The Black Eyed Peas
Encyclopedia
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group (originally an alternative hip hop
group), formed in Los Angeles
, California
, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am
, apl.de.ap
, and Taboo
, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk
in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide. Their first worldwide song was "Where Is the Love?
" in 2003, which topped 13 charts worldwide. Another single was the European hit "Shut Up". Their next album Monkey Business
, was a worldwide success, certified 4× Platinum
in the U.S., and spawning two singles, "My Humps
" and "Don't Phunk with My Heart
".
In 2009, the group became one of only 11 artists to have simultaneously held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Billboard Hot 100
, with their singles "Boom Boom Pow
" and "I Gotta Feeling
"; these two singles topped the chart for an unprecedented 26 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 before being followed with "Rock That Body
" which managed to peak in the Top 10 of Hot 100. "I Gotta Feeling" became the first single to sell more than 1 million download
s in the United Kingdom
.
The Black Eyed Peas were ranked 12th on the Billboards Decade-End Chart Artist of the Decade, and 7th in the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade. The group has been nominated for "Most Popular International Artist" in the ARIA Music Awards
. In November 2010, they released the album The Beginning
. The first single of the album was "The Time (Dirty Bit)
" and topped the charts in many countries. In February 2011, the group performed at the Super Bowl XLV
halftime show. The album's second single was "Just Can't Get Enough
" and was released in February 2011. The music video was filmed in Japan one week before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
. The third and final single, "Don't Stop the Party
", was released in May 2011.
In July 2011, the group announced that they are taking a break and have denied rumors that the band has broken up.
) 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). Will 1X (aka will.i.am), apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 (aka Monroe Walker), and Dante Santiago formed Atban Klann. Their debut album, Grass Roots
, was never released because Ruthless founder Eazy-E had died.
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
), and 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 Los Angeles-based hip-hop acts at the time. After being signed to Interscope Records
and releasing their debut, Behind the Front
(1998) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim. One of the singles from the album was "Joints & Jam
", and was featured on the Bulworth
soundtrack. Their second album was Bridging the Gap (2000), which had the single "Request + Line
" featuring Macy Gray
.
Their third album Elephunk
began development on November 2, 2001, but was not released until 2003. It was the first album to feature the vocals of current member Fergie. Nicole Scherzinger
was originally approached to join the Peas, but was forced to decline because she was a member of Eden's Crush
and was under contract. Dante Santiago then introduced will.i.am to Fergie, who joined the band in 2002. Elephunk is also the first album that indicated and demonstrated the new, polished pop sound designed to attract mass audiences and also the first under the name THE Black Eyed Peas. 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
:
From Elephunk
came "Where Is the Love?
", which became The Black Eyed Peas' first major hit, peaking at No.8 on the U.S. Hot 100, but topping the charts in several other countries, including seven weeks at No.1 in the United Kingdom, where it became the biggest-selling single of 2003. The single had similar results in Australia, staying at No.1 for six weeks. 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 No.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 No.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.
, 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 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 No.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 but 18 in America.
As well as being a hip-pop 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.
They 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
, Sérgio Mendes
, Carlos Santana
, Too Short, Kelis
, Cheryl Cole
, SMAP
, John Legend
, 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.
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)".
("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, 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 pop/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 April 18, 2009, when "Boom Boom Pow" reached No. 1, through October 10, 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 British TV chat 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.
The 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 2010 Dimension 3 Expo in Paris for the 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. The concert had over 700 million viewers world wide, making it the biggest event the group performed in.They also performed at T in the Park 2010
on the NME Stage on the Friday July 9 and Oxegen in Kildare, Ireland on Saturday July 10 on the Vodafone stage.
On July 27, 2010, The Black Eyed Peas released a remix album: The E.N.D. Summer 2010 Canadian Invasion Tour: Remix Collection
. It was released on iTunes
in Canada only, during the Canadian leg of The E.N.D. World Tour
. It mostly features remixes of the singles taken from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. It also features a remix of "Let's Get It Started" taken from their third studio album, Elephunk
, the remix was also a bonus track on the deluxe edition of The E.N.D.
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", would be titled The Beginning
.
The album was released on November 30, 2010, and received mixed to average reviews. 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 music video was directed by Rich Lee, who had previously directed the video for "Imma Be Rocking That Body".
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.
On December 5, they appeared on the seventh series
of The X Factor
in the UK performing "The Time (Dirty Bit)".
"Just Can't Get Enough
" was confirmed as the second single on BlackEyedPeas.com on January 11, conflicting with rumors that "Whenever" and "The Best One Yet (The Boy)" would be the next singles.
