Biography!
They've transcended their vigilant hip-hop roots and have become a global phenomenon, the likes of which the music world has rarely seen. Ever-curious and ever-confident, that group is The Black Eyed Peas, and after energizing crowds 'round the globe with the monster-stomp of Elephunk, it's time for the quartet – William, Fergie, apl.de.ap and Taboo to get down to business – Monkey Business, that is.
2003’s Elephunk was a breakthrough album for The Black Eyed Peas, vaulting them to a level of success unparalleled by any other hip-hop group. The accolades are quick to recite: 7.5 million albums sold worldwide, 4 Grammy nominations, 1 Grammy award, and an unforgettable performance on the 2005 broadcast. But fitted with loose rhymes, buoyant anthemic funk and an ebullient live spirit, the album also heralded a new sound for the modern age – one that is inspired by hip-hop, eschews boundaries and inhibitions, and cuts across ages, races and backgrounds. It is a sound that can be described only as One Nation Under A Black Eyed Peas Groove.
But if Elephunk was the group being crowned prince of the castle, then Monkey Business, their fourth album, is The Black Eyed Peas conquering the throne to become King. It is an album that further intensifies their passion for making music together, for connecting with their audience through the most fundamental ways: making people have a good time. It is a credo that has inspired the group since they formed in the late 1990s, earning their keep in the nurturing environment of Los Angeles' vibrant hip-hop underground. Even then, the group possessed a magnetic spirit that helped them establish a worldwide following through their first two albums, 1998's Behind The Front and 2000's Bridging The Gap.
In many ways, Monkey Business is a direct descendant of its predecessor. The success of Elephunk kept the group touring around the globe for nearly 18 months. "In going on the road for so long, we got an idea of what kind of music we wanted to play and make," explains will.i.am. "Monkey Business is very much about the types of songs we play live. It's about a party. It's layered differently and has energy to it that reflects how we tour – from the beats to the types of instruments we used to how we interact with the audience. It's very much about us and the crowd on this record."
Monkey Business was literally produced and recorded during The Black Eyed Peas everlasting road trip. "I was in Brazil doing some CD shopping," will.i.am recalls. "I came across this compilation and I thought it was one thing but it turned out to be something else. The Dick Dale song 'Miserlou,' was on it. At first I was angry – this isn't what I wanted to buy," he laughs. "But then, really, that song is hot. I said, 'we should do a song like this.' I jump-started the computer and made some beats on the train. Then we had to fly to Tokyo and I tightened up the beat on the plane. Then I recorded vocals in this park in Tokyo. And that's how we recorded the song, 'Pump It.'"
The song, a jump-up party anthem, is one of the featured tracks on Monkey Business – and made its debut in a commercial for Best Buy electronics. "It's the beauty of technology now – you can record anywhere, anytime, any which way. And I love that song because it feels like our live shows, it has that energy."
Monkey Business also furthers the bond the group forged as friends during the making of Elephunk. Before recording that album, the three original members of The Black Eyed Peas – will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo – had been ensnared by personal demons. "I remember that we were each talking about the things that were haunting us and seemed to be crippling us," recalls will.i.am. Adding the vocal talents of singer, Fergie, the group used music as a therapeutic vehicle. Making music with that near-desperate fervor also is maintained on Monkey Business, says will.i.am. "You're always challenged not to go back to those bad habits in life," he says. "When you're comfortable living, you sometimes think that, well, I beat it once so I can do it again. But you never really escape the things that haunt you."
Thus, making Monkey Business became an effort put forth by all the members of the group – the first the foursome co-wrote together – and the more sophisticated songwriting; the layered grooves of the record and its fulfilled spirit reflect that. "This was really about all of us building a house together," says will.i.am.
"Don't Phunk With My Heart" is a gripping soulful serenade that will.i.am describes as a sequel to The Black Eyed Peas song, "Shut Up." "Not sonically but in subject matter," he clarifies. "When you're on bad terms with a significant other, you don't want to break up. You tell her things and at the time you really mean them. But she's saying, stop f****ing with me."
If it sounds like the personal lives of the members infiltrated their songwriting, it is mostly because it did. "Don't Lie," is a song will.i.am says was born of true experience of deceptively bending the truth to an ex-girlfriend. "It's a song about owning up and apologizing and realizing your faults. It's about being a man or a woman – an adult – and confronting situations honestly."
Singer Justin Timberlake joins the group again for the song, "My Style." He first sang on the song, "Where Is The Love?," the breakout single from Elephunk. "We get along real well," says will.i.am, "and he sees music in a very similar way. Plus, he's just a good dude." The song was produced by famed beat-maker Timbaland. "I like experiencing things I've never experienced before," will.i.am says. "It brings you out of your comfort zone and that can be creatively inspiring. And Timbaland is an incredible talent."
