Black Eyed Peas

2009 was a phenomenal year for the Black Eyed Peas. After a four year break, the American/Filipino hip-hop group returned with new album The E.N.D., which stands for The Energy Never Dies and not the end of the group. And why would they want to end with three explosive singles to their name! Boom Boom Pow, I Gotta Feeling and Meet Me Halfway topped the charts all over the World with the former two singles spending a total of six months on top of the U.S. Billboard Charts.

Two weeks after the European MTV awards it’s time for the 37th American Music Awards 2009. After a quick glimpse at the list of nominees, it seems clear the night could turn into (another) Michael Jackson tribute (nominated for best pop-rock AND soul-R&B album, best pop-rock male artist and best soul-R&B male artist). The night will also be a new GaGa – Beyoncé dispute for best female artist (will little miss spoilt GaGa turn up this time?). The rest of nominees are the usual: Black Eyed Peas, the American beloved Taylor Swift and the hip-hop / rap category 2009 trio Jay-Z, T.I. and Eminem for best album and artist.

Thanks to RandomEnigma for the heads up on this great new video from Black Eyed Peas. Meet Me Halfway is the third single to be released from the Peas' latest album, The E.N.D.

As a single, it's not what you expect from the group - it's very 80's and thankfully features Fergie's mighty vocals more than the last two singles. You have to agree, that girl has a great set of lungs. And although the guys from the group put in their vocal appearances, there's none of the usual swagger or overtly suggestive lyrics. It is - certainly for the Peas - quite a sensitive ballad.

I'm not sure if you guys have heard but there was an altercation between annoying celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and the Black Eyed Peas not so long ago. Basically, the event occurred at the Much Music Awards in Toronto where will.i.am, the Black Eyed Peas frontman, was acting as DJ for the night.

Now, one for making bitchy comments on his website PerezHilton.com, Perez has being calling BEP vocalist Fergie "fugly" amonst many other insults. "Fugly" by the way is a combination of the words "ugly" and "F**K". Anyway I realise I'm kind of rambling so I'll get to the point: Fergie approached Perez and asked him why he was being so insulting. Basically, will.i.am got involved and a heated verbal argument occured between the two.

However, this is where things turned nasty and Perez called will.i.am a "fagot"! And then Perez claimed that the BEP manager punched him in the face. will.i.am has denied this and stated that it was just some random fan!

So they may have just released Boom Boom Pow over here but on the other side of the Atlantic, the Black Eyed Peas are already set to release new single I Gotta Feeling. I absolutely loved Boom Boom Pow and I didn't think they could top it...but guess what?...they have! I Gotta Feeling is the perfect Summer anthem, I loved it from the moment i heard it and I think you guys will like it too. Check out this video and listen for yourself!

Song: Boom Boom Pow

Artist: Black Eyed Peas

Album: The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)

Release Date: 22 May 2009 (IRL), 25 May 2009 (UK)

Genre: Electronic rap, R&B

Peak Position: 1 (UK), 4 (IRL)

I don't know who started it or why, but someone decided that it wasn't cool to love the Black Eyed Peas. I remember saying to someone online a couple of years ago that I loved these guys, and how much I enjoyed their inventive hip-hop, but being laughed at for liking the group.

So I, and a few other closet BEP fans have been waiting for will.i.am to stop fluffing around with collaborations and making Cheryl Cole dance in his videos. We even tolerated Fergie's album (straight from the Nicole Scherzinger school of 'stick with the band').

And to the single: Boom Boom Pow is the lead single from the Black Eyed Peas new album, The E.N.D. My initial impression is that their sound has evolved, but the chemistry of the group remains as vibrant and funky as ever. I was worried about this, because their solo efforts have been patchy. Yes, even will.i.am.