On February 6, 2011, the group was featured during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLV. The performance received mixed reviews in both social and mainstream media. With this performance they became only the second musical act (after Shania Twain
) to perform at both major North American football championship games (the other being the CFL
's Grey Cup
).
The album's second single, "Just Can't Get Enough", was released in February 18, 2011. The music video was released in March 16, 2011 and it was filmed in Tokyo, one week before the earthquake and the tsunami. The video was directed by Ben Mor.
On March 17, the Black Eyed Peas appeared on the American Idol
elimination show singing "Just Can't Get Enough". Will.i.am noted at the beginning of the song that the song was dedicated to "our friends in Japan". On April 2, the group appeared on the 24th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
performing "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Just Can't Get Enough". The appearance received very good reviews and in the same night the group won the blimp award of the Favorite Music Group category.
The group's third single was "Don't Stop the Party
" and it was released on May 10, 2011. On the same day, a music video for the song was released on iTunes
, along with the single. The video, which is directed by Ben Mor, features on stage and backstage footage of the group during The E.N.D. World Tour
in 2009–2010. The video premiered on Vevo
on May 12, 2011.
On May 22, the group appeared on the 2011 Billboard Music Awards
and won 1 of their 4 nominations, for "Top Duo/Group". They also performed "Just Can't Get Enough", "The Time (Dirty Bit)", "Boom Boom Pow", and "I Gotta Feeling". The performance received good reviews.
On June 9, the group were scheduled to perform a free concert, "Chase Presents The Black Eyed Peas and Friends", for over 50,000 people in New York City's Central Park, with guests including MC Hammer
and Taylor Swift
. Money raised went to the Robin Hood Foundation
, a charity organization for people in poverty in New York City. The concert was cancelled due to thunderstorms and lightning, but is hoped to be rescheduled in the near future. In August it was announced that the concert will take place on September 30, 2011. The event raised over $4 million for the charity.
On June 25, Ubisoft
announced they are developing The Black Eyed Peas Experience
, a dance video game for Kinect and Wii
. During their concert at Alton Towers
in Staffordshire
on the July 6, 2011, The Black Eyed Peas announced they are taking an indefinite hiatus following the completion of their current tour, as they did between 2005 and 2009. Will.i.am later confirmed the news on Twitter, adding that the break does not mean they will "stop creating".
On September 3, 2011, the group performed a concert in Minot, North Dakota
to benefit the victims of the 2011 Souris River flood
that damaged over 4,000 homes and displaced over 12,000 people in Minot and along the Souris River.
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
group), formed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
, apl.de.ap
Apl.de.ap
Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. better known as apl.de.ap , is a Filipino-American rapper, record producer, and occasional drummer who is best known as a member of The Black Eyed Peas.-Early life:Pineda was born in Belfast...
, and Taboo
Taboo (rapper)
Jaime Luis Gómez , better known by his stage name Taboo, is an American singer, actor, and rapper best known as a member of the group The Black Eyed Peas.-Personal life:...
, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk
Elephunk
-Commercial response:In the United States, Elephunk reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and is their first album to chart in the top 15. It gained even more commercial success in the UK Album Charts where it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and...
in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide. Their first worldwide song was "Where Is the Love?
Where Is the Love?
"Where Is the Love?" is a song recorded by the American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas for their third album, Elephunk. It is the band's first record to feature Fergie. The song features vocals from Justin Timberlake, although he is not officially credited on the single release.The single was...
" in 2003, which topped 13 charts worldwide. Another single was the European hit "Shut Up". Their next album Monkey Business
Monkey Business (album)
-Track listing:Notes*"My Humps" contains a hidden track "So Real".*"Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" includes a hidden track "Change".Sample Notes*"Pump It" samples "Misirlou" by Dick Dale....
, was a worldwide success, certified 4× Platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
in the U.S., and spawning two singles, "My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
" and "Don't Phunk with My Heart
Don't Phunk with My Heart
"Don't Phunk with My Heart", titled "Don't Mess with My Heart" on some radio edits, is a song by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album Monkey Business. It was released as the lead single from the album on May 10, 2005....
".
In 2009, the group became one of only 11 artists to have simultaneously held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, with their singles "Boom Boom Pow
Boom Boom Pow
"Boom Boom Pow" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. The song uses the auto-tune vocal effect, and blends the genres of Electro-rap, dance-pop, electro hop and hip hop....
" and "I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...
