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Black Eyed Peas facts for kids

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The Black Eyed Peas
BEP 2001.jpg
from left to right: will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo in 2001
Background information
Also known as B.E.P.
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Years active 1995-present
Labels
Associated acts
Members
Past members

The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. Over the years their music has included R&B and dance music. The group has three members: Will.i.am, Apl.de.ap, Taboo.

Music career

Although the group was founded in Los Angeles in 1995, it was not until the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003 that they achieved high record sales. Originally an alternative hip hop group, they subsequently refashioned themselves as a more marketable pop-rap act. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hill in 2002.

The Black Eyed Peas' first major hit was the 2003 single "Where Is the Love?" from Elephunk, which topped the charts in 13 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it spent seven weeks at number one and went on to become Britain's biggest-selling single of 2003. Their fourth album, Monkey Business, was an even bigger worldwide success, and became certified 3× Platinum in the United States. In 2009, the group became one of only 11 artists to have simultaneously held the number-one and number-two spots on the Billboard Hot 100, with their singles "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling", which topped the chart for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks.

The album The E.N.D. produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with "Imma Be", making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album, before being followed with "Rock That Body" and "Meet Me Halfway", which peaked in the top 10 of the Hot 100. "I Gotta Feeling" became the first single to sell more than one million downloads in the United Kingdom. At the 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony, held in January 2010, they won three awards out of six nominations. In November 2010, they released the album The Beginning. In February 2011, they performed in the Super Bowl XLV halftime show. Shortly after, the group announced they would be going on indefinite hiatus to pursue other activities, eventually reuniting in 2015.

In 2018, Fergie was announced to have left the group after making sporadic appearances with them since their return in 2015. That year, she was subsequently replaced by J. Rey Soul for touring, who also appeared as a featured artist on select tracks on the group's seventh album, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1. They released their eighth album, Translation, in June 2020 and their ninth, Elevation in November 2022.

The Black Eyed Peas have sold an estimated 80 million records, making them one of the best-selling groups of all time. They were ranked 12th on Billboard's 2000s Decade-End Artist of the Decade Chart, and 7th on the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade.

Members

Current

  • Will.i.am – vocals, piano, synthesizer, bass (1995–2011; 2015–present)
  • Apl.de.ap – vocals, drums (1995–2011; 2015–present)
  • Taboo – vocals, DJ, guitar (1995–2011; 2015–present)

Former

  • Kim Hill – vocals (1995–2000)
  • Fergie – vocals (2002–2011; 2015–2018)

Touring

  • J. Rey Soul – vocals (2018–present)

Discography

The E.N.D. Tour
The Black Eyed Peas on The E.N.D Tour in tour at Madison Square Garden, 2009

Studio albums

  • Behind the Front (1998)
  • Bridging the Gap (2000)
  • Elephunk (2003)
  • Monkey Business (2005)
  • The E.N.D. (2009)
  • The Beginning (2010)
  • Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 (2018)
  • Translation (2020)
  • Elevation (2022)

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Black Eyed Peas para niños

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