The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas is an American pop music group that formed in East Los Angeles, California in 1995. The group is composed of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist will.i.am, and vocalists apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie. Since the release of its third album, Elephunk, in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 27 million albums worldwide, 20 million singles, and 47 million copies with both sales combined. The group scored its first worldwide hit with "Where Is the Love?" in 2003, which topped over ten charts worldwide. Another single was the European hit "Shut Up". Its next album, Monkey Business was also a worldwide hit, certified 4x Platinum in the U.S., and spawning two hit singles, "My Humps" and "Don't Phunk With My Heart".

In 2009, the group became one of only eleven artists to have ever simultaneously held the number-one and number-two spots on the Billboard Hot 100, with its singles "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling", from the album The E.N.D.. Combined, these singles also topped the chart for an unprecedented twenty-six consecutive weeks in 2009. The album later produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with "Imma Be", making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album. The album also includes singles such as "Meet Me Halfway" and "Rock That Body". The song "I Gotta Feeling" has become the first single to sell more than one million downloads in the UK.

Before becoming part of the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am and apl.de.ap were in a group called Atban Klann, signed to Eazy E's Ruthless Records. The Black Eyed Peas was ranked 12th at the Billboard's Decade-End Chart Artist of the Decade, and 7th in the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade. The group will perform at the Halftime Show for Super Bowl XLV, to be held on February 6, 2011. The group has been nominated for "Most Popular International Artist" in the ARIA Music Awards.

  

History 

1992–97: Becoming the Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas date back to 1988, when eighth-graders William Adams (will.i.am) and Allan Pineda (apl.de.ap) met and began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The pair signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E) in 1992 catching the attention of Eazy-E manager (Jerry Heller)'s nephew. Along with another friend of theirs, Dante Santiago, they called their trio Atban Klann (ATBAN: A Tribe Beyond a Nation). Their debut album, Grass Roots, was never released because Ruthless did not consider the positive themes and peaceful lyrics to be attractive.

After Eazy-E died in 1995, Atban Klann reformed and changed their name to Black Eyed Pods, and then Black Eyed Peas. Dante Santiago was replaced with Jaime Gomez (Taboo), Kim Hill became a steady background singer. Unlike many hip-hop acts, they chose to perform with a live band and adopted a musical and clothing style that differed wildly from the "Gangsta Rap" sounds of other Los Angeles-based hip-hop acts at the time. Through the mid-1990s, they performed in the local club circuit alongside fellow acts as Ozomatli and Jurassic 5 

1998–00: Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap 

After being signed to Interscope Records and releasing their debut, Behind the Front (1998) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim. The hit single from the album was Joints & Jam, and featured on the Bulworth soundtrack. Their second album was Bridging the Gap (2000), which had the hit Request + Line featuring Macy Gray. 

2001–04: Addition of Fergie and Elephunk

Their third album, Elephunk, began development on November 2, 2001 but was released in 2003. It was the group's first album to feature the vocals of Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson. Originally, Nicole Scherzinger (lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls) was approached to join the Peas. She was forced to decline because she was a member of Eden's Crush and was under contract. Dante Santiago then introduced Will to Fergie, who joined the band in 2002. Elephunk is also the first album that indicated and demonstrated The Black Eyed Peas abandonment of the raw Hip-Hop sound they were known and respected for a new, more polished pop sound designed to attract mass audiences. In a positive review of The Black Eyed Peas' new-found style, Rolling Stone noted that since 2002, when the group "hired a blond bombshell named Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson and gave up their pursuit of backpack-rapper cred, they have made a kind of spiritual practice of recording futuristic songs — a total aesthetic commitment that extends from their garish wardrobes to their United Colors of Benetton worldview."

Meanwhile, Fergie herself recalled her reasons for joining the group to noted UK urban writer Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul: "I first went to see The Black Eyed Peas in 1998 at a place called the El Rey Theatre in LA. Because they were hip hop-yet-abstract and their style was eclectic and theatrical, there was something about them I knew I could gel with. So years later, when my group Wild Orchid and The Peas happened to be on a radio show at the same time, I went up to will.i.am, got on my hustle, and told him I'd been wanting to work with him for ever! We exchanged numbers, and it was when they needed a singer for their song 'Shut Up!' that we actually started working together."

From Elephunk came "Where is the Love?", which became The Black Eyed Peas' first major hit, peaking at #8 on the U.S. Hot 100, but topping the charts in several other countries, including six weeks at #1 in the UK, where it became the biggest-selling single of 2003. The single had similar results in Australia, staying at #1 for six weeks also. In an interview with TalkofFame.com, Taboo shared that Justin Timberlake’s split with Britney Spears impacted the recording of "Where Is The Love?".

The album subsequently spawned "Shut Up", which peaked at #2 in the UK and topped the charts in many success and went Gold and Platinum in the U.S., UK, Germany, and other European markets.

The third single from the album, although significantly restyled from the original Elephunk version, "Hey Mama" hit the top 5 in Australia and the top 10 in the UK, Germany and other European countries and reached #23 in the U.S. The song received even more exposure in 2003 when it was featured in the first "silhouette" television commercial for the iPod.

