black eyed peas
Ever since they were a fledgling group in the
environs of Los Angeles, The Black Eyed Peas have flaunted a passionate,
energetic hip-hop spirit people have always been drawn to. They've earned fans
worldwide with their inventive approach to hip-hop music, inspiring people with
loose rhymes, and a positive spirit and funkafied vibe. On Elephunk, the group's
third album, that spirit seems to course through their beings even more than
ever.
The Black Eyed Peas will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and newcomer Fergie named
the album Elephunk to conjure up a big, deep funk sound. Produced in its
entirety by will.i.am and apl, the album boasts a mix of live instruments and
traditional hip-hop samples and beats. It also mixes the group's breathless
verbal acrobatics with a very conscious view of the world.
BEP's music has always been firmly entrenched in hip-hop but also with an eye to
other musical forms. Elephunk, more than previous albums, seems to transcend the
simple genre categorization, something will.i.am admits was intentional, both
lyrically and musically. "This is a hip-hop record but we didn't go into this
with hip-hop on our mind," says will.i.am. "We were just thinking of good songs,
good music. We didn't want to say anything typical, like 'My style is this, and
my rhymes are like that.' A couple might have slipped in but we were really
tired of saying things like that."
Elephunk was recorded in three different spurts over the last two years,
beginning in 2001. "We would record about eight songs each time," remembers
will.i.am. "Then each time we went back, I felt I'd changed and grown as a
producer. So we'd do eight more songs, and those eight would be better than the
previous eight. It kept going until we were done."
will.i.am's rhymes are clever and irreverent but it's his work as a producer on
Elephunk that he's most proud of. Songs like "Where Is The Love," with Justin
Timberlake, the quickstepping fast-rap of "Hands Up," and the Louis Armstrong
growl of "Smells Like Funk," demonstrate not just a sophisticated ear for new
sounds but a head for interesting arrangements and tight songwriting.
will.i.am's talent lies in his ability to mold live instruments, samples and
drum machines into a uniform sound. He's always taken a musically broad
perspective and on this album, it shows more than ever.
"My volition as a producer has definitely grown," he says. "I think my
understanding of music has grown, I've discovered new ways of manifesting my
thoughts into reality, and I know my equipment better."
Elephunk also welcomes a new member into the BEP fold Los Angeles native
Fergie. The singer met will.i.am at BEP shows around town and was invited to
join in on a recording session. In the studio, one song turned to three turned
to five turned to an invitation to join the group. Says Fergie about her
experience, "This group is just totally open to new ideas and directions."
Some of those new directions on Elephunk include songs like "Anxiety," which
matches The Black Eyed Peas with popular platinum rock band Papa Roach, whom
they met and bonded with on tour. The group's are really similar says will.i.am.
"The energy between us was thick. When we started talking to them, it was a real
conversation, like we were 60 and just hangin' out at a bus stop."
The song itself relates the tension of the world today with personal struggles
the members of the different groups have gone through into one, hard-hitting
rhythmic jam. "These last couple of years haven't been easy," says will.i.am.
"Is it guilt? Stress? Uncertainty over what's going to happen in the next five
years? Is it rap? Hip-hop? The fact that everyone is clubbin' and gun totin' and
we're thought of as just some fashionable motherfuckers? It's a whole bunch of
stuff going on."
Overall, will.i.am couldn't be happier with the way the album's turned out, and
he feels people will be open to the new directions The Black Eyed Peas are going
in. "The audience is smarter than they've ever been," he says. "Maybe ten years
ago, they were run-of-the-mill, but these kids today aren't the same. They've
got it together."
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ELEPHUNK
BRIDGING THE GAP
BEHIND THE FRONT
Website : http://www.blackeyedpeas.com/