Black Eyed Peas |
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Mon. August 25.2003 2:07 PM EDT |
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Black Eyed Peas: B-Boys, Bagpipes & Lots of LoveL.A. bohos have become hip-hop stars. They talk poverty, break-dancing, Justin, and governor Ahn-old. by C. Bottomley |
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Black Eyed Peas (Danny Morrow) |
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It’s been a long week for the Black Eyed Peas. A gig with their pals Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera got waylaid when a lighting rig collapsed. Then they overdid it a bit at their own club show in New York. “We got caught up in the moment
Don’t go to a BEP show expecting to see MCs Will.I.Am, Apl.de.Ap and Taboo pace back and forth to a DAT. Fortified by the soulful voice of new recruit Fergie, the foursome and their band are as likely to bust into “Pass the Courvoisier” or Snoop’s “Beautiful” as they are the Latin funk of “Sexy” or their current hit “Where is the Love.” Then add break-dancing to the mix. The phrase “electric boogaloo” is not lost on the Peas. The crew initially got together when pals Will.I.Am and Apl.de.Ap met Taboo in a break-dancing circle at a Los Angeles club called Ballistics. Despite being closer to De La Soul than N.W.A., in 1992 they were signed to Eazy E’s Ruthless label. When Eazy died of AIDS complications, the Peas enlisted singer Kim Hill, and moved to Interscope. By 2000’s Bridging the Gap, they were stressing spiritual positivity and musical eclecticism, as well as roping in A List guests like Macy Gray and Wyclef Jean. The group’s essence got a little lost in the process. Relationships crumbled. Hill left. The world didn’t exactly hold their breath waiting for a new record. Then the outfit hooked up with Timberlake one night, and he agreed to sing on “Where is the Love,” their damn catchy response to 9-11. Fergie jumped on for the bumping break-up song “Shut Up.” The gloom lifted, and drawing on their diverse heritages, the Peas’ Elephunk became a party where all sorts of tail-feathers are shaken. You’ll hear Sergio Mendes caressing the ivories on “Sexy” and Papa Roach yelling on “Anxiety.” It may also be the first album to sample both James Brown’s backup band and Peruvian siren Yma Sumac. Now there’s no stopping them. Will.I.Am is hosting his own show on MTV2, and the former fashion design student is also starting his own clothing line. As becomes clear from their lively conversation with VH1, anything can happen - from hanging with Justin to keeping water buffalos as pets. VH1: There’s a distinct Latin vibe to the album. Where does that come from? Will.I.Am: It all stems back to Africa. Latin rhythms and hip-hop both come from African rhythms. I was born and raised in East Los Angeles, which was predominantly Hispanic, so those rhythms are things I appreciate and gravitate towards. Taboo: I’m a Mexican kid from East L.A. as well. I was born there. Throughout my life, I was exposed to mariachi, meringue, cumbia, salsa. I’m able to write Spanish lyrics or feed off what Will produces. Apl.de.Ap: I was born in the Philippines. Spaniards invaded the Philippines back in the day, and I was influenced by their guitars and utilize them in productions. VH1: Your Filipino background plays a big part in Elephunk’s “The Apl Song.” A: Definitely. I was always inspired by Filipino folk songs, so the chorus is me singing in Tagalog, “Listen, I got a story to tell of all the events that have been going on in the promised land I was born in.” In the song I talked about the Philippines and the way of life over there. W: A lot of people in the urban areas talk about the ghetto life, but that’s luxury compared to where he comes from. A: In the Philippines, you’ve got to dig up the ground to do a number two, and then you’ve got to cover it up. You got to pump the water out of the ground to wash your clothes and your hands. That’s my ghetto! I remember coming to America for the first time, and going to Will’s house. He still lives in the projects. I was like, man, I want to live here! It’s so dope! W: Yeah, we have dogs for pets and cats and birds. This fool had a bison! Right? A: We’d wash our water buffalo, tie ‘em to the tree next to our house, and then the next day we use them to dig out the soil to plant like sweet potatoes and rice and corn. W: He’s adopted. He’s like one of those Sally Struthers 25-cents-a-day kids. VH1: Is break-dancing becoming a lost art? W: Break-dancing is like the sport of hip-hop. What we add to the dancing is the spontaneity, what the rhythm tells us to do. It’s expression. But maybe a lot of cats don’t want expression. In the public’s eye, there’s been a shift into what is marketable in hip-hop, and what’s marketable isn’t the dancers. T: I disagree. A lot of people are utilizing break-dancers now: Missy Elliott, Madonna - those Gap commercials. For the people that know, there’s this thing called B-Boy Summit. B-boys, break-dancers, come from all over the world - Japan, Germany, Australia - and compete for money and for the recognition of being the top B-boy or having the top crew. VH1: So when was the last time you saw a crew throw down? W: We do that all the time at Hollywood clubs. We met