Mainly known as one of the founders of The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am made a name for himself as solo artist and producer.
will.i.am Biography
Mainly known as one of the founders of The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am made a name for himself as a producer and solo artist.
Early Beginnings
William J. Adams was born on March the 15th, 1975, in L.A., California. Growing in the housing projects without a father, his mother struggled to find ends meet. He found solace in music and dance. Together with his friend, apl.de.ap, they formed a rap group called “Altban Klann”.
Formation of The Black Eyed Peas
They were discovered by rapper Eazy-E, who later signed them to his Ruthless Records label in 1992. Known as “Will 1X” at the time, Will and his bandmates decided to change their name to Black Eyed Peas after Eazy-E’s death. Taboo joined the group and they released the debut album “Behind the Front” and the second album “Bridging the Gap” under Interscope Records. While working on their next album, they realized that a female voice was missing, and finally, Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) joined as a permanent member. “Elephunk” was released in 2003 under the name “The Black Eyed Peas” and the song “Where Is the Love” had gained national wide success. Acting as the leader, producer, and songwriter of the group, the band released a certified platinum album “Monkey Bussines” in 2003, “The E.N.D.” in 2009 and “The Beginning” in 2010. The following hits were released “I Gotta Feeling,” “Boom Boom Pow” and “Let’s Get It Started.” In total, the group had sold 31 million albums worldwide and earned 3 Grammy Awards by 2013.
Solo Career
Having already established his place in the music industry with the foursome, along with previously released solo content, he went on working as a producer for several artists including Fergie, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson. In 2007, he released his own material “Songs About Girls”. Starting 2008 he revealed a political album featuring various artists, in support of Barrack Obama’s presidential campaign and eventual victory. His fourth studio “#willpower” was released in 2013 with several collaborations such as Justin Bieber “#ThatPOWER” and with Britney Spears “Scream & Shout”.
Other Ventures and Activism
He was part of several TV talent shows such as “American Idol”, “The X Factor” and joined as judge/coach on “The Voice UK” (2012-2014) and The Voice Australia in 2014. He launched a clothing line, EKOCYCLE, which used recycled bottles and was director of creative innovation at Intel. In order to support the importance of education, Will has been in charge of the I.Am.Angel Foundation and the I.Am.Steam initiative.
Photo credit: Will.i.am