Their fourth single from the album was titled "Let's Get It Started", which was re-titled from its original name of "Let's Get Retarded" to ensure radio play with no backlash for being considered as offensive to the mentally disabled. "Let's Get It Started" won a 2005 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and also received two nominations for Record of the Year and Best Rap Song.

In 2004, The Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Elephunk Tour, hitting many countries in Europe and Asia. 

2004–08: Monkey Business

Their next album, Monkey Business, was recorded through 2004 and was released on June 7, 2005. Much of the pre-production writing was performed on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus while on The Black Eyed Peas/N*E*R*D tour of 2004. The album's first single, "Don't Phunk with My Heart", was a hit in the U.S., reaching number three on the U.S. Hot 100. The spot the song reached was the highest peak yet of their career in the U.S. (this was later broken when "Boom Boom Pow" peaked at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100) and earned them another Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The song reached three in the UK, and five in Canada, and stayed at number one for three weeks in Australia. Some radio stations, concerned about complaints of obscenity, played an alternative version, "Don't Mess with My Heart". "Don't Lie", the second single from the album, saw success on the U.S. Hot 100, reaching #14, although becoming somewhat more successful in the UK and Australia, reaching a peak of #6 in both countries. "My Humps", another song from the album, immediately achieved commercial success in the U.S. and fairly substantial radio play despite the sexually suggestive lyrics, reaching number three on the U.S. Hot 100 and number one in Australia, making it their fourth Australian number one single. However, many mocked the song for its poor lyrical content; John Bush, writing for Allmusic, described it as "one of the most embarrassing rap performances of the new millennium". Despite this, the album Monkey Business debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, selling over 295,000 copies in its first week and was later certified triple platinum by the RIAA. Their next and last commercially-released single from the album was "Pump It", which borrows much of its sound from "Misirlou", specifically Dick Dale's version, it peaked at number 8 in Australia.

As well as being a hip-hop album, Monkey Business features some acoustic guitar playing from Jack Johnson in the single "Gone Going".

In September 2005, The Black Eyed Peas released an iTunes Originals playlist of their greatest hits, as well as some that were re-recorded especially for purchase through iTunes. The playlist includes popular songs such as "Don't Lie", "Shut Up", and a new version of "Where Is the Love?" It has small stories containing info and commentary about the songs and how the group first met.

On November 27, 2005, The Black Eyed Peas performed at the half-time show at the Canadian Football League's 93rd Grey Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia.

in autumn 2005, The Black Eyed Peas set off to tour with Gwen Stefani, as supporting act. In December 2005, they embarked on the "European Tour", which toured multiple countries in Europe.

The European leg which opened in Tel Aviv, Israel, continued to Ireland, the UK, Italy and Germany. After heading to Europe and Asia, they toured the U.S. again, and South America. The Black Eyed Peas have starred in a series of web shorts for Snickers called Instant Def, appearing as a group of hip-hop superheroes.

On December 31, 2006, The Black Eyed Peas performed at the last stop on the Monkey Business tour, at Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for more than 1 million people, being their biggest concert ever. The Black Eyed Peas performed at the UK leg of Live Earth on July 7, 2007 at Wembley Stadium, London. will.i.am performed a new song, "Help Us Out", at the event, which is now on his album, Songs About Girls, as "S.O.S. (Mother Nature)".

Their headlined the main Ocean Stage at the Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo, Japan on August 11, and Osaka, Japan on August 12, 2007. The act consisted of the band performing their hits, as well as Fergie singing solo tracks from The Dutchess. will.i.am sang songs from his upcoming album. On December 10, 2005, the Peas cover of the John Lennon classic "Power to the People", which was mostly recorded on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, was released by Amnesty International as part of the Make Some Noise campaign to celebrate human rights. The song was later released on the 2007 John Lennon tribute album, Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The same day, The Black Eyed Peas performed their version live on the UK television program The Record of the Year together with John Legend and Mary J. Blige.

On March 21, 2006, The Black Eyed Peas released a remix album, entitled Renegotiations: The Remixes to iTunes. It features remixed versions of "Ba Bump", "My Style", "Feel It", "Disco Club", "They Don't Want Music", "Audio Delite at Low Fidelity", and the standard version and video of "Like That". The following week, it was released on CD without the music video. Participants on the EP included DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Erick Sermon, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Large Professor.

Already having produced the bulk of the Peas' albums, will.i.am has begun his solo career in earnest by producing and collaborating with a variety of musicians, most notably Michael Jackson and also including U2, Sergio Mendes, Carlos Santana, Too Short, Kelis, Cheryl Cole, SMAP, John Legend, RBD, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, Nas and Bone Thugs and Harmony.

In March 2006, The Black Eyed Peas hit the road again as the featured headliner for the 6th Annual Honda Civic Tour with supporting bands Flipsyde and The Pussycat Dolls. They again brought the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus on the tour with them to craft new songs for Fergie's solo debut album. In 2006, they went on tour with The Pussycat Dolls.