Justin Timberlake busting [moves] at a circle. We do that all the time, with different crews like Ground Zero, Style Elements, and all these B-Boy crews. We’re the only hip-hop crew that will bust in a circle with all the little J. Lo dancers and pop stars’ dancers. They’re like, “Yo! Black Eyed Peas still bust.” So here comes Justin, busting with us in a circle. T: We like to end our show by bringing up B-Boys from that city so they can bust in our set. W: While we’re on the Justified & Stripped tour, we’ll go to Tower Records and put on B-Boy competitions. I go to an ATM, get out 200 bucks and give it to the winner - while I got money, because you never know what might happen next week. You’ll probably see us on VH1 on When They Had Money. [Watch Clip] VH1: Why did you decide to make BEP a band? W: We like human error. Nothing should ever be perfect. If our drummer messes up and comes out of it, it’s like, ‘Dang, dog! You did it!’ It makes every show, every night, different, because of the spontaneity and the ability to stop it, slow it down, bring the energy up or bring the energy lower. VH1: Are the four Peas constantly trying surprise each other onstage? W: Fergie’s barely getting into that, because she’s new in the group. She’s learning the dynamics of how we go about the ever-evolving song. We’ll start off a song. After a song, we’ll be like [raps]: “Keep it on highlight everywhere around/ Whether we’re in your area, city or town/ Black Eyed is known for getting down.” [Begins to beat box.] At first, Fergie would be confused. Fergie: I didn’t know what to do! I was like, what’s happening? At first, the thing is, I didn’t know I was supposed to come in! Because it’s the first time I’ve ever performed with a live band. [Watch Clip] VH1: Was there an initiation ceremony when Fergie first joined? W: We went out clubbing! We were like, “Hey, let’s go out and celebrate Fergie being in the group!” “Didn’t we just go out yesterday?” “Yeah! Let’s go out again!” For a year and a half, that’s all we did. It was therapeutic, too, because we were going through a whole bunch of personal issues about the ugliness within ourselves. Sometimes, to get over those things, we have to go out and see the beauty outwards. VH1: When it comes to conscious rap like “Where is the Love,” what rappers do you trust? W: I trust everybody’s opinion. Conscience isn’t a topic; it’s what you have in your subconscious, the things you think about everyday. Who am I to say that what Freeway talks about isn’t in his subconscious? He’s rapping about what stimulates him to do what he does - that’s conscience. We ask questions about the world. We ask questions like, ‘Why did Kobe [do what he did]?’ ‘Why did she go up there in the first place?’ ‘Why did Mike [Tyson] bite that dude’s ear off?’ We view the world in strange ways and we put it in our music. I trust everybody. A lot of them really like jewelry, I know that’s true. I like jewelry, too. But that’s no reason not to trust them. VH1: Many hip-hoppers would be scared off recording something as musically ambitious as ‘Where is the Love,’ which features an orchestra. T: We take risks. We like to utilize different types of instruments, whether it’s a 40-piece orchestra, a tuba, a Theremin, or a kazoo. W: In Australia, we met this dude playing the bagpipes on the corner. We were like, you want to come with us on tour? So he did like five shows with us around Australia, opening up the show with a bagpipe! [makes bagpipe noises] It was hot! VH1: How have the audiences at your club shows differed from the ones on the Justified & Stripped tour? W: I base everything on spontaneity. A lot of the material that I work out in the studio comes from intimate shows. So it’s a real privilege to see thousands and thousands of people react to what was created at an intimate environment. At first, I thought when we did the show people were going to be standing there, but they get all up into it. Some people shake their butt, some bow their head. We make some people flip so much, they turn all alien out. It’s crazy.[Watch Clip] VH1: Who are you Los Angelinos gonna vote for in the recall elections? T: Ahn-old. If Ronald Reagan, the cowboy of all cowboys, could become president and Jesse “The Body” Ventura can become governor of Minnesota, why can’t Arnold Schwarzenegger become governor? W: I’m running with little Ahn-old, Gary Coleman. You got to feel “Whatchyu talkin’ about, Willis.” Isn’t that girl with the big old boobies in it, too? F: Angelyne. Yeah, I saw her launch her campaign. I haven’t made up my mind yet. It’s a toss-up. I wouldn’t want to be governor of California right now. It’s in a hard way with finances. It’s a hard job. W: Angelyne … I want to know what that girl does. She has billboards all over the place. T: She’s got some big wits [sic], though. Big old witties. W: Seriously, for a person to market themselves and put billboards all over L.A., Sunset Strip and stuff, and not even know what the hell she does, I don’t even know what that is! Maybe I’m ignorant. Is she like an escort service? Maybe she’s a hustler, dog. Not a hustler like a hustler hustler, but a hustler like a hip-hop hustler. You know what I mean? Like a hustler - hustle bustle! |
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