Other collaborators join The Black Eyed Peas on this album, too, like Sting on "Union." Neo-folk singer, Jack Johnson is sampled on the song, "Gone Going." The Peas also got to live something of a dream when they hooked up with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, for the song, "They Don't Want Music."
"That was just stupid, man," will.i.am says. "Being a fan of hip-hop and knowing that the music's backbone is based entirely on James Brown – the concept of hitting the beat on the "one," it's an otherworldly experience." The Black Eyed Peas remain one of only a handful of select groups that have been able to collaborate with Funk's inventor. "We met in the UK, at the Mojo Awards, and we talked about working together. I remember when we recorded; I played him the beat all nervous and everything. We all sat in the room and he nodded his head and grunted in approval."
That song is reflective of the Peas' fluid funk that can run from generation to generation – and is one of the reasons why the group is beloved and respected worldwide. "I think the fact that we just have fun with music is the reason why it works for us," says will.i.am. "We love music and melodies and don't try to distinguish ourselves from regular music fans. It's really that simple."
Bucky Jonson!
George Pajon, Jr.
Profile: george.blackeyedpeas.com
Guitar
Website: http://georgepajonjr.com
E-mail: george@blackeyedpeas.com
Tim Izo
Profile: tim.blackeyedpeas.com
Sax, Flute, & MPC
Email: izo@blackeyedpeas.com
Printz Board
Profile: printz.blackeyedpeas.com
Keys, Bass, Trumpet, & Musical director.
Website: http://beetsandproduce.com.
E-mail: printz@blackeyedpeas.com
Keith Harris
Profile: keith.blackeyedpeas.com
Drums.
E-mail: keith@blackeyedpeas.com
Albums!
The Black Eyed Peas - Behind The Front
The Black Eyed Peas' debut, Behind the Front, may sound thoroughly familiar: like A Tribe Called Quest, they sprout positive, deftly delivered lyrics out of their light jazz, R&B, and funk tracks; like the Roots, this multi-ethnic outfit's three MCs drop science in front of a live band that builds its grooves organically; and at their best, such as on the pop and reggae-flavored "Karma," the group can out-Fugee the Fugees. For some reason, though, the mostly mild, largely scratchless and sample-free record can--at times--be downright tepid. But for the most part, it works--sometimes brilliantly--and as a break from the mostly belligerent voices in hip-hop's mainstream, we can definitely use more of what the Peas have to offer. --Roni Sarig Amazon.com
...Behind the Front offers an organic mixture of sampled melodies and live instruments aimed at those of us seeking a little enlightenment with our well-oiled boogie. --Rolling Stone
Track List
01. fallin up'
02. clap your hands
03. joints & jam
04. the way u make me feel
05. movement
06. karma
07. be free
08. say goodbye
09. duet
10. communication
11. what it is
12. que dices?
13. A8
14. love won't wait
15. head bobs
16. positivity
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The Black Eyed Peas - Bridging The Gap
Once upon a time, hip-hop was about having a good time and (brace yourselves) getting down! The Black Eyed Peas are bringing that mentality back to the future. They reinvigorated blasé dance floors and seduced discriminating heads with their debut, Behind the Front, and they do it again on Bridging the Gap. In the open-minded old-school tradition of producers like Afrika Bambaataa, the album is diverse and delicious, a grab bag of influences from reggae to drum & bass and beyond. Songs like "BEP Empire," produced by Gang Starr's notorious DJ Premier, give the Peas a harder-edged beat to roll with, which they rock rapturously. Then "Weekends," featuring Toronto down-tempo diva Esthero, is a fun dance floor number. And these two tracks are just the tip of the iceberg. Bridging the Gaps is a listen-all-the-way-through album. Every drum roll is vivacious, rollicking, and the judicious sample choices meld beautifully with the organic beats. Similarly open-minded, talented guests such as Macy Gray, De La Soul, and Mos Def also stop by to bless the mic. As James Brown would say, "Get up off of that thing, and dance 'til you feel better." --Lizz Mendez Berry Amazon.com
Track Listing
01. BEP empire
02. weekends03. get original
04. hot
05. cali to new york
06. lil' lil'
07. on my own
08. release
09. bridging the gap
10. go go
11. rap song
12. bringing it back
13. tell your mama come
14. request + line
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The Black Eyed Peas - Elephunk
When I first heard "Where is the Love" last summer, I couldn't stand it. I dismissed the Black Eyed Peas as one hit wonders and waited for their moment to pass. Then I heard "Shut Up" and was surprised I liked it. It wasn't until I heard "Hey Mama" that I fell in love with them. This CD is by far the best hip hop album right now because each song, even "Where is the Love", sounds good when you listen to the entire album. In my opinion, they are just as good, if not better, than that other visionary hip hop group, Outkast. Each song sounds like a radio smash, and it's not surprising this group has moved past the one hit wonder tag.
