Hip-hop music has come a long way. Groups using this musical style have come and go. But perhaps, the one that has stayed longer in the music scene and has gained much international fame is none other than the Black Eyed Peas. Kudos to the guys ? willi.i.am (William Adams), apl.de.ap (Allan Pineda), Taboo and Fergie -- for doing a terrific job. Already with two Grammy Awards for their American hip-hop music and more than 20 million albums and singles sold, this group from Los Angeles, California, continue to reap their rewards around the world.



Black Eyed Peas? success can be attributed to the group's unique style. Their music focuses on socially-relevant issues which are very unlike the violent lyrics of the gangsta rap groups. They also incorporated dance into their style with the members having their own unique clothing as well. Now that's style and once you have it, you will never fade.

The Black Eyed Peas now have several chart-topping hits to their credit. Their very first major hit ?Where is the Love?? came from their Elephunk album released in 2003. It reached the 8th spot on the US Hot 100 and topped the charts in the UK where it stayed for six weeks and became the best-selling single in the same year. The song also topped the Australian music charts for six weeks. The Elephunk album produced their second hit ?Shut Up? which stayed at the second spot in the US and topped the charts in France, Germany and Australia. The third hit from the album was ?Hey Mama? which got featured in the first iPod Silhouette TV commercials. The album envetually went gold and platinum in the U.S., U.K., Germany and other European countries.

Black Eyed Peas earned its first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2005. Their song ?Let's Get It Started? was responsible for the award. Originally titled ?Let's Get Retarded,? the song was restyled to fit an NBA Finals commercial which was aired worldwide. The lyrics were changed to suit a basketball theme replacing the original's message on getting intoxicated and partying. As expected, the song attained tremendous success reaching the 21st spot on the US Hot 100, 11th spot in the U.K. and 2nd spot in Australia. Apart from the Grammy, ?Let's Get It Started? also led Black Eyed Peas to be featured in The Urbz: Sims in the City videogame where they played as characters. The game features their award-winning song and ?Shut Up.?

William Adams said their group's name Black Eyed Peas was influenced by the band that also used food for its name, Red Hot Chili Peppers. He added that black eyed peas are food for the soul and they want to be just like that to people who appreciate their hip-hop style of music. Adams and Allan Pineda a.k.a. Apl, who is proud of his Filipino background, have been together way back in 1988 when they were only starting out as rappers in L.A. Now, with two other members added to their group, they continue to make waves around the world with jampacked performances. And not only is the group making great music because unknown to many, Black Eyed Peas is also involved in a social program to help suffering children worldwide through its Pea Pod Foundation. Now this group truly has a heart and deserves all the success it has earned.