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Black Eyed Peas music biography continued...

members are will.i.am. (William Adams), apl.de.ap. (Allen Pineda), Taboo, and Fergie.

The Black Eyed Peas' first members, will.i.am and apl.de.ap, met in Los Angeles in 1989 and began performing together. The two rappers and friend Dante Santiago eventually signed with Ruthless Records under the name Atban Klann, an acronym for A Tribe Beyond A Nation. Ruthless Records never released their debut album as they considered the material too positive for targeted audiences.

In 1995, the group replaced Santiago with Taboo (Jaime Gomez) and welcomed Kim Hill as a background singer. Along with the new member additions, came the new group name Black Eyed Peas. Member will.i.am explains the reasoning behind the name, "Black Eyed Peas are food for the soul". Unlike the Gangsta Rap groups penetrating the American market during the mid-90s, the hip hop group differentiated themselves by performing with a live band, and focusing on their original musical sound and clothing style. BEP eventually signed with Interscope Records and released their debut album Behind the Front in 1998. "Joints and Jam" was their first hit single which was also featured on the Bullworth soundtrack.
Their second album, Bridging the Gap, was released in 2000 and featured many guest appearances such as Jurassic 5's Chali 2na, De La Soul, and Macy Gray. A notable hot single from Bridging the Gap is the song "Request + Line" featuring Macy Gray.
The year 2003 marked the major breakout of Black Eyed Peas. The group's fourth album, Elephunk, reached the Top 40 with its three smash singles "Where is the Love" featuring pop icon Justin Timberlake, "Shut Up", "Hey Mama", and "Let's Get It Started". Elephunk also featured new member Fergie, Kim Hill's replacement. Elephunk attained Double Platinum status by the RIAA.
The group's fifth album, Monkey Business, was released on June 7, 2005.
The first hit single, "Don't Phunk with My Heart" skyrocketed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned BEP a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by A Duo or Group. The second single "My Humps" also reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. This album also features an acoustic style collaboration, "Gone Going", with Jack Johnson. Monkey Business sold over 295 000 copies in its first week, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, and was eventually accredited Triple Platinum by the RIAA.
Through their positive messages and socially conscious presence, the Black Eyed Peas have used their fame to aid suffering children around the world by establishing the Pea Pod Foundation in 2006.