How the Black Eyed Peas Went From Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records to a Mainstream Pop Sensation
From their humble beginnings on Ruthless Records to becoming a neo-soul/jazz rap trio and finally transitioning into a full-blown pop group, this is the story of the Black Eyed Peas.
BEP started life under the name ‘Atban Klann’ in 1992. The group comprised of members; apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, Will 1X and DJ Motiv8. It is cited online that Dante Santiago was a member of Atban Klann, however, his involvement with unclear because of conflicting statements.
Atban Klann was discovered and signed to Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records collaborating with Eazy on his ‘5150: Home 4 Tha Sick’ EP.
Atban Klann followed up with their debut single ‘Puddles of H20’. Because the single failed to chart as well as the untimely death of Eazy in 1995, their album ‘Grass Roots’ was shelved indefinitely and they were dropped from Ruthless.
A majority of the Atban Klann members left the group leaving only Will 1X (changing his name to will.i.am) and apl.de.ap. They renamed the group ‘Black Eyed Pods’ (later changed to Peas) and added new member Taboo to the roster.
BEP signed to Interscope Records and released their first two albums ‘Behind the Front’ and ‘Bridging the Gap’ in 1998 and 2000. Stylistically BEP was very Afrocentric and akin to Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.
Their first two albums incorporated R&B, neo-soul and jazz which contrasted the predominantly popular gangster rap at the time. The albums were well received from fans and music critics alike, however, they failed to perform commercially.
‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ featuring Kim Hill.
‘I Was in The Black Eyed Peas. Then I Quit’ mini-documentary by The New York Times.
Singer and the unofficial fourth member of the group Kim Hill severed ties in 2000 leaving an empty spot in the group.
In between BEP's first and second era, group frontman will.i.am released two very interesting solo albums in 'Lost Change' and 'Must B 21' in 2001 and 2003 respectively. Lost Change is similar to the group’s first two releases, incorporating neo-soul and R&B with jazz rap.
The album has guest features from rapper Planet Asia and neo-soul singer Terry Dexter. Must B 21 is the more interesting of the will.i.am solo albums as there isn't much info on the album.
Must B 21 was released about three months after their commercial breakthrough 'Elelphunk' which is notably more pop-friendly than Must Be 21. The album features songs with Phife Dawg of ATCQ fame, KRS-One, MC Lyte and John Legend among many others.
Kim Hill's interview highlights the change of management and expectation of BEP going into their third album. It can be assumed a lot of the songs on Must Be 21 were Elephunk leftovers/their original plan for their original third album. While this cannot be proved it is interesting to note this album as a lost gem of BEP's forgotten era.
BEP contacted singer Stacy ‘Fergie’ Ferguson for their song ‘Let's Get Retarded’ but liked her so much they made her an official member of the group. The group stylistically changed to be more commercially appealing going into their third album ‘Elephunk’.
The album went on to go double platinum and spawned hit singles cementing the group as pop culture icons.
Slowly but surely the group's critical acclaim and their once-coveted subject matter was diluted album after album.
The outcome can be seen in songs like ‘My Humps’ and ‘I Gotta Feeling’ resembling a fraction of the group’s former self.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with pop music, the irony is that their early music preached creative freedom and spoke poorly of artists selling out for fame.
““You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.””
In 2016, Fergie left the group in favour of her solo career. This left the group as a trio as they were in the early 2000s. BEP officially dropped 'the' from their name which they had used since Fergie joined the group.
BEP returned with their seventh album 'Masters of the Sun Vol. 1' in 2018. The album was marketed as a return to their hip hop roots abandoning the dance-pop sound they were famous for.
The album featured guest spots from the likes of Nas, Slick Rick, De La Soul and the late Phife Dawg who died in early 2016.
Since 2018, BEP has added signer 'J Rey Soul' to the group once again making it a quartet.
The critical response for the album was better than any of their pop albums prior. Unfortunately, it failed to sell or chart well similar to their hip hop beginnings.
BEP released their eighth album 'Translation' on June 19, 2020. The album was a Latin trap/pop album and sported the hit international single 'Ritmo (Bad Boys for Life)'. The album was met with positive reviews however fans of their album released less than two years prior were confused.
Bouncing from jazz-rap to pop, old school rap and then reggaeton shows the Peas' versatility. On the other hand, the lack of a sonic identity can leave BEP feeling very manufactured and fickle.
Regardless, BEP remains a cultural staple of the 21st century and has become a household with hit song after hit.
Stream Black Eyed Peas on Spotify and Apple Music here.
