Line #82 Music/TheBlackEyedPeas


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_eyed_peas.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/DirtyDancing They had the times of their lives.]][[note]]L to R: Music/WillIAm, Taboo, apl.de.ap, Music/{{Fergie}}.[[/note]]]]
3
4	->''I'm so three-thousand-and-eight''
5	->''You're so two-thousand-and-late''
6	-->-- "Boom Boom Pow"
7
8	The Black Eyed Peas (also known as Black Eyed Peas or BEP) are a Los Angeles-based hip-hop/dance-pop group, initially composed of members Music/WillIAm, Taboo, and apl.de.ap. Formed in 1995, they began as a [[TheMoralSubstitute less violent]], [[AlternativeHipHop socially conscious alternative]] to the {{gangsta rap}} acts of the time, though they were ironically signed by Music/EazyE of Music/{{NWA}} fame. Two albums were released in 1998 and 2000 to critical acclaim and modest sales.
9
10	In 2002, they were joined by a fourth member, Music/{{Fergie}},[[note]]Not to be confused with the wife of Prince Andrew[[/note]] formerly of the girl group Wild Orchid. By the release of their next two albums, ''Elephunk'' and ''Monkey Business'', in the mid-2000s, the group had changed entirely, moving towards a pop sound with much simpler lyrical content intended to appeal to a wider audience. Their new style earned them numerous #1 hit singles and multi-platinum sales, to the point where some people didn't know they did anything pre-''Elephunk''.
11
12	The group took a hiatus from 2012 to 2014 before resuming work in 2015. In 2018, Fergie departed the group, reportedly to focus on her personal life and solo career. In the same year, ''Series/TheVoice Philippines'' finalist Jessica Reynoso started touring with the group, adopting the stage name J Rey Soul. Their output since has included throwbacks to the group's original hip-hop sound and ventures into different styles of popular Latin music.
13
14	Fergie, will.i.am, and Taboo have branched out into acting careers, and Taboo has also written comics. Meanwhile, apl.de.ap works to alleviate poverty in the Philippines through a foundation made in his name. will.i.am and apl.de.ap are also coaches on different national versions of ''The Voice''.
15	----
16
17	!!Members:
18
19	Current members in '''bold'''.
20
21	[[index]]
22	* '''Music/WillIAm''' (1995-present)
23	* '''apl.de.ap''' (1995-present)
24	* '''Taboo''' (1995-present)
25	* '''J Rey Soul''' (2018-present)
26	* Music/{{Fergie}} (2002–2018)
27	* Dante Santiago (1995)
28	* Kim Hill (1995–2000)
29	* Sierra Swan (1998–2000)
30	[[/index]]
31	----
32	!!Albums:
33
34	* ''Behind the Front'' (1998)
35	* ''Bridging the Gap'' (2000)
36	* ''Elephunk'' (2004)
37	* ''Monkey Business'' (2005)
38	* ''[[NewSoundAlbum The E.N.D.]]'' (2009)
39	* ''The Beginning'' (2010)
40	* ''Masters of the Sun Vol. 1'' (2018)
41	* ''Translation'' (2020)
42	* ''ELEVATION'' (2022)
43	----
44	!!And the bass keeps tropin', tropin':
45	* AlbumTitleDrop: "Pump It"
46	-->Girls be all on us from London back down to the US\
47	S-S, we rocking it (contagious)\
48	'''Monkey business''' (outrageous)
49	* AnalogyBackfire: "Imma Be", in which sperm banks are for withdrawals only, and not deposits.
50	* TheArtifact: The change from "Let's Get Retarded" to "Let's Get It Started" brought some minor lyric changes, but there are a few lines that remain the same despite obviously having the original chorus in mind:
51	-->''In this context, there's no disrespect\
52	[...]\
53	We got five minutes for us to disconnect\
54	From all intellect and let the rhythm effect\
55	[...]\
56	Get started, get stupid''
57	* AuthorVocabularyCalendar: Pretty much every song on ''The E.N.D'' features the word "rock" or some variation of it at least once.
58	* AutoTune: A frequent feature in their music, to the point that they were practically the poster child for the practice (and, potentially, a reason for its decline).
59	* BlackAndNerdy: A part of will.i.am's persona.
60	* BlindMusician: apl.de.ap was legally blind due to nystagmus, which was surgically corrected in 2012.
61	* {{Bowdlerise}}:
62	** "Let's Get Retarded" was changed to "Let's Get It Started" on the radio, and the lyric "Bob your head like epilepsy" was changed to "Bob your head like [[AccentOnTheWrongSyllable me, apl.de]]." This version became so ubiquitous that many people don't know the original version of the song.
63	** "Hey Mama" was also edited quite a bit for the radio.
64	*** "The true niggas know that the Peas come through" was changed to "The true ''people'' know...".
65	*** "And then drop bombs like we in the Middle East" was changed to "And then drop bombs 'cuz we shaking to the beat".
66	*** "Don't wanna squeeze triggers, just wanna squeeze tits" edited out "tits" and replaced it with a [[TheImmodestOrgasm female moan]].
