Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas (often known by their abrevaited name of BEP) are an American hip-hop group whose current line up includes members [[will.i.am]], [[apl.de.apl]]. [[Taboo]] and Fergie.

The group was formed in Los Angeles after founding members William Adams (will.i.am) and Allan Lindo's (apl.de.apl's) previous hip hop group [[A.T.B.A.N. Klann]] disbanded in 1995. The Black Eyed Peas were formed from here and Jaime Goméz (Taboo) joined the new group. They were also accompanied by regular guest member [[Kim Hill]].  The group were signed to Interscope Records.

Behind The Front (1998):  

Behind The Front, the group's debut album was recorded between late 1997 and early 1998 and released Worldwide on 30th June 1998. The album peaked at Number 129 on the US Billboard Chart and 37 on the US R&B Chart. It was largely produced by will.i.am as well as Paul Poli, C-Los and Brian Lapin. The album features guest stars such as Sierra Swan and [[Macy Gray]] with Kim Hill and Danté Santiago on backing vocals. The album's style was mainly socially concious hip-hop with the three main members rapping. Most of the songs that appear on the album were demos for A.T.B.A.N. Klann's one and only album [[Grass Roots]]. The album spawned six singles [[Fallin' Up]], [[Joints & Jams]], [[What Is It?]], [[Karma]], [[Que Dices]] and [[Head Bobs]]. The album received positive reviews with one reviewer stating "In all honesty, the MCs who make up BEP — Taboo, Will, and Apl — are not going to be confused as being super-lyrical by any means. But their chemistry and insightful, original topic matter is used with enough efficiency to mask that slight blemish". The single Joints & Jams was used on the soundtrack for the Oscar nominated film Bulworth. This song was re-recorded and renamed This Is The Joint for the Deluxe Edition of fifth studio album [[The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)]].

Bridging The Gap (2000-2001):

In late 1999 and early 2000,  the Black Eyed Peas began recording their second album Bridging The Gap. The album peaked at Number 67 on the US Billboard Chart when it was released on 26th September, 2000. The album also experienced some success on the US R&B Chart as well as the Australian, New Zealand and German Charts. The album featured collaborations with [[Wyclef Jean]] and, again, [[Macy Gray]]. The album spawned four singles [[BEP Empire]], [[Weekends]], [[Get Original]] (all released in 2000) and [[Request Line]] (released in 2001) which featured Macy Gray and became the group's most successful single to date. The album received mainly good reviews with it being described as "Bridging the Gap is a terrific follow-up full of warmth. Unlike what the advertisements might say, this is a multi-ethnic, multi-faceted substitute that should be accepted immediately." The single Weekends was remixed and renamed for the Deluxe Edition of fifth studio album [[The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)]] as Another Weekend.

Elephunk (2003-2004)

In 2003, the Black Eyed Peas released their third studio album Elephunk. The album was the first to feature new vocalist Fergie and also acted as their first breakout album, gaining success all around the World thanks to hit singles such as the Justin Timberlake featured [[Where Is The Love?]], [[Shut Up]], [[Hey Mama]] and [[Let's Get It Started]].

Monkey Business (2005-2007)

In 2005, the group released their fourth studio album Monkey Business which helped further their Worldwide success thanks to hit singles such as [[Don't Phunk With My Heart]], [[Don't Lie]], [[My Humps]] and [[Pump It]].

The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) (2009-2010)

In 2009, the Black Eyed Peas returned after three years on hiatus in which [[will.i.am]] pursued solo careers. The new album The E.N.D. (an acronym for 'The Energy Never Dies') saw the Peas explore a more electronic dancier sound as opposed to their previous funk driven hip-hop sound. The album was a massive success with its first two singles Boom Boom Pow and [[I Gotta Feeling]] spending six consecutive months atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The following singles [[Meet Me Halfway]], [[Imma Be]] and [[Rock That Body]] were also massive hits across the World and really established the band as one of the most successful groups of the era.

The Beginning (2010-present)

On 30 November 2010, Black Eyed Peas released their sixth studio album [[The Beginning]], an album which would act as a "sequel" and "continuation" of The E.N.D.'s sound and theme. The album was preceded by the single [[The Time (The Dirty Bit)]] which samples the classic 1980s song [[(I Had The) Time Of My Life]] from the film [[Dirty Dancing]].

Discography

Studio albums (LPs):

• Behind The Front (1998)
• Bridging The Gap (2000)
• Elephunk (2003)
• Monkey Business (2005)
• The E.N.D. (2009)
• The Beginning (2010)

Mini albums (EPs):

• Renegotiations: The Remixes (2006)
• Invasion Of The Boom Boom Pow-Megamix EP (2009)

DVDS:

• Behind The Bridge To Elephunk (2004)
• Bring On The Noise, Bring On The Phunk (2004)

• Live From Sydney To Vegas (2006)

Official singles:

1. Fallin' Up (1998)
2. Joints & Jams (1998)
3. What Is It? (1998)
4. Karma (1998)
5. Que Dices (1998)
6. Head Bobs (1998)
7. BEP Empire (2000)
8. Weekends (2000)
9. Get Original (2000)
10. Request Line (2001)
11. Where Is The Love? (2003)
12. Shut Up (2003)
13. Hey Mama (2004)
14. Let's Get It Started (2004)
15. The Apl Song (2004)
16. Don't Phunk With My Heart (2005)
17. Don't Lie (2005)
18. My Humps (2005)
19. Pump It (2006)
20. Like That (2006)
21. Bebot (2006)
22. Union (2007)
23. Boom Boom Pow (2009)
24. I Gotta Feeling (2009)
25. Meet Me Halfway (2009)
26. Imma Be (2010)
27. Rock That Body (2010)
28. The Time (The Dirty Bit) (2010)

Featured singles:

• Mas Que Nada (2006)

Promotional singles:

1. More (2007)
2. Alive (2009)

Useful Links

• Official Black Eyed Peas website