Track Listing
01. Hands Up
02. Labor Day (It's A Holiday)
03. Let's Get Retarted
04. Hey Mama
05. Shut Up
06. Smells Like Funk
07. Latin Girls
08. Sexy
09. Fly Away
10. The Boogie That Be
11. The Apl Song
12. Anxiety
13. Where Is The Love
Bonus Track: Let's Get It Started
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The Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business
Grammy Award winners The Black Eyed Peas return with the release of their eagerly anticipated fourth album, 'Monkey Business' on 6th June through A&M Records.
'Monkey Business' is a madcap musical journey, mixing fat basslines with Latin rhythms, witty rhymes and hip-hop beats. It is the follow-up album to the 4 x platinum selling (1.4 million UK sales) 2003 release 'Elephunk'. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After conquering the pop charts with the Black Eyed Peas and crafting hits for Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Ciara, and NAS, will.i.am saved some of his platinum touch for his third solo work, Songs About Girls. Will is in storytelling mode with a not-so-typical boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl semi-autobiographical narrative, soaking in emotions of pride, pleasure, and releases. "I Got It From My Mama" and "The Donque Song" are two new club destroyers to add to will.i.am's growing pile. If BEP's "My Humps" took up short-term memory space, Songs About Girls is will.i.am's bid to overtake our long-term memory too.
Producer Will.i.am says of the album, 'I like it better than Elephunk. We recorded the majority of it in London, also in Brazil and in the US on airplanes, in hotel rooms, bus lobbies, museums and bathrooms'. Guest collaborations include; Justin Timberlake (My Style), James Brown (They Don't Want Music), Jack Johnson (Gone Going Gone) and Sting (Union).
Track listing
02. Don't Phunk With My Heart
03. My Style (featuring Justin Timberlake)
04. Don't Lie
05. My Humps
06. Dum Diddley
07. Feel It
09. They Don't Want Music (featuring James Brown)
10. Disco Club
11. Union
12. Bebot
13. Bump Ba Bump
14. Audio Delite
Fergie - The Dutchess
Word about the album has created a buzz that is sure to grow when the first single, 'London Bridge,' hits radio on July 4. The song was produced by Polow the Don -- famous for his work on Ludacris' 'Pimpin All Over the World' -- but the album will feature several producers, including Will.i.a.m, who will also leave his mark on the long-awaited Justin Timberlake album, which will come out the same month. 
Airpushers - Themes for the Ordinarily Strange
'Themes for the Ordinarily Strange' is a rare hybrid of an album, combining a select group of guest vocalists along with searing instrumental tracks. Next-comer MoZella's hauntingly angelic voice tussles between spoken word and song on "Music Fight." "Hold the Onions" bridges the classic stylings of legendary Motown machine songwriter Lamont Dozier with an impulsive beatscape. “Superfriends” pairs one of Printz’s “favorite artists of all time,” soul singer Sy Smith, over heroic horns. The rousing “Push That Air” is all balls and bounce.
On the instrumentals, Tim and Printz let the music speak for itself. On “Pollo Masala Disco Express” the opening flurry of clarinets and horns are as tasty as the track itself; go ahead…take a bite. "Who Goes to Hooters on Easter" is as naughty and sanctified as it sounds. On "Birds of Terror," a breathy, but adhesive voice warns you to "be extra careful," but the eerie, ethereal soundscape subversively pulls you deeper into its laidback layers.
At the close of the album, you're almost exhausted by Tim and Printz's resourcefulness. To craft their canvas of moods, Airpushers use any and all instruments at their disposal - baritone saxophones, flutes, clarinets, electric guitar and even the didgeridoo. They describe the songs has having "anthem vibes," and there’s one for every disposition. With every mood represented, from the frenetic to the sedate, Airpushers make each track starkly different but entirely relatable. "I think it is a very common thing for ordinary people to have their own theme songs in their heads," Tim says.
In a time when people wonder where is the love in today's music, for Airpushers, 'Themes for the Ordinarily Strange' is a project of pure passion. Love takes time, so this opus is the result of over two years of caressing sounds and romancing rhythms. Printz says, "Most of these songs were pieced together from hotel rooms to home studios to the first hours of a major session when everyone was late, you name it." "We have become masters of guerilla commando recording," Tim laughs.
