Monkey business!
The Black Eyed Peas are having the time of their lives
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Black Eyed Peas (from left: William, Taboo, Allen, Fergie) |
They must be exhausted, jetting across the globe on a world tour. But at no point did the global hip hop phenomenon known as the Black Eyed Peas lock themselves in their hotel rooms. Instead, they took time out of their jam-packed schedule to explore Hong Kong clubs on their arrival at 3am!
The four music moguls - William "will.i.am" Adams; Allen "apl.de.ap" Pineda Lindo; Jaime "Taboo" Gomez; and Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson - were media-friendly throughout the afternoon meet-and-greet session in Hong Kong, the first stop on their Asian tour.
The trio of rappers - Will, Apl and Taboo - are Jamaican American, African American/Filipino and Mexican/Native American respectively; the only female, vocalist Fergie, is of Irish and Scottish descent. Their non-judgmental attitude and respect for each other's cultures are reflected in the nature of the group itself as well as by their inspiring, vibrant songs.
"I always encourage others not to write songs about what people have already heard or what has been said a million times, but write about the particular story that goes on in your neighbourhood. That's an individual story and that's going to be interesting," said Fergie.
Take Apl, a former emcee and dancer of Filipino origin who was adopted by an American family. He embraces his hometown heritage in his work, staying very loyal to both his biological family and the Philippines.
"Being adopted gave me an opportunity to meet these guys, start as a group and travel around. My main mission is to support my mum, my family in the Philippines. So she doesn't have to work that hard," he said.
Apl's landmark "The Apl Song", from Elephunk, features a chorus sung completely in Tagalog and speaks of his experience as a Filipino American. His song "Bebot" from Monkey Business is also an all-Tagalog song in which Apl raps about the joys of eating, drinking with friends and a popular Filipino delicacy called balut.
"The Black Eyed Peas have brought me this opportunity, and that has made me happy," he said.
The Black Eyed Peas officially got it started in the late 1990s with Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap, but it wasn't until the cool Fergie joined the group in 2003 for Elephunk that their powerful break dance moves began to garner explosive success around the globe.
The fashionable foursome continued their flare for producing massive hits in 2005 with the party-loving Monkey Business, and their mix album, Renegotiations: The Remixes, has just been released this year and includes an official song for the recent 2006 World Cup.
Despite the success of their previous albums, the Peas have several side projects coming out in the near future. Fergie's long-awaited solo album, The Duchess, will debut this September, and her first single, "London Bridge", has already hit radio stations worldwide. Will's third solo album is also expected by the end of this year.
This series of individual projects, however, hasn't broken the bonds of their friendship, said Will.
"We are family. We have been together for 10 years. These projects are not going to affect our relationship," he said. "I think it's great. These side projects help define what The Black Eyed Peas mean, musically and individually. And it offers others a greater understanding of what we are about."
"It's just like one big bird spreading its wings," added Fergie.
jam-packed
filled
meet-and-greet session
a time for the band to meet and talk to people
vibrant
bright; colourful; full of energy
adopt
take someone into your family.
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biological parents
birth parents
delicacy
rare and good to eat
garner
to bring, get or collect
flare
ability to do something well
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side projects
work done away from your main job
debut
appear for the first time
bonds
what holds things together
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