On May 11, 2006, The Black Eyed Peas performed at San Fernando High School at the football field. In 2007, The Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Black Blue & You World Tour, visiting more than 20 countries, including Macau, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Hungary, South Africa, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Singapore, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Australia, Nigeria, Mexico, Thailand, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Argentina, Philippines, El Salvador and Brazil. This tour was presented by Pepsi, in conjunction with the new 'Pepsi More' advertising campaign, featuring The Black Eyed Peas. In fact, their track "One Tribe" was a promotional single made just for the new Pepsi spot. 

2009–present: The E.N.D. and The Beginning

The group's fifth studio album, The E.N.D. ("The Energy Never Dies"), was released on June 9, 2009. The first single "Boom Boom Pow" was sent to U.S. radio on March 10, 2009 and was released on March 30, 2009 on iTunes. The single sold 465,000 downloads in its first week of digital release, the third-largest number of download sales in a single week overall, and the largest single-week and debut-download totals by a group in the history of digital-download sales tracking, reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Pop 100. It became the group's first U.S. No. 1, holding the spot for twelve consecutive weeks. It also reached number 1 in Australia, Canada, and the UK. The album has a more electro-hop beat rather than the usual hip hop/R&B feeling of their previous albums. Three promotional singles, "Imma Be", "Alive", and "Meet Me Halfway", were released through the iTunes Store in the three weeks running up to the album's release. In its first week, the album sold 304,000 copies and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. In the United States, the album became the ninth album to top the one million mark in sales in 2009. The album has spent 38 weeks within the top 10 of the Billboard 200. The E.N.D. was the 7th best-selling album of 2009 in the U.S.. It also debuted at number one in Australia, number two in New Zealand and three in the United Kingdom.

After the release of The E.N.D., the Black Eyed Peas released "I Gotta Feeling" as the official second single from the album. It was produced by David Guetta. Moreover, the collaboration of this artist with the Black Eyed Peas is a significant reason of the recent success of the group. "I Gotta Feeling" climbed to number one on the U.S. iTunes chart replacing "Boom Boom Pow" which dropped to number two. The single charted at number three and then went to number one on the UK Singles Chart. It debuted at number 2 on the Hot 100 behind "Boom Boom Pow" and later surpassed it, taking the number 1 spot. The Black Eyed Peas joined a very elite group of artists who have held the No.1 and 2 Spot on the Hot 100 simultaneously. From 18 April 2009, when "Boom Boom Pow" reached No. 1, through 10 October 2009, the last week "I Gotta Feeling" was at No. 1, the group was on top of the chart for 26 weeks, more consecutive weeks than any other artist.

On Wednesday, June 17, 2009 the Black Eyed Peas performed on the pre-recorded show Alan Carr: Chatty Man. The band was interviewed and performed their single "I Gotta Feeling". On July 8, 2009, they made an appearance at the Isle of MTV in Malta.

On July 30, Billboard announced that the Black Eyed Peas set a record for the longest successive No. 1 chart run by a duo or group in the Billboard Hot 100's history. "I Gotta Feeling" hit its fifth consecutive week at No. 1, following 12 weeks at the top by the Peas' "Boom Boom Pow". Boyz II Men reigned on the chart for two 16-week runs in the mid-'90s.

Following its release, will.i.am remarked that the album had been inspired by a trip to Australia, specifically the sound of The Presets' "My People". "The energy on the Presets' small little stage was crazy energy. That song My People - that shit is wild," will.i.am said, "That's the reason why this record sounds the way it does - my three months in Australia."

On September 8, 2009, the group performed live for Oprah Winfrey's 24th Season Kickoff Party, on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. An estimated 21,000 dancers in the streets performed a flash mob to the live performance of "I Gotta Feeling". In September 2009, the group embarked on The E.N.D. World Tour, with dates announced in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. The tour is expected to last well into 2010.

"Meet Me Halfway" was released as the third single from the album in September 2009. The single reached number one in the UK and Australia, making it their third chart topper from The E.N.D. in both countries. It also peaked at seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it the groups third top-10 single from The E.N.D.

The group performed at the American Music Awards with the songs "Meet Me Halfway" and "Boom Boom Pow". They also won 2 out of 3 categories in which they were nominated; Favorite Rock/Pop Group & Favorite R&B/Soul Group. They lost their last category, Best R&B/Soul Album (The E.N.D.), to Michael Jackson.

In October 2009, they were the opening acts for 5 concerts of the U2 360° Tour North America leg.

The Black Eyed Peas started 2010 performing "Rock That Body", "Imma Be", "Boom Boom Pow" and other hits from The E.N.D. in a New Year's Eve party and caused an increase in downloads of those songs.

"Imma Be" was released as the fourth single in the U.S. on December 15, 2009, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, becoming the group's 3rd number one single on that chart. Heavy airplay in Canada caused "Imma Be" to reach number 5 on the Canadian Hot 100, their 4th consecutive top 5 hit from the album. "Rock That Body" was then released as the fifth single, and has so far reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

They group performed at the Grammys on January 31, 2010. They performed a mash-up of "Imma Be"/"I Gotta Feeling". In the same night, they won 3 out of the 6 awards they were nominated for including Best Pop Vocal Album for The E.N.D., Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group for "I Gotta Feeling" and Best Short Form Video for "Boom Boom Pow".

