Give Peas a Chance...

[MikeHunt]

Friday, 13th February 2004

Give Peas a chance!

Kevin Bourke

HIP-HOP records may sell by the container-load but, for many people, the genre still has overtones of violence and thuggery.

Chart-topping Black Eyed Peas, who play at the Manchester Apollo next Thursday, see themselves as representing a different, non-confrontational school of hip-hop, as the spiritual and musical heirs of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.

Their manifesto, they say, is to "unite musical communities by serving up radio-friendly tunes'' while maintaining their hardcore integrity. "I think our stuff resembles the majority of hip hop out there in the world,'' argues the band's Will.I.Am.

"But we do try not to base ourselves on the mainstream stuff that's in the charts. Otherwise, we'd be talking about the same things. Bling and things, drinks, and things that stink. The audience now is smarter than they've ever been.

"Maybe 10 years ago, they were run-of-the-mill, but these kids today aren't the same. They've got it together.''

"I think we just talk about things we know. We're not gangsters, so how can we talk about that stuff?'' adds newest recruit, Fergie.

Will.I.Am and Apl.de.Ap first met in 1989 as 14-year-old students, and began performing around the Los Angeles district as Atban Klann.

An abortive recording contract with Ruthless Records left them wary but unbowed, and after recruiting Taboo in 1995 the newly-named Black Eyed Peas were finally rewarded with a major label deal with Interscope Records.

The trio's 1998 debut, Behind The Front, adopted the musical aesthetic of The Roots, with the three MCs rhyming in front of a live band that eschewed samples and scratching to create an organic, up-tempo groove.

Macy Gray

A certain up-and-coming soul singer named Macy Gray was featured on one track, and repeated the favour two years later on the trio's second album, Bridging The Gap.

Their third album, Elephunk, generated a surprise UK chart-topper last September, with Where Is The Love?, which featured that year's favourite former boy band singer, Justin Timberlake.

The Black Eyed Peas enjoyed a second UK hit in December when the follow-up, shut up reached No2.

"I met Justin in a nightclub, he was getting really drunk one night, and I told him to slow down,'' recalls Taboo.

"And he said 'Thanks for the advice, man. I need more advice.' (in the wake of BreastGate, by the way, that would seem more true than ever!) So we exchanged numbers and I started advising him about things.

"And I advised him about this song. Two days later, he came up with a hook for it. I showed Will the hook and we agreed it sounded great, and so we got it into the studio and the single was born.''

"I think Justin and ourselves appreciate a lot of the same things as far as hip hop is concerned. The same with dancing,'' imparts Will.

"We're probably the only hip hop group still dancing in circles. He's probably the only pop star who still likes that kind of dancing.

"You don't find Michael Jackson dancing like that. It takes guts to dance in those circles.''

Elephunk, the group's third album, was so named to conjure up a big, deep funk sound.

"This is a hip-hop record but we didn't go into this with hip-hop on our mind,'' says Will.I.Am.

"We were just thinking of good songs, good music. This group is just totally open to new ideas and directions{hellip}

"These last couple of years haven't been easy,'' he admits.

"Is it guilt? Stress? Uncertainty over what's going to happen in the next five years? Is it rap? Hip-hop? The fact that everyone is clubbin' and gun totin' and we're thought of as just some fashionable mother******s? It's a whole bunch of stuff going on.''

Black Eyed Peas are at the Manchester Apollo, Ardwick Green, next Thursday (Feb 19). 7.30pm. Please call 0870 060 1768 to confirm ticket availability.

[Deadguyale]

its good to see these guys in the spot light. positive hiphop is still alive n kickin'!

im glad its finally made its way back into the main stream.