will.i.am

Although he achieved stardom with the Black Eyed Peas and continues to lead that Grammy-winning, chart-topping pop-rap group, will.i.am has built an extensive parallel body of work as a solo artist and in-demand producer that is remarkable on its own. As he does in a group context, the Los Angeles native applies to his varied concurrent efforts a positive, fun-loving outlook and a deep multi-cultural background in hip-hop, classic and contemporary Latin styles, and club music ranging from disco to rave to EDM. Lost Change (2001) and Must B 21 (2003), his first two solo albums, affirmed his hip-hop credentials with support from the revered U.K. label BBE. On the heels of Black Eyed Peas’ mainstream emergence and his immense success as a producer for Pussycat Dolls, Sérgio Mendes, and bandmate Fergie, will.i.am cracked the Top 40 on his own with “I Got It from My Mama,” the lead single from his major-label solo debut, Songs About Girls (2007). BEP delivered two more Top Ten albums that led to will.i.am’s equally successful #willpower (2013), an even bolder fourth solo LP driven by the number three pop hit “Scream & Shout,” featuring Britney Spears. Since then, will.i.am has been behind three additional BEP albums while juggling other collaborations and solo recordings like the Lil Wayne-assisted “The Formula” (2023). Outside recording studios and offstage, will.i.am has also done extensive voice and acting work, and has served a long tenure as a coach and mentor on The Voice UK and related series. William James Adams, Jr., known as Willonex and Will 1X before he took the name will.i.am, was raised by his mother in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, his birth city. He made his first recorded appearance in 1992 as a member of Atban Klann on Eazy-E’s 5150 Home 4 tha Sick EP. Signed to Eazy’s Ruthless Records, the teenaged Klann — consisting of Willonex, Aplldeap, Mooky Mook, and DJ Motiv8 — recorded the full-length Grass Roots and raised anticipation with a promotional 12” single and video for the track “Puddles of H2O.” An April 1995 street date was scheduled, but the LP was shelved after Eazy’s death the previous month. By then, will.i.am had already branched out with a featured appearance on a track by Ruthless act Blood of Abraham, and in 1996, he was credited with production, writing, and a featured role on One Stop Carnival, the debut from Beverly Hills, 90210 star Brian Austin Green. Between those releases, will.i.am, Aplldeap (aka Apl.de.Ap), and Taboo formed Black Eyed Peas — the group’s name having first appeared on “Puddles of H2O” B-side “Let Me Get Down” (“produced by Motiv8 and Willonex for Black Eye Peas”). BEP made considerable headway with Behind the Front (1998) and Bridging the Gap, their first two albums, after which will.i.am released the solo project Lost Change for the independent U.K. label BBE. A production showcase with appearances from the likes of Planet Asia and Terry Dexter supplementing will.i.am’s verses, the 2001 release was part of BBE’s Beat Generation series. Arriving after volumes from Jay Dee (aka J Dilla) and Pete Rock, and preceding others from Marley Marl and DJ Jazzy Jeff, the set placed will.i.am in venerated company. In 2003, the year Black Eyed Peas went supernova with the more pop-oriented Elephunk — the group’s first in a string of multi-platinum albums with new addition Fergie — will.i.am released his second volume for BBE’s Beat Generation series, Must B 21 (Soundtrack to Get Things Started). Unlike Lost Change, Must B 21 was packed with high-profile guests like MC Lyte, KRS-One, and Phife, as well as Taboo, Fergie, and Dante Santiago, another former Atban Klann member. As Black Eyed Peas continued their ascent, will.i.am took on more outside projects, most significantly co-writing and co-producing the Pussycat Dolls’ Top 20 pop hit “Beep” (2005), the entirety of Sérgio Mendes’ Latin Grammy-nominated Timeless (2006), and the majority of Fergie’s multi-platinum solo album The Dutchess (also 2006). His collaborative output was still multiplying as he issued his third album, Songs About Girls, in 2007. More commercially minded than his previous solo efforts, Songs About Girls was released through Interscope, his group’s home label. It entered the Billboard 200 at number 38 with a boost from its lead single, the Top 40 pop hit “I Got It from My Mama.” Concurrent with Black Eyed Peas activity, will.i.am repeatedly scored hits as a lead and featured artist over the next few years. In 2008, his update of Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney’s “The Girl Is Mine,” followed by the Cheryl Cole collaboration “Heartbreaker” (off Songs About Girls), were big in the U.K., peaking respectively at number 32 and number four. Across 2010 and 2011, will.i.am scored his second and third solo U.S. Top 40 singles: “Check It Out” (joined by Nicki Minaj) and “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)” (with Jennifer Lopez and Mick Jagger). will.i.am’s fourth solo LP was in the process of development all the while. Preview singles including the number one U.K. pop hit “This Is Love” (featuring Eva Simons) and the number three U.S. hit “Scream & Shout” (co-starring Britney Spears) led to the 2013 release of #willpower. will’s most commercially successful solo album landed at number nine on the Billboard 200 with the Justin Bieber-assisted “#thatPower” among four additional charting singles that extended its life. will topped the U.K. chart again when he teamed with Cody Wise for the non-album 2014 single “It’s My Birthday.” Pia Mia joined will.i.am two years later for “Boys & Girls,” a number 21 U.K. hit. will was featured on additional Top 40 U.S. showings from Kesha (“Crazy Kids”) and Jimmy Fallon (“Ew!“) during these years. He focused primarily on Black Eyed Peas from the late 2010s into the 2020s, during which his extracurricular output included featured appearances on numerous tracks and his own “The Formula,” assisted by Lil Wayne. ~ Andy Kellman