"; these two singles topped the chart for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks in 2009. The album later produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with "Imma Be
Imma Be
"Imma Be" is a song performed by the American hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas taken from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. The song's title is a slang expression, meaning "I am going to be" or "I will be" [something or some activity]. Initially released as a promotional single, the song went on...
", making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album before being followed with "Rock That Body
Rock That Body
-Personnel:*Songwriting — William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gómez, Stacy Ferguson, David Guetta, Mark Knight, Adam Walder, Jean Baptiste, Jamie Munson, Robert Ginyard*Production — David Guetta, will.i.am, Mark Knight, Funkagenda*Keyboards — Mark Night, Adam Walder...
" which managed to peak in the Top 10 of Hot 100. "I Gotta Feeling" became the first single to sell more than 1 million download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The Black Eyed Peas were ranked 12th on the Billboards Decade-End Chart Artist of the Decade, and 7th in the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade. The group has been nominated for "Most Popular International Artist" in the ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
. In November 2010, they released the album The Beginning
The Beginning (The Black Eyed Peas album)
The Beginning received generally mixedreviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 47, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews."Monica Herrera wrote for...
. The first single of the album was "The Time (Dirty Bit)
The Time (Dirty Bit)
"The Time " is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas from their sixth studio album, The Beginning. The song was released as the album's lead single on November 5, 2010. The chorus of the song samples " The Time of My Life" from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing...
" and topped the charts in many countries. In February 2011, the group performed at the Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
halftime show. The album's second single was "Just Can't Get Enough
Just Can't Get Enough (The Black Eyed Peas song)
"Just Can't Get Enough" is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas. The song was written by members William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez and Stacy Ferguson, along with Joshua Alvarez, Stephen Shadowen, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Julie Frost, for the group's sixth studio album,...
" and was released in February 2011. The music video was filmed in Japan one week before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
. The third and final single, "Don't Stop the Party
Don't Stop the Party
"Don't Stop the Party" is a song by American group The Black Eyed Peas. The song was written by members will.i.am, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez and Stacy Ferguson, along with Joshua Alvarez, and LeRoy, and produced by will.i.am. and DJ Ammo for the group's sixth studio album, The Beginning...
", was released in May 2011.
In July 2011, the group announced that they are taking a break and have denied rumors that the band has broken up.
1988–2000: Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap
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-EEazy-E
Eric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
) in 1992, catching the attention of Eazy-E manager, Jerry Heller
Jerry Heller
Jerry Heller is best known for managing West Coast rap group N.W.A. and rapper Eazy-E. He is co-founder and CEO of Ruthless Records. Heller managed War, Average White Band, Marvin Gaye, Michel'le, A.L.T...
's, nephew. Along with another friend of theirs, Dante Santiago, they called their trio Atban Klann
Atban Klann
The Atban Klann was a hip hop group whose members were Will 1X, apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 & Dante Santiago. The Atban Klann were signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records...
(ATBAN: A Tribe Beyond a Nation). Will 1X (aka will.i.am), apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 (aka Monroe Walker), and Dante Santiago formed Atban Klann. Their debut album, Grass Roots
Grass Roots (Atban Klann album)
Grass Roots is the debut album by the Atban Klann, a group that would one day become the Black Eyed Peas. It was planned to be released on October 6, 1992 for Ruthless Records, distributed by Relativity Records and featured production from the mentor of Will 1X who is DJ Motiv8...
, was never released because Ruthless founder Eazy-E had died.
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
Taboo (rapper)
Jaime Luis Gómez , better known by his stage name Taboo, is an American singer, actor, and rapper best known as a member of the group The Black Eyed Peas.-Personal life:...
), and Kim Hill
Kim Hill (soul musician)
Kim Hill is an American soul singer-songwriter, best known for being the backup vocalist in the hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas. She left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Fergie in 2002...
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
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
" sounds of Los Angeles-based hip-hop acts at the time. After being signed to Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
and releasing their debut, Behind the Front
Behind the Front
Behind the Front is the debut album by American hip hop group Black Eyed Peas, released in 1998.-Background:Most of the tracks were demos for the Grass Roots album, with added verses by new member Taboo. The song "Joints & Jam" appeared on the soundtrack of the movie Bulworth, where it was billed...
(1998) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim. One of the singles from the album was "Joints & Jam
Joints & Jam
"Joints & Jam" is the debut single by American hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas, taken from their debut studio album, Behind the Front. The song features the vocals of Kim Hill. The song is featured in the Bulworth soundtrack...
