|
 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 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."
Black Eyed Peas Links
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 motherf--kers? 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 10 years ago, they were run-of-the-mill, but
these kids today aren't the same. They've got it together." |
