Biography
Promoting positivity and unity even as their music shifted from organic hip-hop origins toward global dance-pop, the Black Eyed Peas—anchored by founding members will.i.am, Apl.de.Ap, and Taboo—have sustained visibility across an unmatched trajectory. The Los Angeles-based trio launched quietly in the late '90s, drawing from De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. Their pop sensibilities paired with socially conscious lyrics propelled them skyward the following decade via "Where Is the Love?," their initial domestic Top Ten entry and a chart-topper stretching from the U.K. through Australia. That socially charged single launched a run sustained across the multi-platinum sets Elephunk (2003), Monkey Business (2005), and The E.N.D. (2009), which housed some of the era's most expansive and exuberant pop smashes, among them the Grammy-winning cluster "Let's Get It Started," "Don't Phunk with My Heart," "My Humps," and "I Gotta Feeling." Following The Beginning (2010)—their third Top Ten Billboard 200 release—the group paused for years before resurfacing with Masters of the Sun, Vol. 1 (2018), a vigorous reclamation of their hip-hop foundation. Translation (2020) and Elevation (2022) further expanded their worldwide dancefloor reach through reggaeton and Afrobeats inflections, spotlighting crossover Latin successes such as "Ritmo," "Mamacita," and "Don't You Worry," plus 2024's "Tonight" with Becky G, alongside an equally varied roster of collaborators.
The earliest ties date to the early '90s, when high school students will.i.am (William James Adams, Jr.) and Apl.de.Ap (Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr.) belonged to Tribal Nation, a breakdancing outfit. The duo later prioritized music and branched out independently as Atban Klann, an enigmatic shorthand for A Tribe Beyond a Nation. Eazy-E's Ruthless Records inked them in 1992, though many at the label remained baffled by the signing and by Eazy-E's willingness to embrace their genial, peace-oriented outlook alongside his own gangsta aesthetic. An album was completed yet ultimately withheld, as Ruthless struggled to position a collective whose approach avoided the combative boasts typified by N.W.A.
Eazy-E's passing in 1995 closed any further Ruthless prospects. Unfazed, will.i.am and Apl.de.Ap brought aboard fellow dancer/MC Taboo (Jaime Luis Gómez) and resurfaced as Black Eyed Peas. BEP started performing locally in their native L.A., captivating hip-hop audiences with their lyrical dexterity and electrifying stage moves. Their 1998 debut Behind the Front arrived on Interscope to widespread praise, crediting not only the three MCs but also the live band and backing vocalist Kim Hill; commercially it reached a modest number 129 on the Billboard 200. One of its three singles, "Joints & Jam," entered the U.K. charts at number 53. The follow-up Bridging the Gap, issued in 2000, maintained a comparable style and included guest spots from De La Soul, Jurassic 5's Chali 2na, and Macy Gray; the single "Request Line" climbed to number two on Billboard's rap chart, lifting the project well beyond the debut's performance.
A decisive shift occurred with the arrival of Fergie (Stacy Ann Ferguson), previously seen on Kids Incorporated and a member of the late-'90s vocal trio Wild Orchid, positioned between Lisa Stansfield and En Vogue. She supplanted Kim Hill and supplied assured, direct vocals. The first album featuring Fergie, Elephunk (2003), broke into the Top 40 via the Justin Timberlake-assisted "Where Is the Love?," "Hey Mama," and "Let's Get It Started." The lead track, which will.i.am began composing after viewing live coverage of the September 11 attacks, peaked at number eight domestically yet fared even stronger abroad, claiming the top spot in Canada, England, Germany, and Australia. "Let's Get It Started" earned Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.
Two years later the quartet ascended further into pop dominance with Monkey Business. The triple-platinum release was propelled by "Don't Phunk with My Heart" and the lighter "My Humps," both of which hit number three and secured separate Grammys—Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 48th ceremony and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 49th. Fergie issued her solo debut The Dutchess in 2006, which also yielded three number-one singles and was executive-produced by will.i.am, by then a sought-after producer for Kelis, Diddy, John Legend, Ciara, and Nas. He resumed his own solo catalog with Songs About Girls in 2007, his third such effort after two earlier exploratory, understated projects on BBE.