", and was featured on the Bulworth
Bulworth
Bulworth is a 1998 American film co-written, co-produced and directed by the film's star, Warren Beatty. It was loosely based on the life of Beatty's friend, Tennessee political figure John Jay Hooker. It co-stars Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, and Isaiah...
soundtrack. Their second album was Bridging the Gap (2000), which had the single "Request + Line
Request + Line
"Request + Line" is a song by American hip hop group Black Eyed Peas, taken as the second single from their second studio album, Bridging the Gap. The song features vocals from Macy Gray. The song gave the band their first top forty hit in many countries worldwide, also becoming their first entry...
" featuring Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
.
2001–04: Addition of Fergie, international success, and Elephunk
Elephunk
-Commercial response:In the United States, Elephunk reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and is their first album to chart in the top 15. It gained even more commercial success in the UK Album Charts where it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and...
began development on November 2, 2001, but was not released until 2003. It was the first album to feature the vocals of current member Fergie. Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....
was originally approached to join the Peas, but was forced to decline because she was a member of Eden's Crush
Eden's Crush
Eden's Crush is a former girl group based in Los Angeles created on the American television series Popstars which aired on AOL Time Warner's WB television network in early 2001, and promoted on the AOL on-line service...
and was under contract. Dante Santiago then introduced will.i.am to Fergie, who joined the band in 2002. Elephunk is also the first album that indicated and demonstrated the new, polished pop sound designed to attract mass audiences and also the first under the name THE Black Eyed Peas. In a positive review of The Black Eyed Peas' new-found style, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
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
Benetton Group
Benetton Group S.p.A. is a global luxury fashion brand, based in Treviso, Italy. The name comes from the Benetton family who founded the company in 1965. Benetton Group is listed in Milan....
worldview."
Meanwhile, Fergie herself recalled her reasons for joining the group to noted UK urban writer Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern 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
Elephunk
-Commercial response:In the United States, Elephunk reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and is their first album to chart in the top 15. It gained even more commercial success in the UK Album Charts where it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and...
came "Where Is the Love?
Where Is the Love?
"Where Is the Love?" is a song recorded by the American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas for their third album, Elephunk. It is the band's first record to feature Fergie. The song features vocals from Justin Timberlake, although he is not officially credited on the single release.The single was...
", which became The Black Eyed Peas' first major hit, peaking at No.8 on the U.S. Hot 100, but topping the charts in several other countries, including seven weeks at No.1 in the United Kingdom, where it became the biggest-selling single of 2003. The single had similar results in Australia, staying at No.1 for six weeks. In an interview with TalkofFame.com, Taboo shared that Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
's split with Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
impacted the recording of "Where Is The Love?".
The album subsequently spawned "Shut Up", which peaked at No.2 in the UK and topped the charts in many success and went Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
and Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
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 No.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
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
.
Their fourth single from the album was titled "Let's Get It Started
Let's Get It Started
"Let's Get It Started", , appears on The Black Eyed Peas' 2003 album Elephunk. It is the fourth single from the album...
", 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.
2004–06: Monkey Business
Their fourth album, Monkey BusinessMonkey Business (album)
-Track listing:Notes*"My Humps" contains a hidden track "So Real".*"Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" includes a hidden track "Change".Sample Notes*"Pump It" samples "Misirlou" by Dick Dale....
, 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
John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus was founded in 1998 as a non-profit 501 organization committed to reaching youth through music and video, a testament to John Lennon's zeal for expression through music...
while on The Black Eyed Peas tour of 2004. The album's first single, "Don't Phunk with My Heart
Don't Phunk with My Heart
"Don't Phunk with My Heart", titled "Don't Mess with My Heart" on some radio edits, is a song by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album Monkey Business. It was released as the lead single from the album on May 10, 2005....
", 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
Boom Boom Pow
"Boom Boom Pow" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. The song uses the auto-tune vocal effect, and blends the genres of Electro-rap, dance-pop, electro hop and hip hop....
" peaked at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100) and earned them another Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance....
. 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
Don't Lie
"Don't Lie" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fourth album Monkey Business. The single was released in 2005. The song received a 2006 Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal".-Background:...
", 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 No.6 in both countries. "My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
", 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
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart, selling over 295,000 copies in its first week and was later certified
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
triple platinum by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. Their next and last commercially-released single from the album was "Pump It
Pump It
"Pump It" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas that heavily incorporates music from the Dick Dale version of the song "Misirlou"...
", which borrows much of its sound from "Misirlou
Misirlou
Misirlou , is a popular Greek song with popularity in five styles of music: Greek rebetiko, Middle-Eastern belly dancing, Jewish klezmer, American surf rock, and international orchestral easy listening .- History :...
", specifically Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
's version; it peaked at number 8 in Australia but 18 in America.
