Tyree was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and graduated from Central High School in 1987; after which he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied to become a pharmacist, like his mother.
Tyree transferred to Howard University in 1989. In 1991, during his senior year, Tyree became the first student in Howard University's history to have a featured column published in The Hilltop, its award-winning campus newspaper. Tyree's column was titled Food for Thought.
In 1991, Tyree received a degree in Print journalism from Howard University. Shortly thereafter, he worked as a reporter and an assistant editor at The Capitol Spotlight, a weekly newspaper in Washington, D.C. Later, he was hired as chief reporter for News Dimensions, another Black-owned weekly newspaper.
In 2003, Tyree released a lackluster hip hop album entitled Rising Up!. Tyree's disappointing rhyming skills were likely the reason this album failed to gain popularity.
Today, Tyree is a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Fiction, and has published 16 books that have sold nearly 2 million copies worldwide. He has been recognized as one of the most renowned contemporary commercial writers. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Tyree is now branching out into the world of feature films, business lectures, and urban children’s books.
Tyree is a popular speaker on the university and corporate circuits. In his Equation for Life lecture, Tyree weaves together a foolproof formula for attaining lifelong success in business and everyday living. Ideal for corporate sales and marketing teams, one attendee who heard the lecture commented, “Omar Tyree’s Equation for Life speech made me rethink my whole life...it has given me the focus I need.” The success of the speeches over the last eight years landed Tyree his first non-fiction book deal with John Wiley, the world's number-one business publisher. The Equation: Applying the 4 Indisputable Components of Business Success is being released in January 2009.
As an author, journalist, performance poet, songwriter, screenwriter, entrepreneur, creative genius, and an energetic and fiery speaker, Tyree is no stranger to the world of contemporary urban influence. Tyree became one of the dominant literary self-promoters of the 1990s, leading to offers of publishing deals by a number of influential mainstream book publishers. In 1995, he signed a lucrative two-book arrangement with publishing powerhouse Simon & Schuster. A few years later Tyree signed a lucrative long-term fiction contract.
His journey as an entrepreneur began in his early twenties, when he started the book publishing company Mar Productions to release his earliest works of fiction. Tyree’s entrepreneurial ventures have evolved to Hot Lava Entertainment, a synergistic production company for books, music, and film. Recently, Tyree released his first movie, The Lure of Young Women, which is available on DVD nationwide.
Tyree’s articles have been published in The Washington Post, Essence, and Upscale.