Black Eyed Peas ended a brief hiatus in March 2009 with "Boom Boom Pow," the first of three number-one singles that collectively ruled the charts for half the year and anchored The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies), released that June. Its distinctly electronic dance aesthetic also generated "I Gotta Feeling" and "Imma Be," after which the set earned six Grammy nominations and won Best Pop Vocal Album. The group returned swiftly in 2010 with their sixth LP, The Beginning, another electronic-tinged pop effort featuring "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Just Can't Get Enough." They headlined the Super Bowl halftime show months afterward before entering an extended hiatus.
Over the ensuing years the members largely operated apart. will.i.am sustained production work and solo releases while beginning a lengthy stint as a coach on The Voice UK, later adding roles on The Voice Australia and The Voice Kids. Apl.de.Ap served as a judge on The Voice of the Philippines. Taboo released standalone singles including "The Fight," recounting his successful cancer battle. Fergie assembled her second album, Double Dutchess. During this interval Black Eyed Peas issued only an updated version of "Where Is the Love" titled "Where's the Love?," recorded with a children's choir and numerous high-profile vocalists and celebrities collectively billed as "the World." A charity release for will.i.am's educational nonprofit i.am.angel, the 2016 track responded to terrorist incidents in Paris and Brussels, the Orlando nightclub shooting, and the police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
Without Fergie and now featuring J. Rey Soul—a vocalist signed to Apl.de.Ap's BMBX label following her appearance on The Voice of the Philippines—the group maintained its emphasis on weighty social themes when they reconvened for their first album in eight years. Crafted in tandem with their Marvel graphic novel of the same name, Masters of the Sun, Vol. 1 represented a committed, gritty return to hip-hop bolstered by contributions from Slick Rick, De La Soul's Posdnuos, A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Nas. It marked their final Interscope release.
Following the 2019 Snoop Dogg collaboration "Be Nice," which emerged from the televised songwriting contest Songland, Black Eyed Peas joined Piso 21 for "Mami," signaling the direction they would pursue amid growing influences from South American and African dance music. Reinforced by a fresh Epic contract, BEP achieved another platinum milestone in 2019 via the J Balvin-assisted "Ritmo," which led Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. The pattern continued with the gold-certified "Mamacita" featuring Ozuna. "Girl Like Me," aided by Shakira, topped the Latin Airplay chart. All three tracks appeared on Translation, which debuted at number 52 on the Billboard 200. The group preserved its buoyant spirit on Elevation, released in 2022. They reunited with Shakira on "Don't You Worry," co-produced by David Guetta, and followed with "Simply the Best" featuring Anitta and El Alfa, plus "Bailar Contigo" alongside Daddy Yankee. In 2024 they supplied the single "Tonight" (featuring Becky G) to the Bad Boys: Ride or Die soundtrack, reaching the Top 40 of the Pop 100.
The earliest ties date to the early '90s, when high school students will.i.am (William James Adams, Jr.) and Apl.de.Ap (Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr.) belonged to Tribal Nation, a breakdancing outfit. The duo later prioritized music and branched out independently as Atban Klann, an enigmatic shorthand for A Tribe Beyond a Nation. Eazy-E's Ruthless Records inked them in 1992, though many at the label remained baffled by the signing and by Eazy-E's willingness to embrace their genial, peace-oriented outlook alongside his own gangsta aesthetic. An album was completed yet ultimately withheld, as Ruthless struggled to position a collective whose approach avoided the combative boasts typified by N.W.A.
Eazy-E's passing in 1995 closed any further Ruthless prospects. Unfazed, will.i.am and Apl.de.Ap brought aboard fellow dancer/MC Taboo (Jaime Luis Gómez) and resurfaced as Black Eyed Peas. BEP started performing locally in their native L.A., captivating hip-hop audiences with their lyrical dexterity and electrifying stage moves. Their 1998 debut Behind the Front arrived on Interscope to widespread praise, crediting not only the three MCs but also the live band and backing vocalist Kim Hill; commercially it reached a modest number 129 on the Billboard 200. One of its three singles, "Joints & Jam," entered the U.K. charts at number 53. The follow-up Bridging the Gap, issued in 2000, maintained a comparable style and included guest spots from De La Soul, Jurassic 5's Chali 2na, and Macy Gray; the single "Request Line" climbed to number two on Billboard's rap chart, lifting the project well beyond the debut's performance.
