apl.de.ap facts for kids

apl.de.ap
apl.de.ap in 2011
Born	Allan Pineda Lindo (1974-11-28) November 28, 1974 (age 50) Angeles City, Philippines
Citizenship	Philippines United States
Occupation	Rapper, singer, record producer
Years active	1988–present
Television	The Voice of the Philippines
Musical career
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop alternative hip hop hip house electro
Labels	BMBX Entertainment

Allan Pineda Lindo (born November 28, 1974), known as apl.de.ap, is a famous Filipino-American rapper, singer, and music producer. He is one of the original members of the popular hip hop group Black Eyed Peas. With the Black Eyed Peas, he has been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards and won 6 of them.

Early Life and Moving to the U.S.

Allan Pineda Lindo was born in Angeles City, Philippines. His father, an American airman, left the family when Allan was very young. His Filipino mother, Cristina Pineda, raised him and his six younger brothers and sisters by herself. As a child, Allan helped his family by farming sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane, and rice. He also traveled an hour each way to school by jeepney.

An organization called the Pearl S. Buck Foundation helped Allan. They connected him with a sponsor named Joe Ben Hudgens, a lawyer, through a program that cost a dollar a day.

When he was eleven, Allan first came to the United States for medical treatment. He had a condition called nystagmus, which causes involuntary eye movements. After visiting Disneyland, Allan wanted to stay in the U.S. Three years later, when he was fourteen, Hudgens officially adopted him, and Allan moved to live with them permanently.

In Los Angeles, Allan went to John Marshall High School. There, he met and became friends with William Adams, who is known as will.i.am. Will.i.am was the nephew of Hudgens' roommate. Allan's early music influences included artists like Stevie Wonder and groups like The Beatles. He also loved Filipino rock music. Allan learned about hip hop through break dancing. He said he would travel to Angeles City to watch kids break-dance and wanted to try it himself.

In 2011, Allan shared that he is legally blind in both eyes because of his nystagmus. He has had this condition his whole life. His vision was improved with surgery in 2012.

Musical Journey

Forming The Black Eyed Peas

The story of the Black Eyed Peas began in 1988. Will.i.am and apl.de.ap met in eighth grade and started rapping and performing together in Los Angeles. In 1992, they signed with Ruthless Records. They formed a trio called Atban Klann with their friend Dante Santiago. Their first album, Grass Roots, was never released because the record label's founder, Eazy-E, passed away.

The Black Eyed Peas performing in Paris.

After Eazy-E's death in 1995, Atban Klann changed their name to Black Eyed Pods, and then to Black Eyed Peas. Taboo joined the group, and Kim Hill became a regular background singer. Unlike many hip hop groups at the time, they performed with a live band and had a unique musical and clothing style. They signed with Interscope Records and released their first album, Behind the Front, in 1998. This album was praised by critics. Their second album, Bridging the Gap, came out in 2000 and featured the song "Request + Line" with Macy Gray.

Elephunk and Monkey Business Success

In 2001, the group started working on their third album, Elephunk, which was released in 2003. At first, only will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo were going to be on the album. While making the song "Shut Up", they realized they needed a female singer. Fergie was introduced to will.i.am, and he was very impressed with her voice. She quickly became a permanent member of the Black Eyed Peas.

Elephunk became a huge success. It sold over 8.5 million copies worldwide. The songs "Where Is the Love?" and "Shut Up" both reached number 1 on the music charts. "Hey Mama" was used in many advertisements, including for Apple and iTunes. The group even remixed some of their songs and created new ones for the 2004 video game The Urbz, where they also appeared as characters.

In 2003, they began working on their fourth album, Monkey Business, which came out in 2005. This album also sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The album earned the group four Grammy Award nominations in 2006, and they won a Grammy for "Don't Phunk with My Heart." After the success of Monkey Business, the band decided to take a break to work on their own projects.

Continuing with The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas performing in 2009.

The Black Eyed Peas released their fifth album, The E.N.D. (which stands for "The Energy Never Dies"), on June 9, 2009. This album had a more electronic hip hop sound. It sold 304,000 copies in its first week and became number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The E.N.D. was one of the best-selling albums of 2009 in the U.S.

In 2009, the group made history by having two songs, "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling", at number 1 and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. These three songs stayed at the top of the charts for 30 weeks in a row! "I Gotta Feeling" was also the first song to be downloaded over 1 million times in the United Kingdom.

In November 2010, they released another album called The Beginning. The first song from this album, "The Time (Dirty Bit)", was a hit in many countries. In February 2011, the group performed at the Super Bowl XLV halftime show. The band announced in July 2011 that they were taking a break, but they said they were not breaking up.

Solo Work and New Projects

The Black Eyed Peas in 2011.

On October 11, 2011, apl.de.ap started a new campaign called "We Can Be Anything." This campaign encourages children in the Philippines and around the world to stay in school. He worked with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF) to help build 10,000 classrooms. His bandmates supported the campaign at a Black Eyed Peas concert.

In 2013, apl.de.ap became one of the four coaches for the first season of The Voice of the Philippines. He also released new songs like "Balikbayan" and "Going Out." In 2015, he released "Be," featuring Honey ... and Jessica Reynoso. He also returned as a coach for the second season of The Voice of the Philippines and for The Voice Teens.

Apl.de.ap also worked with Filipino composer Ryan Cayabyab for his performance at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines. The Black Eyed Peas also performed at the closing ceremony.

Other Activities

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

Apl.de.ap has been recognized for his charity work in America by the This Time Foundation.

In 2008, he started the Apl Foundation to help communities and children in the Philippines and other parts of Asia. In 2011, his foundation partnered with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF) to create the "We Can Be Anything" campaign. Through this effort, they planned to build 10,000 classrooms in two years or less.

Being a Coach on The Voice of the Philippines

In 2012, apl.de.ap mentioned that he wanted to start his own talent show in the Philippines. This led to rumors that he would join The Voice of the Philippines as a coach.

On March 1, 2013, it was confirmed that he would be the fourth and final coach for the show. He was encouraged by will.i.am, who was also a coach on The Voice UK. Apl.de.ap said he would be honest with his artists and give them helpful advice. He also wanted to share his experiences in the music industry and how hard it is to achieve your dreams.

BMBX Entertainment

In 2014, apl.de.ap started his own record label called BMBX Entertainment. The name comes from 'boombox'. His goal is to sign artists from Southeast Asia and help them create music with a Western style by working with musicians in Los Angeles. The label finds talent from the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Personal Life

Besides speaking English, Allan Pineda Lindo is also fluent in two Philippine languages: Tagalog and Kapampangan.

Discography

Songs as a Lead Artist

Songs with Other Artists

Awards

• 2008 – Special Citation – Myx Music Awards
• 2010 – Best Hip-Hop/Rap Performance: Take Me to the Philippines – Filipino-American Vocal Arts Society Online Music Awards
• 2012 GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards - Global Achievement by a Filipino Artist

Images for kids

• 

  apl.de.ap in 2011

See also

In Spanish: Apl.de.ap para niños