As well as being a hip-pop album, Monkey Business features some acoustic guitar
Steel-string acoustic guitar
A steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
playing from Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
in the single "Gone Going".
In September 2005, The Black Eyed Peas released an iTunes Originals
ITunes Originals
iTunes Originals is a series of digital releases available exclusively through the iTunes Store. It was developed and produced by longtime KCRW DJ and film music supervisor Chris Douridas, who recruited Stephen Marsh to provide audio mastering for the albums. Each release features the music of a...
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
Don't Lie
"Don't Lie" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fourth album Monkey Business. The single was released in 2005. The song received a 2006 Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal".-Background:...
", "Shut Up", and a new version of "Where Is the Love?
Where Is the Love?
"Where Is the Love?" is a song recorded by the American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas for their third album, Elephunk. It is the band's first record to feature Fergie. The song features vocals from Justin Timberlake, although he is not officially credited on the single release.The single was...
" 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
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's 93rd Grey Cup
93rd Grey Cup
The 93rd Grey Cup game was held on November 27, 2005, at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes, to decide the winner of the 2005 season of the Canadian Football League. The Eskimos prevailed over the Alouettes in a 38-35 overtime...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, 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
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, 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
Snickers
Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....
called Instant Def, appearing as a group of hip-hop superheroes.
They headlined the main Ocean Stage at the Summer Sonic Festival
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
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
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
classic "Power to the People
Power to the People (song)
"Power to the People" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1971 by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple R5892 in the United Kingdom and Apple 1830 in the United States. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the British singles chart...
", which was mostly recorded on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, was released by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
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
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur is a compilation album of various artists covering songs of John Lennon to benefit Amnesty International's campaign to alleviate the crisis in Darfur...
. The same day, The Black Eyed Peas performed their version live on the UK television program The Record of the Year
The Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is an award voted by the UK public. For many years it was given in conjunction with television programmes of the same name...
together with John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
and Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
.
On March 21, 2006, The Black Eyed Peas released a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
album, entitled Renegotiations: The Remixes
Renegotiations: The Remixes
-Track listing:...
to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. 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
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
included DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
, Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
, Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon , in Bay Shore, New York is an American rapper, musician, and producer.Sermon is best known as half of late-1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for production work. He currently resides in Islandia, New York.- Career :...
, DJ Jazzy Jeff
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Jeffrey Allen Townes , also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff or simply Jazz, is an American hip hop, R&B record producer, turntablist and actor. He is best known for his early career with Will Smith as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince...
, and Large Professor
Large Professor
Large Professor , also known as Large Pro and Xtra P, is a New York City-based hip hop record producer and emcee. He is also best known as a founding member of the influential underground hip hop group Main Source, and as a frequent collaborator with Nas...
.
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
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and also including U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Sérgio Mendes
Sergio Mendes
Sérgio Santos Mendes is a Brazilian musician. He has released over thirty-five albums, and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk....
, Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, Too Short, Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
, Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
, SMAP
SMAP
SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori...
, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
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
Honda Civic Tour
The Honda Civic Tour is an annual concert tour, sponsored by Honda Motor Company which began in 2001. Each year, the headlining band or bands customize a Honda Civic for concert patrons to win in a raffle.-First Half:*Headliner: blink-182...
with supporting bands Flipsyde
Flipsyde
Flipsyde is a rap/R&B/rock band from Oakland, California. Flipsyde consists of singer/guitarist Steve Knight, guitarist Dave Lopez, rapper Jinho "the Piper" Ferreira, and for a short while Chantelle Paige. They have toured extensively with Fort Minor, The Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg and on the...
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
Black Blue & You Tour
-Setlist:#"Intro"#"Hey Mama"#"Dum Diddly"#"My Humps"#"Bebot"#"Don't Lie"#"Shut Up"#"Gone Going"#"I Got It from My Mama"#"Big Girls Don't Cry"#"Glamorous"#"Que Dices"#"Latin Girls" #"Hands Up"#"Mas Que Nada"#"Fallin' Up"...
, 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
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, 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.
On December 31, 2006, The Black Eyed Peas performed at the last stop on the Monkey Business tour, at Ipanema
Ipanema
For other uses, see Ipanema . For the British rock band, see Ipanema .Ipanema is a neighborhood located in the southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador...