On March 30, 2010 the Black Eyed Peas tackled a major milestone in advanced technology. AEG in a Co-Production with 3ality Digital became the first concert to be broadcast LIVE in 3D. “This is the first live concert in movie theaters in 3D,” says John Rubey, president of AEG Network Live. AEG Network Live hired 3ality Digital, which had already completed 3D production work with Samsung and the Black Eyed Peas for the launch of their new consumer 3D TV’s. “We had had a dialogue with 3ality starting with [president] Sandy Climan two years ago,” said Rubey. “And we met with [director] Ted Kenney last May. Ted and I connected on a couple of advance trips, and the chemistry was good. He was flexible in understanding that it wasn’t just a 3D shoot but that there were a myriad of uses, including a (2D) transmission to 500 movie theaters. His vision and flexibility plus the relationship he’d created with the Black Eyed Peas made him a logical support.”

The Black Eyed Peas' LIVE 3D performance of "Meet Me Halfway" won top honors at the Dimension 3 Expo this year in Paris for Live 3D Category.

On June 10, 2010 The Black Eyed Peas performed "Where is the Love?", "Pump It", "Meet me Halfway", "Boom Boom Pow", and "I Gotta Feeling" at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration concert in South Africa.They also performed at T in the Park 2010 on the NME Stage on the Friday 9 July and Oxegen in Kildare, Ireland on Saturday 10 July on the Vodafone stage.

On July 30, 2010 The Black Eyed Peas performed "Boom Boom Pow", "Rock That Body", and "I Gotta Feeling" in Central Park as part of Good Morning America's free summer concert series.

On June 6, 2010, the band confirmed that they were working on a new album in an interview for The Big Issue. The album was described as a sequel to The E.N.D. Will.i.am announced that the new album, which "symbolizes growth, new beginnings and starts a fresh new perspective," will be titled The Beginning and is due for release on November 30, 2010. The album's first single is called "The Time (Dirty Bit)", and was revealed on October 20, 2010 through Will.i.am's Twitter account.

The group also stated in The Big Issue interview that they are working on a 3D film directed by James Cameron. The film will be a tour documentary with fiction inserted into it.

will.i.am

William James Adams, Jr. (born March 15, 1975), better known by his stage name will.i.am  and occasionally his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, songwriter, singer, actor, and producer. will.i.am rose to fame as a frontman and co-founder of the hit hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, with rappers apl.de.ap, Taboo, and later added member, R&B singer Fergie. As a producer, he has produced with artists such as Cheryl Cole, Daddy Yankee and Usher, as well as several tracks for Michael Jackson, which will be released on Jackson's forthcoming posthumous album. He recently did a music video with rapper, singer, songwriter Nicki Minaj on their song Check It Out.

  

Early life

William James Adams, Jr. was born and raised in the projects of East Los Angeles. He never met his father, William Adams, Sr., and grew up with his mother, Debra. Adams' mother encouraged him to be unique and to avoid conforming to the tendencies of the other youth in his L.A. neighborhood. She also encouraged him to begin working on his musical career by sending him to school in Pacific Palisades. While attending Palisades Charter High School, Adams became best friends with Allan Lindo (stage name apl.de.ap), also a future member of The Black Eyed Peas. While still in high school, the duo performed in East L.A. clubs and were soon joined by three other entertainers to form the socially conscious rap group, Atban Klann. Atban Klann caught the eye of Compton rapper Eazy-E and was signed to his label, Ruthless Records, in 1992. 

Career 

Music career

When William (will.i.am) was 16 years old, he started rapping in late 1991 under the name "Will-1X" after being discovered by Compton rapper and former N.W.A. leader Eazy-E and signed a deal to Eazy's Ruthless Records. will.i.am's first rap song was "Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas" from Eazy-E's 1992 EP 5150: Home 4 tha Sick. Shortly after Eazy-E's death in 1995, Will left Ruthless to start a group that would later be called The Black Eyed Peas.

will.i.am was featured in 2004, singing "Secrets" on Dexter's Laboratory: The Hip-Hop Experiment for Dexter's Laboratory on Cartoon Network.will.i.am is featured in Flo Rida's debut album, Mail on Sunday, on the song "In The Ayer," and on Usher's album, Here I Stand, on the song, "What's Your Name."

In September 2007, will.i.am's record label Universal Music Group decided on a pilot scheme to reward file sharing with cash incentives, which included tracks from his latest solo album, Songs About Girls.

In 2008, will.i.am was hired by Michael Jackson to produce and remix some songs for the Thriller re-release, Thriller 25. Also in 2008, will.i.am contributed the song, "One People," to the Survival International charity album, Songs for Survival.

