the single "This is The Life," and I'm trying to drop the album in June. It's looking good...the radio's been picking it up and it's getting spins. I also shot a movie with Freeway, [and] it's scheduled to drop this summer. So, there's things still going on. It don't stop.

BallerStatus.com: I was checking out your website, OmillioSparks.com. I heard you freestyling...

Omillio Sparks: Yeah, that's right. We got the website up and it's popping like I'm running my own company right now.

BallerStatus.com: Colossal Entertainment?

Omillio Sparks: Yeah, that's a joint venture with my partner. Omillio Sparks Entertainment/Colossal Entertainment. I got some business partners and we doing this thing together.

BallerStatus.com: Over the "We Major" beat you said that the streets were saying that Jay-Z ain't want to mess with you no more. What's the deal with that?

Omillio Sparks: Yeah, that's what I heard. It's funny. He was just here in the city last week showing love. We were flicking it up -- me, him and Beans. That's just hype. I haven't been reaching out to him. But when we see each other, it was all love. Folks just be talking, but if that was the case, that's how I felt. It just came out like that.

BallerStatus.com: It just came out like that?

Omillio Sparks: Yeah, I was just spitting.

BallerStatus.com: What's your relationship with Damon Dash since the Roc split up?

Omillio Sparks: I haven't talked to him since. When I left, it wasn't like it was no bad blood. That was something they (Damon Dash and Jay-Z) were going through. At the end of the day, it kind of got ugly for everybody else that was on the label because they was splitting.

BallerStatus.com: What happened to your contract rights?

Omillio Sparks: Some artists were supposed to go this way and some were supposed to go that way. We fell under the Damon Dash umbrella, so it was like, "This is crazy. Let me just go back, regroup, and do me." It's not about choosing sides. I didn't understand that. I was like, "F--- this." I got my name up. Why don't I go back and start my own sh-- and make some bread. It's business at the end of the day, so with me, I be thinking about what makes the best business sense. I been an artist over there since '99 -- Me and O (Oschino). O kept going to the jail, getting locked up...so, we never got a chance to drop a record. I'm writing most of the songs for State Property and I ain't even put my own sh-- out. Let me put my talent out there. I know I'm bigger than this sh-- here, so this is what I did...I came back, got with my folks and told 'em, "Look, I want to put my sh-- out." They said, "Let's sit down, go over some paper work and start our company." And that's what we did. Now it's working.

BallerStatus.com: Are you happy with your situation now?

Omillio Sparks: I'm feeling good, because I'm in control of my own sh--. It's less stress. I'm feeling good. You damn right I'm happy. I miss the (State Property) boys, don't get me wrong, but I'm chillin'.

BallerStatus.com: You still living in Philly?

Omillio Sparks: I'm on city line right now, but I'm moving to Delaware. That way I get more quiet time, because when I'm in the city, I'm running around. I got to be focused now, because I got decisions to make.

Ya'll look out for the single "This is The life." That thing there is hard. Check for the album that should drop in June. Right now, I'm pumping the mix CD to get as many throughout the country as I can. The mixtape is called The Inauguration; it's a campaign out there. We sold out. I hit Houston first, then I went to Las Vegas, then I went to L.A., then I went back home. I wasn't going to even do the mixtape. I was just going drop a single, push that, put some money behind that and market that. But, some of the folks I was working with said, "Nah dog, drop a mixtape." So, I went into the studio and before you knew it, it was done. DJ XL of the Scratch Mechanics did the mixtape. You can go to the website, OmillioSparks.com, and hear it. It has 22 tracks on there. I'll think you'll enjoy them all.

BallerStatus.com: How's Oschino?

Omillio Sparks: He's chillin'. He's on my mixtape. O's actually sealing a deal right now.

BallerStatus.com: What producers you got on the album?

Omillio Sparks: I got tracks from Bink. He produced "1-800 Hustler." I got he Alchemist, a boy named Dilemma, in-house producer KP and Versatile from Jersey.

BallerStatus.com: What about Peedi Crakk? You still cool with him?

Omillio Sparks: Crakk is falling back. We just went out the other night. Everybody chillin', don't get it twisted. Crakk doing his thing on some MOR (Men Of Respect); he has his movement. Me and them folks is still good. I got him signed over there at Roc-A-Fella, so me and him got a little relationship.

BallerStatus.com: I didn't know that. I thought Beanie [Sigel] did all of that?

Omillio Sparks: A lot of people thought a lot of things. That's why I'm here. Who could tell my story better than me?

BallerStatus.com: Would you want to work with Jay-Z?

Omillio Sparks: No doubt. That has to get done period. The only thing I got a chance to work to work with him on is "Give It 2 Me." We did the track on The Blue Print 2: The Gift & The Curse called "As One," but I wasn't really happy with how they treated my vocals on the engineering tip. There's a few things we worked on, but it wasn't nothing where me and him would go hard on a track.

BallerStatus.com: What do you see for the rest of the year?

Omillio Sparks: My goal is to lock the summer down. I dropped the mixtape, I'm pushing the single and trying to leak that over in to the summer time, and drop a record on them. I'm just keeping it moving from there.

BallerStatus.com: When they interviewed Kanye [West], he was saying that split of Roc-A-Fella was like having divorced parents. And he was cool with both sides...

Omillio Sparks: You see how confusing that is? What decision to make? It's like you got two chicks...you cheating on your girl and you know you going to your main chick. It's a business.

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