Beach in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil for more than 1 million people, being their biggest concert ever. The Black Eyed Peas performed at the UK leg
Live Earth concert, London
The Live Earth concert in the United Kingdom was held at Wembley Stadium, London, England on 7 July 2007.-Running order:In order of appearance :...
of Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
on July 7, 2007 at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, London. will.i.am performed a new song, "Help Us Out", at the event, which is now on his album, Songs About Girls
Songs about Girls
Songs About Girls is the third studio album by rapper will.i.am, known from his work with The Black Eyed Peas. The original title of the album was "Keep the Beeper". The album was released on September 25, 2007. The first single released from the album was a club track titled "I Got It From My...
, as "S.O.S. (Mother Nature)".
2009–11: The E.N.D, The Beginning, and hiatus
The group's fifth studio album, The E.N.D.The E.N.D.
According to review aggregator Metacritic, The E.N.D. received an average of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on fifteen critiques, higher than their 2005 album Monkey Business but lower than their 2003 breakout Elephunk, with critics agreeing that the...
("The Energy Never Dies"), was released on June 9, 2009. The first single "Boom Boom Pow
Boom Boom Pow
"Boom Boom Pow" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. The song uses the auto-tune vocal effect, and blends the genres of Electro-rap, dance-pop, electro hop and hip hop....
" was sent to U.S. radio on March 10, 2009 and was released on March 30, 2009 on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. 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, 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 pop/R&B feeling of their previous albums. Three promotional singles, "Imma Be
Imma Be
"Imma Be" is a song performed by the American hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas taken from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. The song's title is a slang expression, meaning "I am going to be" or "I will be" [something or some activity]. Initially released as a promotional single, the song went on...
", "Alive
Alive (The Black Eyed Peas song)
"Alive" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas from their album The E.N.D.. The track reached #65 in the Canadian Singles Chart and #88 in the UK Singles Chart...
", and "Meet Me Halfway
Meet Me Halfway
"Meet Me Halfway" is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas. It was released as the third promotional single from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. It was later released as the album's third single...
", were released through the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
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
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. 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
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...
" as the official second single from the album. It was produced by David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
. 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 April 18, 2009, when "Boom Boom Pow" reached No. 1, through October 10, 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 British TV chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Alan Carr. The award-winning show is on Channel 4. The show features interviews with celebrity guests, sketches, topical chat and music....
. 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
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
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
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
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
The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...
' "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
Flash mob
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...
to the live performance of "I Gotta Feeling". In September 2009, the group embarked on The E.N.D. World Tour
The E.N.D. World Tour
The E.N.D. World Tour was the third concert tour by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, in support of their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. . The tour began in Japan on September 15, 2009, with shows also performed in Australia and New Zealand in 2009...
, 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
American Music Awards of 2009
The 37th American Music Awards took place on November 22, 2009 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The nominees were announced on October 13, 2009. For the first time in history, there was no host for the year's ceremony. Instead, various celebrities introduced the performers similar...
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
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
.
In October 2009, they were the opening acts for 5 concerts of the U2 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
North America leg.
The Black Eyed Peas started 2010 performing "Rock That Body
Rock That Body
-Personnel:*Songwriting — William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gómez, Stacy Ferguson, David Guetta, Mark Knight, Adam Walder, Jean Baptiste, Jamie Munson, Robert Ginyard*Production — David Guetta, will.i.am, Mark Knight, Funkagenda*Keyboards — Mark Night, Adam Walder...
", "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
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
, 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.
The 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 2010 Dimension 3 Expo in Paris for the 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
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
Kick-Off Celebration concert in South Africa. The concert had over 700 million viewers world wide, making it the biggest event the group performed in.They also performed at T in the Park 2010
T in the Park 2010
T in the Park 2010 was a music festival that took place in Balado, Scotland from 8–11 July 2010. It was the seventeenth event to take place. The festival was headlined by Kasabian, Muse and Eminem. Tickets for the event sold out on 26 February 2010.-Tickets:...
on the NME Stage on the Friday July 9 and Oxegen in Kildare, Ireland on Saturday July 10 on the Vodafone stage.
On July 27, 2010, The Black Eyed Peas released a remix album: The E.N.D. Summer 2010 Canadian Invasion Tour: Remix Collection
The E.N.D. Summer 2010 Canadian Invasion Tour: Remix Collection
The E.N.D. Summer 2010 Canadian Invasion Tour: Remix Collection is a remix album by The Black Eyed Peas. It was released on iTunes in Canada only, during the Canadian leg of The E.N.D. World Tour. It mostly features remixes of the singles taken from their fifth studio album The E.N.D...
. It was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in Canada only, during the Canadian leg of The E.N.D. World Tour
The E.N.D. World Tour
The E.N.D. World Tour was the third concert tour by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, in support of their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. . The tour began in Japan on September 15, 2009, with shows also performed in Australia and New Zealand in 2009...