Zuppa Blahq is a pseudonym for electro house work will.i.am has released, who has had one solo release and one collaboration with Steve Aoki on the single "I'm In The House," which charted at #29 on the UK Singles Chart. The music promo for this single was released September 2009, directed by James Sutton.

In 2009, will.i.am worked with rappers Flo Rida and Akon on Flo Rida's new album, R.O.O.T.S.. He co-created a girl group in 2007 called the Paradiso Girls, who are signed to Geffen/Interscope Records. The group debuted in 2009. will.i.am also recorded four tracks with Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole for her debut solo album 3 Words. Two of these tracks were also released as singles, the title track and Heartbreaker. will.i.am. appears on two tracks, "Heaven" and "Boy Like You". He also worked with Rihanna on her Rated R album on a track called "Photographs".

will.i.am appeared in the We Are the World 25 for Haiti music video. He is previewed in the video/song "OMG" (2010) by Usher.

He performed at the annual Electric Daisy Carnival in June 2010.

In October 2010, Will.i.am appeared on ITV1's popular TV show the X Factor as a celebrity guest judge to Cheryl Cole, when it came to the stage of the judges houses. Here he helped the Girls Aloud singer decide who would go through to the live shows.

In a YouTube video posted by YGLifeOfficial on March 15, 2010, will.i.am expressed his desire to work with and help k-pop girl group 2NE1 achieve international success. He later produced many songs and recorded with them in his own studio located in Los Angeles and also in a London studio. 

Acting career

will.i.am first started acting alongside the rest of the members of The Black Eyed Peas in the commercial series "Instant Def" to advertise Snickers. He starred in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa as the voice of the character Moto Moto. He contributed a number of tracks to the movie's motion picture soundtrack in collaboration with industry heavyweight Hans Zimmer. will.i.am played John Wraith in his major film debut, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a prequel to the X-Men film series. He also guest starred on the CBS drama Joan of Arcadia as God, one of several actors who played this role during the series.

will.i.am played a fathering role in The Urbz: Sims In The City, which uses The Black Eyed Peas' songs as its soundtrack. He briefly played himself in the Tina Fey and Steve Carell Comedy Date Night. 

Fashion

Before joining The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. In 2001, he began designing his own signature clothing line, i.am, which made its official debut in 2005 at the Magic Apparel Trade Show in Las Vegas. In 2007, will.i.am teamed up with Blue Holdings to design a premium denim collection, i.am Antik, that was scheduled to debut in August 2007 at the Project Show in Las Vegas. will.i.am instead has new partners and is launching i.am clothing at Project Las Vegas in September 2009. will.i.am has also designed clothing for The Black Eyed Peas. At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Will.i.am wore an all black outfit and black make up which caused a number of people, including Reverend Run, to complain that by blacking up Will had sent black people back 100 years. Will refuted the claims on twitter. 

Political advocacy

In January 2008, will.i.am wrote a song, "Yes We Can", in support of the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign of Barack Obama, which in turn became a music video directed by Jesse Dylan. The lyrics of the song are composed almost entirely of excerpts from Obama's speech on January 8, 2008, following the New Hampshire presidential primary election. The video features appearances from numerous celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Adam Rodríguez, Kelly Hu, Hill Harper, Amber Valletta, Eric Balfour, Aisha Tyler, Nicole Scherzinger, Nick Cannon, Bryan Greenberg, and Common and first appeared on the website for Dipdive. The video racked up three million views within a week and over four million subsequently on YouTube. On June 13, 2008, "Yes We Can" won an award at the 35th Annual Creative Arts and Entertainment Daytime Emmy Awards for "New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment."

On February 29, 2008, a second video, "We Are the Ones," was released on Dipdive and YouTube. Including cameo appearances from Jessica Alba, Ryan Phillippe, Kerry Washington, pop punk band Yellowcard's front man, Ryan Key, John Leguizamo, Regina King, Tyrese Gibson, Eric Mabius, Tichina Arnold, Adrianne Palicki, comedian George Lopez, and singers Macy Gray, Zoe Kravitz and The Black Eyed Peas' Taboo, the video features everyone chanting "O-BA-MA" as a portrayal as their hopes and wishes for Barack Obama and his presidential campaign.

On November 4, 2008, will.i.am spoke to CNN's Anderson Cooper about his support for then-Senator Obama using CNN's 'hologram' technology.

After the 2008 election, will.i.am released "It's a New Day." The video reflects on the historical events that led to the election of the first African-American president and the public's reaction to his election. The video features celebrities such as Fergie, Olivia Wilde, Kanye West, Harold Perrineau, Kevin Bacon and his wife Kyra Sedgwick. The video first debuted on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The track also appears on the 2009 compilation album, Change is Now: Renewing America's Promise.

In honor of the inauguration of Barack Obama as president, will.i.am collaborated with producer David Foster on the patriotic song "America's Song", with contributing vocals from Seal, Bono, Mary J. Blige, and Faith Hill.

In response to Barack Obama's reaction following Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will.i.am penned "The Jackass Song". It features a sample of Kanye West's "Heartless". will.i.am wrote a blog post along with the song on Dipdive. 

