Famous as : Hip hop group
Birth Name : Atban Klann
Birth Date : 1990
Birth Place : Los Angeles, CA, USA
Claim to fame : Album "Elephunk" (2003)
Developing their distinctive fresh music, mix of hip-hop,
R&B, jazz, and soul along with compelling deep meaning lyrics, Black
Eyed Peas strived to constitute themselves as a remarkable American
hip-hop music group in the 21st century. This exceptional unique style
of the group combined with innovational technique to hip-hop music has
driven them to gain devoted fans worldwide. "We were just thinking of
good songs, good music." The group admitted. "We didn't want to say
anything typical, like 'My style is this, and my rhymes are like that.'"
One of the band's personnel, Fergie added, "This group is just totally
open to new ideas and directions." Perhaps the various backgrounds of
the group's members are the aspects that provide this magnificent capability
to produce their extraordinary compositions. Allen Pineda Lindo or known
as apl.de.ap possesses a blood mixture of Filipino and African-American,
while Jaime Gomez or Taboo is a Mexican and American Indian descendant,
and Stacy Ferguson or Fergie is Native Californian female. Last but
not least, the group is incomplete without the presence of William James
Adams Jr or known as will.i.am.
Positive messages and breakdancing are integral parts of hip-hop culture,
but by 1990 those elements had been temporarily eclipsed by the tough
gangster image and bleak but compelling lyrics of West Coast groups
like N.W.A.. However, despite sharing a zip code, Black Eyed Peas' vision
goes beyond the cracked-sidewalk vignettes and sampled gunfire of Los
Angeles' gangster style. The socially conscious group's earliest connections
go back to high school, when Will.I.Am and Apl de Ap were part of Tribal
Nation, a breakdancing crew. Eventually the pair focused more on music
-- hip-hop, specifically -- and split off into their own as Atban Klann,
their esoteric name an acronym for A Tribe Beyond a Nation. Eazy-E's
Ruthless Records signed the group in 1992 , but many in the Ruthless
camp were puzzled by the group and the enthusiasm of Eazy, who had no
problem reconciling his own gangster style with the peace-minded breakdancing
of Atban. Although an album was recorded, Ruthless shelved it, unsure
how to market a group whose style wasn't dependent on violent braggadocio
like N.W.A.
The death of Eazy-E in 1995 signaled the end of any further deals with
Ruthless. Undaunted by the experience, Will and Apl recruited another
dancer/MC, Taboo, and reappeared as Black Eyed Peas. BEP began playing
shows around L.A., impressing hip-hop fans with their mic skills and
dazzling them with their footwork as well. In 1998 their debut, Behind
the Front, was released to critical acclaim -- not only for the trio
of MCs, but for their live band and backing vocalist Kim Hill as well.
Featuring guest appearances from Jurassic 5's Chali 2na, De La Soul,
and Macy Gray, BEP's sophomore effort, Bridging the Gap, was released
in 2000. The group's third album, 2003's Elephunk, featured a new member,
Fergie, who replaced Kim Hill. All Music Guide