A decisive shift occurred with the arrival of Fergie (Stacy Ann Ferguson), previously seen on Kids Incorporated and a member of the late-'90s vocal trio Wild Orchid, positioned between Lisa Stansfield and En Vogue. She supplanted Kim Hill and supplied assured, direct vocals. The first album featuring Fergie, Elephunk (2003), broke into the Top 40 via the Justin Timberlake-assisted "Where Is the Love?," "Hey Mama," and "Let's Get It Started." The lead track, which will.i.am began composing after viewing live coverage of the September 11 attacks, peaked at number eight domestically yet fared even stronger abroad, claiming the top spot in Canada, England, Germany, and Australia. "Let's Get It Started" earned Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.
Two years later the quartet ascended further into pop dominance with Monkey Business. The triple-platinum release was propelled by "Don't Phunk with My Heart" and the lighter "My Humps," both of which hit number three and secured separate Grammys—Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 48th ceremony and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 49th. Fergie issued her solo debut The Dutchess in 2006, which also yielded three number-one singles and was executive-produced by will.i.am, by then a sought-after producer for Kelis, Diddy, John Legend, Ciara, and Nas. He resumed his own solo catalog with Songs About Girls in 2007, his third such effort after two earlier exploratory, understated projects on BBE.
Black Eyed Peas ended a brief hiatus in March 2009 with "Boom Boom Pow," the first of three number-one singles that collectively ruled the charts for half the year and anchored The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies), released that June. Its distinctly electronic dance aesthetic also generated "I Gotta Feeling" and "Imma Be," after which the set earned six Grammy nominations and won Best Pop Vocal Album. The group returned swiftly in 2010 with their sixth LP, The Beginning, another electronic-tinged pop effort featuring "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Just Can't Get Enough." They headlined the Super Bowl halftime show months afterward before entering an extended hiatus.
Over the ensuing years the members largely operated apart. will.i.am sustained production work and solo releases while beginning a lengthy stint as a coach on The Voice UK, later adding roles on The Voice Australia and The Voice Kids. Apl.de.Ap served as a judge on The Voice of the Philippines. Taboo released standalone singles including "The Fight," recounting his successful cancer battle. Fergie assembled her second album, Double Dutchess. During this interval Black Eyed Peas issued only an updated version of "Where Is the Love" titled "Where's the Love?," recorded with a children's choir and numerous high-profile vocalists and celebrities collectively billed as "the World." A charity release for will.i.am's educational nonprofit i.am.angel, the 2016 track responded to terrorist incidents in Paris and Brussels, the Orlando nightclub shooting, and the police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
Without Fergie and now featuring J. Rey Soul—a vocalist signed to Apl.de.Ap's BMBX label following her appearance on The Voice of the Philippines—the group maintained its emphasis on weighty social themes when they reconvened for their first album in eight years. Crafted in tandem with their Marvel graphic novel of the same name, Masters of the Sun, Vol. 1 represented a committed, gritty return to hip-hop bolstered by contributions from Slick Rick, De La Soul's Posdnuos, A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Nas. It marked their final Interscope release.
Following the 2019 Snoop Dogg collaboration "Be Nice," which emerged from the televised songwriting contest Songland, Black Eyed Peas joined Piso 21 for "Mami," signaling the direction they would pursue amid growing influences from South American and African dance music. Reinforced by a fresh Epic contract, BEP achieved another platinum milestone in 2019 via the J Balvin-assisted "Ritmo," which led Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. The pattern continued with the gold-certified "Mamacita" featuring Ozuna. "Girl Like Me," aided by Shakira, topped the Latin Airplay chart. All three tracks appeared on Translation, which debuted at number 52 on the Billboard 200. The group preserved its buoyant spirit on Elevation, released in 2022. They reunited with Shakira on "Don't You Worry," co-produced by David Guetta, and followed with "Simply the Best" featuring Anitta and El Alfa, plus "Bailar Contigo" alongside Daddy Yankee. In 2024 they supplied the single "Tonight" (featuring Becky G) to the Bad Boys: Ride or Die soundtrack, reaching the Top 40 of the Pop 100.
Singles
