His group got no respect. His skills were ignored. His style was laughed at. Now the Black Eyed Peas have sold 20 million records, Fergie is a global superstar, and designers love his look. Meet will.i.am, pop music’s new million-dollar genius.
A 20-year-old black man with dreadlocks stands in line at a crowded welfare office in East Los Angeles accompanied by his mother and his girlfriend, a petite Filipina. The wait is excruciatingly long.
“Ma, I don’t think I should get on welfare,” the man says.
“Why? It’s almost your turn!” his mother replies in bewilderment.
“Nah, this ain’t right. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Let’s go home.”
“What are we gonna do, Will?” says his girlfriend.
“Don’t worry about it, baby,” the man says calmly. “It’s gonna be all right.”
With the women in tears, the three leave the building.
This is the story of William Adams, otherwise known as superstar producer and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.
Like a musical Bat Cave, will.i.am’s home studio is a cavernous space located on the bottom floor of his three-story, six-bedroom villa in Hollywood’s Los Feliz neighborhood. A futuristic control board dominates the room, which is decorated with plush leather chairs, marble floors and retro, bordello-style crimson wallpaper. Several monitors hang from the studio’s walls, allowing guests to view the work Will performs on his computer screen in real time.
“These niggas don’t understand,” Will, 33, says of those who dubbed him a sellout after the runaway success of the Peas’ 2003 album, Elephunk. “Other rappers can sock the block, but I’m socking the planet!”
Will’s not just talkin’ trash. In 1995 Will formed the Black Eyed Peas with friends Jamie “Taboo” Gomez, Allan “apl.de.ap” Pineda and Dante Santiago (who eventually left the group but remains Will’s right-hand man). Like the West Coast’s answer to A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, the Peas positioned themselves as socially conscious hip-hoppers with influences ranging from jazz to alternative rock. They marketed themselves to college kids, targeting university radio stations and clubs like Dragonfly and the Roxy. The strategy paid off, and in 1997 they found themselves at the center of a label bidding war (with Interscope Records eventually writing the check) and have since become a global force by masterminding their fun-loving, fusion-heavy sound and eclectic image.
The group’s first album featuring new member Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson, Elephunk produced the Peas’ first hit, “Where Is The Love?” The crew’s next album, 2005’s Monkey Business, featured such hits as “Don’t Phunk With My Heart,” “Pump It” and “My Humps,” which became the first single to sell more than 2 million ringtones. Together, both albums have sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. The Black Eyed Peas have won three Grammy Awards—Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2004 and 2005 (for “Let’s Get It Started” and “Don’t Phunk With My Heart,” respectively) and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for “My Humps” in 2006. They’ve also toured the world, performing before ecstatic crowds in Japan, Germany, Italy, Russia, Romania, Israel, South Africa, Nigeria, Sweden, Brazil, Australia, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
Aside from BEP material, Will has produced and been featured on tracks for the Game (“Compton”), Carlos Santana (“I Am Somebody”), Sergio Mendes (“Mas Que Nada,” “The Heat”), Busta Rhymes (“I Love My Bitch”), Nas (“Hip-Hop Is Dead,” “Can’t Forget About You”), Mary J. Blige (“About You”), Justin Timberlake (“Damn Girl”), Common (“I Want You”), John Legend (“Ordinary People,” “Save Room”) and more. In 2006 he was nominated for a Producer of the Year Grammy and lost to the legendary Rick Rubin.
