Read Omarion’s Body Language As He Dances His Way Through Tokyo In ‘Word 4 Word’

We’ve been waiting what seems like forever for Omarion to release his fifth studio album, Reasons. The former teen-star teased us with its release a few weeks ago, but instead treated us to a cover of the Earth, Wind & Fire classic of the same name. While we’re looking for answers, it seems Omarion is looking for himself. Or at least that’s what we’ve gathered from his latest track “Word 4 Word” and its cinematic music video.

“Word 4 Word” is a mid-tempo ballad that finds Omarion waxing poetic about losing himself after losing a lover. The track has a world music vibe, borrowing heavily from Caribbean flavors, specifically a sample of the popular Diwali riddim Steven “Lenky” Marsden used on Lumidee’s “Never Leave You” and Wayne Wonder’s “No Letting Go,” among others. Omarion uses an affectation on his voice, riding the stuttering drums and heavy bass.

Directed by Omarion and Deji LaRay, the video for “Word 4 Word” finds the “Icebox” singer going on a personal quest in Japan. Looking for himself amongst the ancient architecture and modern sights of the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, the clip is more than just beautiful. It has an edgy, almost grimy quality to it, going beyond glitz and glamour to give us a stylized vision.

The clip starts with the singer arriving in Tokyo via train, dancing in a smoky back alley, among other areas of the city. He makes his way to a local temple and finds a portal that transports him to a space where he ends up dancing with different versions of himself, possibly representing his need for self-discovery. After that, we’re treated to another track off the album while watching O drive through the streets on a motor bike. While the contrast of Caribbean music against a Japanese background feels a bit jarring, and we aren’t quite sure where the artist might be going with his vision, we can’t say the clip isn’t entertaining. At the very least it’s a great travel ad for Shibuya.

There’s still no word on when Reasons will be released, nor any reasons for the delay from its original June 16th release date. However, Omarion seems to have some plan in place, or he's at least very adept at making things up as he goes along.