67	** "Don't Phunk With My Heart" was censored as "Don't Mess With My Heart", largely due to radio stations concerned about the word "phunk" sounding too close to a PrecisionFStrike, though most radio stations especially those outside the States did play the song unaltered. Interestingly enough, the Russian metalcore band Music/{{Amatory}} covered the song as "Don't Fuck With My Heart".
68	* BrokenRecord:
69	** WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/tis/tpsr/21839-ep-03-imma-be decided to count]] how many times "Imma Be" is {{Title Drop}}ped. It goes '''106''' times.
70	** Really, most choruses from ''The E.N.D.'' are this.
71	---> I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good good night... (repeat 12 times)
72	%%* ButtMonkey: During the Fergie era, Taboo. Quite a number of songs don't even ''have'' him, which is made more JustForFun/{{Egregious}} by the fact that [[AdvertisedExtra he still appears in the music videos with the rest of the band]].
73	* BuxomBeautyStandard: "DOUBLE D'Z", in which J.Rey SOUL sings about how much many men and herself love her breasts.
74	* CreatorProvincialism: A number of songs and/or verses from apl.de.ap mention his country or its culture at least in passing.
75	* DaysOfTheWeekSong: "I Gotta Feeling" goes through them all (and Saturday, twice).
76	* DrivenToSuicide: The last few bars of "APL Song" ("I guess sometimes life's stresses get you down/On your knees oh brother, wish I could have helped you out") is in reference to apl.de.ap's younger brother Arnel who committed suicide, with apl lamenting at how he was unable to come to his brother's aid before ending his life.
77	* {{Flanderization}}: As their careers went on, so too did the likelihood of them singing about being InDaClub over other topics.
78	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: will.i.am (phlegmatic), apl.de.ap (sanguine), Taboo (melancholic), and Fergie (choleric).
79	* FiveTokenBand: African American will.i.am, Afro-Filipino apl.de.ap. Continued with the addition of J Rey Soul, another Afro-Filipino.
80	* FunWithAcronyms: ''The E.N.D.'', which stands for "The Energy Never Dies".
81	* GenreShift: Compare "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqoKEyvdjv8 BEP Empire]]", released in 2000, to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEe_eraFWWs My Humps]]", released in 2005. You'd be forgiven if you thought they were from two different projects.
82	** See also: "Beautiful Dangerous," Fergie's collaboration with [[Music/SlashMusician Slash]] of Music/GunsNRoses fame.
83	** ''Translation'' is a Latin pop album before a rap one, which is quite different from the album before it, which took them back to their 90's sound and featured artists like Music/SlickRick and {{Music/Nas}}.
84	* HyperDestructiveBouncingBall: In the video for "Pump It", Will.i.am uses a bowling ball to fight off the underground thug gang.
85	* IAmTheBand: With the exception of the {{Music/Fergie}} era, Will.i.am is the only active member of the group. This is how many perceive the group anyway, and his performance at the Silver Jubilee confirmed this.
86	* {{Irony}}:
87	** The song the page quote belongs to? It was released in March 2009. Who's two-thousand-and-late again?
88	** Also, the alleged reason for Kim Hill's departure from the BEP (and subsequently from the record label) was because of her music not being 'black' enough. She was replaced in the group, of course, by Fergie...who is [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy white]].
89	* KidsRock: "Where Is The Love?" includes this as part of the song's ThinkOfTheChildren ethos.
90	* LesserStar: Taboo and apl.de.ap, at least now - in their pre-Fergie days, they did just as much as will.i.am.
91	** Mostly Taboo, both have been reduced to a rap part in the songs (his ostensibly small role is spoofed by WebVideo/TheKeyOfAwesome), but Apl has more of them, and has even made a couple songs that feature only him with will doing the music.
92	** WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows tagged them as "[[{{Music/WHAM}} Andrew Ridgeley]]" and "[[Music/TheFugees Pras]]" in his review of "Imma Be".
93	* LocalReference: Apl tends to do this at times where he brings in references to his home country in some songs.
94	* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Taboo with his impressive head of hair back in the day.
95	** will.i.am had long dreads before he cut them sometime after "Monkey Business".
96	* MaleBandFemaleSinger: During the Fergie era.
97	* MsFanservice: Fergie. J.Rey Soul took this part when Fergie left.
98	* MultilingualSong: The group has a few.
99	** "The Apl Song", whose Tagalog-language chorus is borrowed from the 1979 song "Balita" ("News") by folk rock band Asin ("Salt").[[note]]Rough translation: "Come closer, friends, and listen. I bring news from my homeland. I wish to share the stories and events happening in the promised land."[[/note]].
100	** ''Translation'' is all about this, featuring a more Latin sound and guest stars.
101	* MySisterIsOffLimits: In the second music video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wESgcExetso Bebot]]" Apl.de.Ap does this for his sister Jasmine.
102	%%** "Tagalog".
