August 12, 2003 @ 8:47 am

Black Eyed Peas Are Bringing The 'Elephunk'

by: Quibian Salazar-Moreno

It’s been a few years since we’ve heard from the Cali collective, Black Eyed Peas, but with a new member and a hit song in tow, the group is looking for that Platinum plaque and the recognition they deserve. Their new album, Elephunk, is being led by the single “Where’s The Love,” which is getting major play on radio and video outlets nationwide

VIBE Online caught up with Taboo, and new group member, Fergie, while on tour with Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake to discuss the new album, their relationship, and their past. What does Elephunk mean? Fergie: Well, I think the obvious is that there's phat beats on it, number one. And also, an elephant is powerful without having to prove itself. It steps in the room and you feel its presence. That's what the album is like; it stands on its own. The album has been done for awhile now, but why did it take so long to come out? Taboo: Because we wanted to make it right. We started working on it right before September 11. We went up to Bodega Bay, which is up north and we did a couple of songs that were party songs but they really didn't do it for us. As soon as 9/11 happened, we scratched those songs and started doing a whole new batch of songs and then we did a third batch of songs, which was the finalization of Elephunk. We just wanted to make sure it was right, this is our third time coming and we wanted to give the audience something that was not rushed, something that was thought out properly as far as the business aspect goes and an album that would stand the test of time. So how did Fergie get down with the Peas? Fergie:We're all L.A. cats and I'm a hip-hop lover, always have been. I met them a long time ago, years ago at hip hop clubs around L.A. I bought tickets to see them perform, went to their show, loved it and met Will that night. We exchanged numbers and kept in loose contact and years later, when I was getting ready to start on my solo project, we started working together and he threw me down on a Black Eyed Peas joint, which was "Shut Up", and which is on the record. So everyone loved it and he started putting me on more stuff and I started really hanging out with them and getting close with the family. Then it just came to point where we were like, 'Let's go forward with this'. So you paid your dues early on with Kids Incorporated and the pop group, Wild Orchid. They seemed kind of sad that you left. Fergie: They're each a different part of my life and they were great experiences. I was with that group [Wild Orchid] for 11 years, and if that isn't being loyal, I don't know what is. I stayed in it as long as I could; I stayed in it, in fact, to a point where it was unhealthy for me. I was in a situation that I wasn't supposed to be in at the time, so I gave it a full run. So when I finally recovered and went through therapy, I realized that that was bothering and I wasn't supposed to be there anymore. It was time for me to go, it wasn't the right situation anymore. We grew older in our creative differences, we grew apart. Stuff that I wanted to do, more hip-hop stuff, they weren't feeling, which is ok, but it's just not the right situation when you try to force something. They wanted to do more pop, dance style and I wanted to do more R&B, more hip-hop and you know when it's three people and two people feel a certain way, then one person has to go along with the majority vote. Well, what happens is when you get in a situation like that, I was constantly feeling stifled, and it's not their fault, but it was destructive to me, personally. I wish them the best, I have nothing but good things to say about them and I hope they do well. How is it hanging with all these guys? Fergie: It's funny, because with this tour, there's nothing glamorous about it. They've seen me all hours of the night with and without makeup, it doesn't matter. They're my brothers and that's how it is. I'm learning so much from them though. It's like hip hop college on this tour. Whether we're playing a hip-hop game or watching documentaries of the Pharcyde, we're always constantly trying to better ourselves. They even got me freestyling in the back of the bus! The Peas paid their dues as the Atban Klan, and were actually signed to Ruthless Records for a minute. How was that experience? Taboo: We were signed in 1992. We did a record and it never came out. Eazy E passed away in 1995. Then we started Black Eyed Peas, as a reinvention, plus there was a clause in the Ruthless contract that we couldn't use the Atban Klan name again. What made you guys want to collaborate with Justin Timberlake on 'Where's The Love'? Taboo: It wasn't like, "Oh, we have to collaborate with Justin Timberlake", it's like why did Run-DMC and Aerosmith collaborate or why did Mariah Carey and Busta Rhymes collaborate? For us it was more of a personal thing, we met Justin at a club, just like we met Fergie, built a relationship with him and we just kept in contact. All of the sudden we had done 'Where's The Love', it was almost finished but we didn't have a hook. So I showed it to Justin, no matter if you're Justin Timberlake or M.O.P., if you're right for the songs, then you are right for the song. Justin came with some heat, he wrote a beautiful hook and that's the end of the story. So no matter who it is, either underground or popstar, to us it's not about that anymore, it's about who we work with as people and who we build relationships with. So the same can be said about Papa Roach then too? Taboo: Yeah, because we've been on tour with Papa Roach. See what you don't understand about Black Eyed Peas is we're not afraid to do it. You ever seen that Life commercial where the kid goes, "Give it to Mikey, he'll eat it!"? We're that type of group; we're open-minded and able to cross any genre. We can do a punk-rock tour, we can do a No Doubt tour, we can do a Justin/Christina tour, we can do a Macy Gray tour, and then come back and do an Outkast and Smokin' Grooves tour. We're just those type of cats that can come and rock any crowd. If you put us in front of a Garth Brooks crowd, we'll rock them! It goes beyond genres and it goes beyond musical styles, it's just the energy we present on stage is something that everyone can relate to. So what was the moment that you realized you had to make a song like 'Where's the Love'? Taboo: 9/11. As soon as 9/11 happened it was like, 'Man, are we gonna die?' We didn't know what to expect. As soon as 9/11 hit, the next day we had to start a tour. So we were contemplating on whether we should do the tour or not. We did it because we thought it would provide therapy for that hour that we were on stage. We could take people's minds away from airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center. So it was therapy within itself and I felt 'Where's The Love?' kind of explained how we were feeling at that time and what we needed to get across was the message of not what's going on in other countries, but what's going on here in the United States.