The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed worldwide success. The group is currently composed of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie. Since their breakout album Elephunk in 2003, they have seen international fame for their pop/dance-oriented style of hip hop music. The Black Eyed Peas have sold an estimated twenty-seven million albums and singles worldwide.
The Black Eyed Peas got their start in 1988 when will.i.am (born William James Adams Jr.) and apl.de.ap (born Allan Pineda) began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The pair signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E) after catching the attention of the nephew of Jerry Heller (Eazy-E's manager). Along with Mookie Mook (Burning Star), Dante Santiago & DJ Motiv8, they called their group "Atban Klann". Their debut album, Grass Roots, was never released because Ruthless did not consider the social themes reflected in the group's music to be marketable to their audience.
After Eazy-E died of AIDS in 1995, Atban Klann changed their name to The Black Eyed Peas; will.i.am explained on the front cover of the Monkey Business album that "Black Eyed Peas are food for the soul", hence the name. will.i.am has cited the Red Hot Chili Peppers as an influence and said he named his band after a food, like them. They replaced their original third member Mookie, with Dante Santiago the Peas original singer. Then Taboo (born Jaime Gomez) joined the group. In 1996, they produced and appeared on a song entitled "That's Right" for Brian Austin Green's hip-hop album One Stop Carnival. Later, they began using Kim Hill as 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-'90s, they performed in the local club circuit alongside fellow acts such as Ozomatli and Jurassic 5.
The group were signed to Interscope Records and released their debut, Behind the Front, in 1998. The album won the group (and their accompanying live band, the Bucky Jonsons) critical acclaim. The album featured the single "Joints & Jams", which was included on the Bulworth soundtrack. Their second album, Bridging the Gap, was released in 2000; it featured the single "Request + Line" featuring Macy Gray.
+ The Peapod Foundation
A Free Sunday concert in May in South Africa with The Black Eyed Peas launched the Peapod Foundation. All tickets were previously handed out to the public through an SMS campaign and ticket giveaways to ensure that people who wouldn't ordinarily have a chance to afford the concert could see the band perform.
+ DISCOGRAPHY
1998: Behind the Front
2000: Bridging the Gap
2003: Elephunk
2005: Monkey Business
2006: Renegotiations: The Remixes
2008: The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)
Music 4 World - Black Eyed Peas (Hip Hop / Rap) - Biography - The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed worldwide success. The group is currently composed of