. It mostly features remixes of the singles taken from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. It also features a remix of "Let's Get It Started" taken from their third studio album, Elephunk
Elephunk
-Commercial response:In the United States, Elephunk reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and is their first album to chart in the top 15. It gained even more commercial success in the UK Album Charts where it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and...
, the remix was also a bonus track on the deluxe edition of The E.N.D.
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 Big Issue
The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...
. 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", would be titled The Beginning
The Beginning (The Black Eyed Peas album)
The Beginning received generally mixedreviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 47, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews."Monica Herrera wrote for...
.
The album was released on November 30, 2010, and received mixed to average reviews. The album's first single is called "The Time (Dirty Bit)
The Time (Dirty Bit)
"The Time " is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas from their sixth studio album, The Beginning. The song was released as the album's lead single on November 5, 2010. The chorus of the song samples " The Time of My Life" from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing...
", and was revealed on October 20, 2010, through will.i.am's Twitter account. The music video was directed by Rich Lee, who had previously directed the video for "Imma Be Rocking That Body".
The group also stated in The Big Issue interview that they are working on a 3D film directed by James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
. The film will be a tour documentary with fiction inserted into it.
On December 5, they appeared on the seventh series
The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
in the UK performing "The Time (Dirty Bit)".
"Just Can't Get Enough
Just Can't Get Enough (The Black Eyed Peas song)
"Just Can't Get Enough" is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas. The song was written by members William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez and Stacy Ferguson, along with Joshua Alvarez, Stephen Shadowen, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Julie Frost, for the group's sixth studio album,...
" was confirmed as the second single on BlackEyedPeas.com on January 11, conflicting with rumors that "Whenever" and "The Best One Yet (The Boy)" would be the next singles.
On February 6, 2011, the group was featured during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLV. The performance received mixed reviews in both social and mainstream media. With this performance they became only the second musical act (after Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
) to perform at both major North American football championship games (the other being the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
).
The album's second single, "Just Can't Get Enough", was released in February 18, 2011. The music video was released in March 16, 2011 and it was filmed in Tokyo, one week before the earthquake and the tsunami. The video was directed by Ben Mor.
On March 17, the Black Eyed Peas appeared on the American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
elimination show singing "Just Can't Get Enough". Will.i.am noted at the beginning of the song that the song was dedicated to "our friends in Japan". On April 2, the group appeared on the 24th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids Choice Awards, is an annual awards show that airs on the Nickelodeon cable channel, which airs live and is usually held and telecast live on a...
performing "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Just Can't Get Enough". The appearance received very good reviews and in the same night the group won the blimp award of the Favorite Music Group category.
The group's third single was "Don't Stop the Party
Don't Stop the Party
"Don't Stop the Party" is a song by American group The Black Eyed Peas. The song was written by members will.i.am, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez and Stacy Ferguson, along with Joshua Alvarez, and LeRoy, and produced by will.i.am. and DJ Ammo for the group's sixth studio album, The Beginning...
" and it was released on May 10, 2011. On the same day, a music video for the song was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, along with the single. The video, which is directed by Ben Mor, features on stage and backstage footage of the group during The E.N.D. World Tour
The E.N.D. World Tour
The E.N.D. World Tour was the third concert tour by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, in support of their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. . The tour began in Japan on September 15, 2009, with shows also performed in Australia and New Zealand in 2009...
in 2009–2010. The video premiered on Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
on May 12, 2011.
On May 22, the group appeared on the 2011 Billboard Music Awards
2011 Billboard Music Awards
The 2011 Billboard Music Awards were held May 22, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and hosted by Ken Jeong. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from 2010....
and won 1 of their 4 nominations, for "Top Duo/Group". They also performed "Just Can't Get Enough", "The Time (Dirty Bit)", "Boom Boom Pow", and "I Gotta Feeling". The performance received good reviews.
On June 9, the group were scheduled to perform a free concert, "Chase Presents The Black Eyed Peas and Friends", for over 50,000 people in New York City's Central Park, with guests including MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
and Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
. Money raised went to the Robin Hood Foundation
Robin Hood Foundation
The Robin Hood Foundation is a charitable organization, which attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York, United States.-History:Founded in 1988, Robin Hood was the brainchild of hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones...
, a charity organization for people in poverty in New York City. The concert was cancelled due to thunderstorms and lightning, but is hoped to be rescheduled in the near future. In August it was announced that the concert will take place on September 30, 2011. The event raised over $4 million for the charity.
