'''The Black Eyed Peas''' are an American hip-hop (musical styles: pop-rap and alternative hip hop) group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed international pop success. The group is currently composed of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie.
History
The Black Eyed Peas dates back to 1989 when will.i.am (Born: William Adams) and Apl.de.ap (Born: Allan Pineda) met and began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The pair signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E) after catching the attention of the nephew of Jerry Heller (Eazy-E's manager). Along with another friend of theirs, Dante Santiago, they called their trio '''Atban Klann'''. Their debut album, Grass Roots, was never released because Ruthless did not consider the social themes reflected in the group's music to be marketable to their audience.
After Eazy-E died of an AIDS related illness in 1995, Atban Klann reformed the group as '''Black Eyed Pods'''. Then, they became the '''Black Eyed Peas''', named so because - as will.i.am explained on the front cover of the Monkey Business album - 'Black Eyed Peas are food for the soul'. They replaced their original third member with Taboo (Born: Jaime Gomez), and having Kim Hill as a steady background singer. Unlike many hip-hop acts, they chose to perform with a live band and adopted a musical and clothing style that differed wildly from the "Gangsta Rap" sounds of other Los Angeles-based hip-hop acts at the time. Through the mid-'90s, they performed in the local club circuit alongside fellow acts such as Ozomatli and Jurassic 5. After being signed to Interscope Records and releasing their debut, ''Behind the Front'' (1998, 1998 in music) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim. The single from the album was "Joints and Jam", and was featured on the ''Bulworth'' soundtrack. Their second album was 2000's ''Bridging the Gap'' (2000 in music), which had the hit "Request + Line" featuring Macy Gray.
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Elephunk'' album cover
Their breakout album, ''
Elephunk'', was released in 2003. It was the group's first album to feature the vocals of Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, previously a cast member of ''Kids Incorporated'' and a member of teen pop band Wild Orchid. She is the replacement of background singer Kim Hill, who departed the band during 2000. Though Hill was a backup vocalist, Fergie is recognized as a member of the group and is widely believed to be responsible for the Black Eyed Peas's commercial success.
From ''
Elephunk'' came the anti-war anthem "Where is the Love?" (possible protest against the Iraq war which began the same year the song was released. in 2003) featuring an uncredited