Controversies

On June 22, 2009, blogger Perez Hilton accused will.i.am and his entourage of assaulting him in Toronto after the MuchMusic Video Awards, a charge will.i.am denied in a video posted on his blog. From his account, Hilton was rude to Fergie and will.i.am confronted the blogger. will.i.am gave his account on his blog:

I didn't hit you. I told you that I didn't like the fact that you disrespected us. It’s cool to have your opinion, but dude, apparently you were bleeding outside the club, I was like next to you by a tree, waiting for my car and instead of calling the police you Twittered that I assaulted you. Sounds like somebody wants mad attention and is not really concerned about his health. I didn’t hit you, and this is very wrong that you are Twitting that I did that, once again disrespecting me and everything I stand for. And they’re lies and that’s wrong. Shame on you, shame on your behavior. And that’s just messed up.

According to news reports, AP article via MSNBC, Hilton called will.i.am a faggot in the club, but Polo Molina – Black Eyed Peas's tour manager – was responsible for punching Hilton from behind. The incident was caught on photo by a nearby photographer and by a video which documents the encounter. Gossip website TMZ released a video showing the encounter.

Liborio Molina, a 36-year-old California resident, has been charged with one count of assault.

Since the incident, will.i.am has received support from a variety of other celebrities including Josh Duhamel, John Mayer, Tila Tequila, Kelly Clarkson, LMFAO, Zac Efron, Breckin Meyer and Jimmy Kimmel.

Fergie

Stacy Ann Ferguson (born March 27, 1975), better known by her stage name Fergie, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, fashion designer and actress. She was a member of the children's television series Kids Incorporated, and the girl group Wild Orchid. She is the female vocalist for the hip hop group the The Black Eyed Peas with whom she has attained much charting success worldwide. Her own debut album spawned four Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, three of which went to number one.

Having left Wild Orchid in 2001, Ferguson joined The Black Eyed Peas. With The Black Eyed Peas, she enjoyed a series of hits and albums before releasing her debut album, The Dutchess, in September 2006 to similar success. Ferguson married actor Josh Duhamel in early 2009 after five years of dating. The Black Eyed Peas would enjoy further success with the release of their third album with Ferguson, they attained their first string of Billboard Hot 100 number one songs.

Biography 

1975–1990: Childhood and youth

Ferguson was born in Hacienda Heights, California, the daughter of devout Roman Catholic school teachers Terri Jackson (née Gore) and Patrick Ferguson. She is of Irish, Scottish, Mexican (from a great-grandmother), and Native American descent. She was raised Roman Catholic and attended Mesa Robles Middle School and Glen A. Wilson High School. She studied dance and began to do voiceover work, providing the voice for Sally in two made-for-television Peanuts cartoons, (It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown, 1984, and Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown, 1985) as well as on four episodes of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. From 1984 to 1989, she starred on the TV show Kids Incorporated. All that time, she was a cheerleader, straight-A student, and spelling bee champion, as well as a Girl Scout. 

1991–2001: Beginnings with Wild Orchid

Ferguson was a member of the female trio Wild Orchid, which she fronted with Stefanie Ridel and fellow Kids Incorporated star Renee Sandstrom. By 1992, the girls began meeting with record labels, but they still could not get a recording contract. They eventually signed a music publishing deal with Sony Publishing before signing a record contract with RCA Records in 1994. In April 2007, she gave an interview in which she admitted that she went on a sex and drugs spree when she turned eighteen, saying: "I have had lesbian experiences in the past. I won't say how many men I've had sex with — but I am a very sexual person."

Their first single, "At Night I Pray", debuted on the Billboard charts in Fall 1996. In March 1997, Wild Orchid released their self-titled debut album. In September 1998, they released their second album, Oxygen. From June 16 to August 28, 1999, they opened for Cher's "Believe Farewell Tour" alongside Cyndi Lauper, which took them to 52 cities across the USA and Canada. After completing a third album, their record label declined to release it and Ferguson left the group in September 2001. In a 2006 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ferguson revealed that both frustrations with the band's image and personal drug problems led her to leave Wild Orchid.

While performing with Wild Orchid, Ferguson developed an addiction to crystal methamphetamine which followed her after she left the group in 2001. In September 2006, Ferguson talked with Time magazine about quitting her crystal meth addiction. "It was the hardest boyfriend I ever had to break up with," she says. "It's the drug that's addicting. But it's why you start doing it in the first place that's interesting. A lot of it was being a child actor; I learned to suppress feelings." Ferguson has stated in several interviews that she is an avid user of hypnotherapy, which she used to overcome her crystal meth addiction and to relax. At some point prior to 2001, Ferguson dated pop star Justin Timberlake. 

2002–06: Success with The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas were recording their third album, 2003's Elephunk, when will.i.am invited Ferguson to try out for a song called "Shut Up". She got the gig and instantly bonded with the trio, going on to record five additional songs on the album. The following spring, shortly before Elephunk came out, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine offered Ferguson a permanent spot to take over vocal duties and fill the void left by background singer Kim Hill's departure in 2000. On February 7, 2003, it was announced that Ferguson had signed a one-album solo deal with Interscope Records, however instead of working on the album she began focusing more on Black Eyed Peas work.