On June 25, Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
announced they are developing The Black Eyed Peas Experience
The Black Eyed Peas Experience
The Black Eyed Peas Experience is a music video game developed and published by Ubisoft for the Wii and developed by iNiS for the Xbox 360. The game was released on November 8, 2011 in the United States of America.-Soundtrack:...
, a dance video game for Kinect and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. During their concert at Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
on the July 6, 2011, The Black Eyed Peas announced they are taking an indefinite hiatus following the completion of their current tour, as they did between 2005 and 2009. Will.i.am later confirmed the news on Twitter, adding that the break does not mean they will "stop creating".
On September 3, 2011, the group performed a concert in Minot, North Dakota
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
to benefit the victims of the 2011 Souris River flood
2011 Souris River flood
The 2011 Souris River flood is a record hundred-year flooding event on the Souris, a tributary of the Assiniboine River, which it meets near Treesbank, Manitoba. The Assiniboine meets the Red River of the North south of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The flooding has affected Saskatchewan and North Dakota,...
that damaged over 4,000 homes and displaced over 12,000 people in Minot and along the Souris River.
Discography
- Grass RootsGrass RootsGrass Roots is an Australian television series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 2000 and 2003.The series is set around the fictional Arcadia Waters Council near Sydney, and was primarily a satirical look at the machinations of local government...
as Atban KlannAtban KlannThe Atban Klann was a hip hop group whose members were Will 1X, apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 & Dante Santiago. The Atban Klann were signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records...
(1992) - Behind the FrontBehind the FrontBehind the Front is the debut album by American hip hop group Black Eyed Peas, released in 1998.-Background:Most of the tracks were demos for the Grass Roots album, with added verses by new member Taboo. The song "Joints & Jam" appeared on the soundtrack of the movie Bulworth, where it was billed...
(1998) - Bridging the Gap (2000)
- ElephunkElephunk-Commercial response:In the United States, Elephunk reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and is their first album to chart in the top 15. It gained even more commercial success in the UK Album Charts where it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and...
(2003) - Monkey BusinessMonkey Business (album)-Track listing:Notes*"My Humps" contains a hidden track "So Real".*"Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" includes a hidden track "Change".Sample Notes*"Pump It" samples "Misirlou" by Dick Dale....
(2005) - The E.N.D.The E.N.D.According to review aggregator Metacritic, The E.N.D. received an average of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on fifteen critiques, higher than their 2005 album Monkey Business but lower than their 2003 breakout Elephunk, with critics agreeing that the...
(2009) - The BeginningThe Beginning (The Black Eyed Peas album)The Beginning received generally mixedreviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 47, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews."Monica Herrera wrote for...
(2010)
Tours
- Elephunk Tour (2004)
- Monkey Business TourMonkey Business TourThe Monkey Business Tour was the debut concert tour by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, in support of their fourth studio album Monkey Business . The concert on October 3, 2005 at the Sydney SuperDome was filmed for the official DVD release Live from Sydney to Vegas.-Tour dates:...
(2005–06) - Honda Civic TourHonda Civic TourThe Honda Civic Tour is an annual concert tour, sponsored by Honda Motor Company which began in 2001. Each year, the headlining band or bands customize a Honda Civic for concert patrons to win in a raffle.-First Half:*Headliner: blink-182...
(2006) - Black Blue & You TourBlack Blue & You Tour-Setlist:#"Intro"#"Hey Mama"#"Dum Diddly"#"My Humps"#"Bebot"#"Don't Lie"#"Shut Up"#"Gone Going"#"I Got It from My Mama"#"Big Girls Don't Cry"#"Glamorous"#"Que Dices"#"Latin Girls" #"Hands Up"#"Mas Que Nada"#"Fallin' Up"...
(2007) - The E.N.D. World TourThe E.N.D. World TourThe E.N.D. World Tour was the third concert tour by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, in support of their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. . The tour began in Japan on September 15, 2009, with shows also performed in Australia and New Zealand in 2009...
(2009–10) - The Beginning (2011)
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (Canada)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (U.S.)
- List of UK Dance Chart number-one singles of 2010
- List of UK Official Download Chart number-one singles from the 2000s
- List of artists who have had number-one singles on the UK Official Download Chart
- List of best-selling music downloads in the United Kingdom
- List of best-selling singles in the United States
- List of best-selling singles of the 2000s (UK)
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one singles of 2000s in Romania
- List of number-one singles of 2009 (Australia)
External links
- BlackEyedPeas.com – official website
- Black Eyed Peas Dipdive channel
- Black Eyed Peas bio and discograph