The evolution of Black Eyed Peas is a documentary of what can be accomplished by believing in your talent and forging forward no matter what other people think. From break dancing beginnings BEP has risen to worldwide popularity despite roadblocks and less than supportive reviews of their works by music critics. With album sales of over 22 million worldwide and 29 million singles sold in 2009 the masses have shown their love for what BEP delivers.

Black Eyed Peas - Breaking Well Worldwide

"Always believe in your ability and don't take people's opinion and let it crush you" will.i.am Nov 8 2009

The evolution of Black Eyed Peas is a documentary of what can be accomplished by believing in your talent and forging forward no matter what other people think. From break dancing beginnings BEP has risen to worldwide popularity despite roadblocks and less than supportive reviews of their works by music critics. With album sales of over 22 million worldwide and 29 million singles sold in 2009 the masses have shown their love for what BEP delivers.

Breaking Away

The nucleus of this phenomenal music group, will.i.am (born William James Adams, Jr.) and apl.de.ap (born Allen Pineda Lindo) met in high school in Los Angeles while part of the break dancing crew Tribal Nation. Being persistently drawn from the dance to the sound of hip hop the two teenage dancers left Tribal Nation in 1988 and began rapping with Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 and Dante Santiago as a hip hop group called Atban Klann. While performing in the local LA area Eazy-E's manager, Jerry Heller, signed them to Ruthless Records despite the fact that the group did not fit in the gangsta style of their other artists. The only album recorded by Atban Klann, Grassroots, was shelved in 1992 and never released. After Eazy-E's demise in 1995 Will and Apl broke away for the second time and teamed up with dancer/MC Taboo (born Jamie Luis Gomez) and emerged again performing as the three man team, Black Eyed Peas, for the first time.

Energy never dies but can change form

In 1998 BEP launched their first album, Behind the Front, followed two years later with a second album, Bridging the Gap. Both were well received by critics. Hip hop purists maintain that these are the best of BEP's entire works and mourn the groups change in style in the commercially successful album, Elephunk, released in 2003. Kim Hill left BEP to pursue her own sound in 2000 and was replaced with Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson in 2003 which sparked the winning chemistry mix for Black Eyed Peas.

Rocketing to the top

Wowing fans with party rap lyrics and their intricate footwork BEP won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy Awards in 2005 and 2006 for Let's Get It Started and Don't Phunk with My Heart. The Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy Award in 2007 was given to Black Eyed Peas for the racy My Humps single. The BEP's fifth album, The E.N.D., released in June 2009 introduced a new sound credited by will.i.am as greatly influenced by a three month stay in Australia.

Growing more popular throughout the world with each new release BEP is one of only eleven artists to ever have hits in the 1^st and 2^nd spots on Billboard's Hot 100 at the same time and held those positions for an amazing 26 consecutive weeks in 2009.

Multi-talented members

All the peace loving, social minded group members are all multi-talented and actively pursuing individual endeavors to improve the world in addition to their collaborative works as Black Eyed Peas. Will.i.am is a prolific lyricist and successful producer of numerous songs on the historical 2008 Obama presidential campaign. Apl.de.ap formed The Apl Foundation which is dedicated to improving communities in the Philippines and Asia. The group's Peapod Foundation launched a cutting edge arts school, The Peapod Music and Arts Academy, in January 2008 at the Watts/Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club in LA that gives at-risk kids the technical, educational skills and social awareness to succeed in life. Fergie is an award winning solo performer, actor and model while Taboo acts in action films, the most recent being Street Fighters: The Legend of Chun-Li in 2009.

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