From Elephunk came "Where is the Love?", which became The Black Eyed Peas' first major hit, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, but topping the charts in several other countries. The album subsequently spawned "Shut Up", which topped the charts in many markets. The third single from the album, "Hey Mama" hit top 10 in many European countries and later reached number twenty-three in the US. In 2004, The Black Eyed Peas embarked on the worldwide Elephunk Tour.

Ferguson and actor Josh Duhamel met and began dating in September 2004 when she and her band appeared on Duhamel's show Las Vegas.

Their next album, Monkey Business, was released in June 2005. Monkey Business debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 . The album's first single, "Don't Phunk with My Heart", reached number three in the US and earned them a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. "Don't Lie", the second single from the album, saw success on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number fourteen. "My Humps", another song from the album, immediately achieved commercial success in the US, reaching number three on the Hot 100 and number one in Australia. In autumn 2005, The Black Eyed Peas set off to tour with Gwen Stefani, as supporting act. In December 2005, they embarked on the "European Tour". In March 2006, The Black Eyed Peas hit the road again as the featured headliner for the Honda Civic Tour. 

2006–08: Solo success and continued acting career

Ferguson's debut solo album, The Dutchess, was released in September 2006. The Dutchess spawned six hits for Ferguson, beginning with "London Bridge", "Fergalicious", "Glamorous", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Clumsy", and "Finally". Ferguson scored her fifth consecutive Top 5 hit from The Dutchess after "Clumsy" reached a peak position of number five on the Billboard Hot 100. On November 18, 2007, Ferguson won the Pop or Rock "Favorite Female Artist" at the American Music Awards. In addition, her song "Big Girls Don't Cry" also earned Ferguson a Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". In December 2007, Blender picked Ferguson as their woman of the year. In 2007, The Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Black Blue & You World Tour, visiting more than 20 countries.

Ferguson finally returned to acting in 2006, appearing as a lounge singer in the Poseidon remake and later had supporting roles in 2007's Grindhouse and the 2009 musical film Nine filmed in 2008. 

2009–present: Marriage and continued success with The Black Eyed Peas

Ferguson and Josh Duhamel married in a Catholic ceremony on January 10, 2009, after five years of dating. Ferguson and Duhamel live in Brentwood, California and are planning to have a baby in 2010.

The Black Eyed Peas released "Boom Boom Pow" from the album The E.N.D. in late March 2009, it went to number one in the US, making it the group's first chart topper. They subsequently released a second single from the album, "I Gotta Feeling", which proved an even greater success than the first, moving from number 2 behind "Boom Boom Pow" to the top spot on July 11, and staying 14 straight weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the longest stay at the top of 2009. The two hit singles back to back kept The Black Eyed Peas on the top for 26 consecutive weeks, from April 18 through October 16. "Meet Me Halfway" was released as the third single from the album in September 2009. The single reached number one in the UK and Australia. It also peaked at seven on the Billboard Hot 100. "Imma Be" was released as the fourth single, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. "Rock That Body" was then released as the fifth single, and has reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Taboo

Jaime Luis Gómez (born July 14, 1975) better known by his stage name Taboo, is an American musician and actor best known as a member of the hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas.

Taboo got his nickname because of his love for drinking the Taboo cocktail with lemonade and plenty of ice, shaken not stirred.

Personal background

Taboo has a mixed background of Mexican and Shoshone First Nation descent. He was born in Boyle Heights, California and raised in Los Angeles, California, and was educated at the Garvey Intermediate. Two days before his 33rd birthday, Taboo married Jaymie Dizon in Pasadena, California on July 12, 2008. will.i.am and apl.de.ap served as groomsmen. The couple had their first child, a boy, named Jimmy Jalen Gomez on July 19, 2009. He has a son from a previous relationship named Josh, who was born May 12, 1993. 

Music career 

The Black Eyed Peas

He joined The Black Eyed Peas in 1995. Groupmates apl.de.ap and will.i.am were originally in a group called Atban Klann, but changed the name after changing record labels. In 2001, Stacy Ferguson joined and completed the band's current lineup. Taboo is known for his capoeira-inspired dance moves (he is a practitioner of Jeet Kune Do concepts and a black belt in Ninjutsu) and an eclectic style of dress. 

Solo work

As of 2008, Taboo is in the process of creating a solo album, T.A.B.O.O. Taboo has said that he hopes to collaborate with artists such as Frankie J, E-40, Pitbull, and Kumbia Kings. Shakira, Blu Cantrell and Juanes have been rumoured to be featured artists on his solo effort, even though it may be a small effort. "Revolucion" can be heard on his official website.

Music he has co-written and performed has been featured on many movie soundtracks, including Coach Carter, Legally Blonde, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and Barbershop 2.