Themes for the Ordinarily Strange has the eloquence you only hear when musical soul mates collaborate. Tim remarks, "From the day Printz and I met, we had some spooky unspoken bond as musicians and friends." 
Will I Am - Lost Change
This is the third release under the banner (Jay Dee and Pete Rock kicked the project off, a Marley Marl is out now and DJ Spinna, Jazzy Jeff and King Britt are all to follow). The general concept was to give each producer greater freedom than is usual and to concentrate on the beats more than the rhymes. Each artist has interpreted the brief differently. The problem has been that the standard of rapping has not always impressed, yet take the lyricists away and the purely instrumental work (Pete Rock's particularly) has been judged to be somewhat dull. As Will.i.am's set is a mixture of vocal and non-vocal cuts it is probably the most balanced in the series and serves as a pretty good gauge of the strengths and weakness of hip-hop 2001 style.
Of the above mentioned producers, Will.i.am's is probably the least well known and certainly his contribution to rap history hardly matches those of the others involved. For the record, he is the "beat master" behind Black Eyed Peas, that likeable but fairly lightweight California outfit. However, he shows himself more than up to the task and delivers a more boundary-crossing set than might have been expected. Plenty of different forms are represented, including jazz, funk, ragga and electronica, while the lyrical approaches range from fairly hardcore to some old school chant-alongs.
There is an emphasis on live instrumentation, the album's trump card, and had the quality of the rapping been up to that of the playing this would have been a very distinguished venture. Even as it stands, the better tracks are forceful enough to suggest that those who are suggesting that hip-hop is a spent force creatively may be seriously misguided. Perhaps it tries to cover too many bases, but over-stretching is surely more laudable than sticking to a narrow format, something recent material has tended to do.
A breezy opener, "Ev Rehbahdee", featuring current favourites Planet Asia suggests a party, hands-in-the-air session, that is as enjoyable as it is misleading. This has real bounce (although the lyrics are a little tired). Then there is the moody "Lay Me Down" with a vocodered Terry Dexter and a neo-soul feel -- the most complete track on offer and one that should get a wider hearing. The next two are a bit hit and miss. An all too brief cod, rasta-reggae track "Possessions" and a trip-hop instrumental (sitar and rock guitar) give some idea of the wide spectrum of sounds Will.i.am wants to explore but are hardly mind-blowing. Next up, Mike Myers gives "If You Didn't Know" plenty of gangsta attitude and is as dull as that implies. It leads into a catchy, uptempo number, "Money", which is a would be deep message rap that doesn't completely come off. The arrangement, however, is exemplary, with a particularly haunting female chorus and a great horn section. The use of trumpet and sax is a highlight throughout the album. The title track is a good example, having an almost mariachi feel to it but laid over a spacey, electronic groove. Will.i.am shows himself to be a pretty useful Hammond and general keyboard practitioner. It is at this point that you start to realise that this would have been better as an all instrumental project, with maybe the odd backing vocal.
Will.i.am himself, Medusa and Madd Dogg take control of the rhymes for the remaining tracks, with adequate but uninspiring results. Increasingly the words seem to get in the way of some adept playing -- this is a good band. The non-vocal cuts -- "Lost Change" in D and then E Minor, "Yadda Yadda" and the lovely, jazz-drenched "Control Tower" -- all work so well, the redundancy of the rap artists becomes embarrassing. It may be that I have just lost interest in the shouting that makes up most contemporary hardcore rap -- certainly a more laid back set of guests would have helped. Whatever the reason, it is Michael Angelo (bass), George Pijon (guitar)and Printz Board (trumpet) who are the names I'll be checking for in the future and not the MCs.
Ears less troubled by current mike styles will enjoy the CD as a whole. Will.i.am himself is a revelation as arranger and producer. Lost Change certainly is no disgrace to the series, either in its aims or its execution. I just wish there had been at least one outstanding example of the rhymer's art. Still, those who questioned Will.i.am's worthiness to take part in this prestigious and important series will be surprised at the enterprise and craftsmanship he demonstrates. Even though it is flawed, it stands as rebuttal to the argument that hip-hop has lost interest in sounds and structure and is totally about image. There is an exploratory, if somewhat ambling, for-its-own-sakedness on show here. This is something that has characterised this series and, it has to be said, precious few rap offerings in the last 12 months. Persuasive and patchy in about equal proportions, it still makes most mainstream output look crass and opportunistic.
By: popmatters.com / Maurice Bottomley
Bucky Jonson - The Band Behind The Front
Will I Am - Songs About Girls