103	* NewSoundAlbum: ''Elephunk'', which featured a more radio-friendly pop sound; ''The E.N.D.'', which sees them incorporate dance and techno music; ''Masters of the Sun Vol. 1'', which sees the group go back to their early sound; ''Translation'', which features a reggaeton sound.
104	* OffTheShelfFX: In the music video for "Rock That Body", the "stereo guns" the band members use are [[Toys/NerfBrand Nerf blasters]] that have been painted dark gray and modified to superficially resemble loudspeakers and subwoofers. The blasters are as follows:
105	** An unloaded Longshot CS-6. Used by will.i.am.
106	** The barrel attachment that's boxed alongside the aforementioned Longshot. Used by Fergi.
107	** The Maverick REV-6. [[GunsAkimbo Dual-wielded]] by apl.de.ap.
108	** The Firefly REV-8. Used by Taboo.
109	* ParentheticalSwearing: "Don't Phunk With My Heart".
110	* ProtestSong: "Where Is the Love?", "Union" and "Street Livin'", the latter being a TakeThat to Creator/DonaldTrump where he is depicted in the music video as riding a limousine while protesters snarl at him.
111	* RevisitingTheRoots: ''Masters of the Sun Vol. 1'' is the first album since Fergie's departure from the group, and sees the original trio go back to the boom bap sound of their first two albums while still maintaining a degree of pop sensibility.
112	* RhymingWithItself: "Where Is The Love?" rhymes Mama with... Mamas.
113	** I Gotta Feeling rhymes up with up! They seem to do this trope frequently.
114	* {{Scatting}}: "Ga Ra Ta Da" and "Friddy Dope", both for ''Urbz: [[VideoGame/TheSims Sims]] In The City''.
115	* SelfEmpowermentAnthem: "Imma Be" which means "I'm going to be". Or so it seems. The WordSaladLyrics make it hard to tell.
116	* ShoutOut: The wireframe heads in the video for Boom Boom Pow and the cover of The E.N.D. is an allusion to Music/{{Kraftwerk}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0lIlROWro8 Musique-Non Stop]] and cover to "Electric Café/Techno Pop".
117	* SexSells: "My Humps" became one of their biggest hits, despite (or possibly [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity because of]]) its highly sexual content.
118	* SkyscraperMessages: The music video for "Where Is The Love?" has lights spell out a question mark.
119	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The band has had a single female vocalist, Kim Hill from 1995 to 2000, Fergie from 2002 to 2016 and J. Rey Soul from 2018 to the present.
120	* SpicyLatina: will.i.am seems to have a thing for these, as evidenced in some songs, most notably "Girl Like Me", a collaborative single with Music/{{Shakira}}, pays tribute to that image of Latina women, with the lyrics talking about them being [[HotBlooded passionate women]] and [[SexGoddess great lovers]].
121	* SpinOffBabies: The Superbowl commercials for Chatter feature them as this with apparently a whole series of it at an associated website.
122	* StepUpToTheMicrophone: "TONTA LOVE" is all performed by J.Rey Soul.
123	* StuffyOldSongsAboutTheButtocks: "My Humps", a song about a woman who uses her breasts and buttocks to get what she wants.
124	* TakeThat:
125	** A possibly unintentional example in the beginning of the music video for Imma Be, where the group has an argument about computerized "AI" music, which acts by inputting one's voice and the lyrics, and the process taking all the soul out of the music. [[{{Music/Vocaloid}} Sounds pretty]] [[{{Music/UTAU}} familiar, huh?]]
126	** The music video for "Street Livin'" ends with a shot of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump in the presidential limo as a riot ensues outside.
127	* TheBusCameBack: In their 2022 album "Elevation", Fergie makes a brief cameo in the track titled "In the Air" which is a remix of "Boom Boom Pow".
128	* ThoseTwoGuys: Taboo and apl.d.ap. fit this as the two members of the band who get the least individual attention.
129	* ThreeMinutesOfWrithing: Fergie in most music videos.
130	* TruckDriversGearChange: "Imma Be", "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Just Can't Get Enough" all feature (slightly unexpected) song changes.
131	* TurnOfTheMillennium: Their music is pretty synonymous with the 2000s.
132	* UnusualEuphemism: "Let's Get Retarded," the lesser-known original version of what would become "Let's Get It Started." To "get retarded" is another term for getting drunk and having careless fun (basically what the expression "get turned up" became), [[OrphanedReference hence the other lyrics]] "Let's get ig'nant, let's get hectic" and "Get into it, get stupid." It's safe to assume [[ValuesDissonance why the band isn't too bothered by this version being forgotten]].
133	* VisualPun: Guess what the [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/Bep-imma-be.jpg cover art]] for the "Imma Be" single is. Go on, guess.
134	* VocalTagTeam: Both Fergie and will.i.am have had several turns on lead vocals, while apl.de.ap and Taboo sometimes throw in a rap too. Also on "Hit It" Will and Lele Pons share vocals on the chorus.
135	* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: "I Gotta Feeling".
136	-->''Fill up your cup! (Drank!)''\
137	''Mazel tov!''\
138	'''L'CHAIM'''
139	----

Context Music / TheBlackEyedPeas