 

Other collaborations

He collaborated in the past with Ryan Key of Yellowcard on the song "Gotta Get It Now". He also collaborated with race rapper David Rolas for the song "Morena", and rapper Fudge Dog on the song "Get It". In late 2007, Taboo also collaborated with merengue star Juan Luis Guerra on a remix of his hit song "La Llave de Mi Corazón". In addition, he created a remix to the song "La Paga" by Juanes.Taboo worked with George Pajon Jr. and Andy Vargas perform the Obama song "Yes We Can" (Si Se Puede). He performed together with Juanes, in the kick-off concert of South Africa Worldcup 2010, singing La Paga 

Acting

Taboo's first acting role was in the film Dirty  with Wyclef Jean, playing the part of Ramírez. He then appeared in the 2007 independent film Cosmic Radio, which also stars Michael Madsen, Wes Studi, Irene Bedard, Daryl Hanna, Ricardo Chavira, and other well-known actors. He played the character Vega in the 2009 film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Taboo has also appeared as a judge on the reality show MTV's Top Pop Group

apl.de.ap

Allan Pineda Lindo Jr., (born November 28, 1974) better known by his stage name apl.de.ap, is a hip hop musician, record producer and is best known as a member of the The Black Eyed Peas.

  

Early life

Allan Pineda was born in Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, in the Philippines, to a Filipino mother and an African American father. His father, a U.S. airman stationed at Clark Air Base, abandoned the family shortly after his birth; his mother, Cristina Pineda, raised Apl and his six younger siblings as a single mother. Two of his siblings are deceased: his younger brother Arnel committed suicide (this is referenced in The Apl Song in the lines "I guess sometimes life's stresses get you down/Oh brother, wish I could have helped you out"). His youngest brother, Joven Pineda Deala, was murdered at the age of 22 in February 2009 in Porac, Pampanga.

As a child, Allan would make an hour-long jeepney trip to and from school, and helped his family subsist by farming sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane and rice. The Pearl S. Buck Foundation, an organization that finds healthier living environments for young abandoned or orphaned Amerasian children, matched him with a sponsor named Joe Ben Hudgens through a dollar-a-day program. He initially came to the United States at the age of 11 to treat nystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eyes. During a trip to Disneyland, Apl expressed his interest in staying in the United States. It would take another three years for Hudgens to officially adopt him, but at fourteen he moved permanently to the United States to live with Hudgens.

In Los Angeles, he attended John Marshall High School and he met William Adams (stage name will.i.am), the nephew of Hudgens' roommate.

Apl's early musical influences were Stevie Wonder, The Eagles, The Beatles, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Leaders of the New School and the popular Filipino rock/folk group, Asin. Apl was introduced to hip-hop by break dancing. "I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that's how I got introduced to break dancing," he said. "I would see kids at the corner break-dancing and I'm like, 'I wanna do that.'"

Career

He and will.i.am formed a break-dancing crew called Tribal Nation and performed regularly at Southern California parties and events. From 1992-1995, their crew was re-named Atban Klann (ATBAN stands for "A Tribe Beyond a Nation") and included MC Mookie Mook, performer Dante Santiago and producer DJ Motiv8. Atban Klann was eventually signed onto Eazy-E's label, Ruthless Records but Eazy-E's death put an end to their debut album Grass Roots.

Allan has brought his Filipino culture into his collaboration with The Black Eyed Peas. He explains his life story in a song called "The Apl Song" on the Peas' 2003 album Elephunk, which includes a full chorus in Tagalog sampled from the Asin song "Balita." The accompanying video, which includes cameos by fellow Filipino-Americans Dante Basco and Chad Hugo, is also a tribute to the Filipinos who fought for the U.S. in World War II; the song reached number one in the Philippines.

"Bebot" (which is Filipino slang for pretty woman) is another all-Tagalog song on 2005's Monkey Business album. A music video for "Bebot" was filmed in and around Los Angeles in early July 2006, including in Kenneth Hahn Park, where Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang" video was also filmed; the video features primarily Filipinos, Filipino Americans and other Asian-Americans from the Los Angeles area. The video was directed by Patricio Ginelsa who also directed "The Apl Song" and produced the Filipino-American coming of age movie The Debut. The single was not released in the US but was in the Philippines and several other Asian countries.

Apl.de.ap is working on a solo album. He recently disclosed in an interview that he would be collaborating with fellow Filipino-American Chad Hugo of The Neptunes and Illmind from G-Unit to incorporate traditional Filipino instruments into his songs. Some of his songs are uploaded on his MySpace page. On January 3, 2009, he debuted the first single, You Can Dream featuring Billy Crawford, from his upcoming album on the internationally broadcast Philippine variety/game show Wowowee. In August, he released a music video for his second single named Mama Filipina.

Apl.de.ap started the Apl Foundation. It is committed in giving back to communities and children within the Philippines and throughout Asia. He also started his own music company called Jeepney Music, Inc. It is currently based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California. It currently handles DJs such as Free School, DJ Rockyrock, DJ MIA, and PoetNameLife.

Apl.de.ap recorded another Tagalog song for The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album, "The E.N.D.", the song is called "Mare". In 2009, he also had a song entitled "Take Me to The Philippines", in partnership with the Department of Tourism of the Philippines.