In watching the sexy, fleshy video for the Black Eyed Peas’ party anthem “I Gotta Feeling,” there’s no question who the stars are.
Girls in short skirts jump on beds. Amped-up teenagers make out in showers. Gals in high heels fall on cement sidewalks, laughing.
The Peas bring on the wild party, and this show’s ringleaders are — undoubtedly — will.i.am and Fergie.
When the pop group plays the Pepsi Center on Saturday, it will be will.i.am, a.k.a. William Adams, and Fergie, a.k.a. Stacy Ferguson, leading the show. Not only do the two stars handle most of the vocals and production duties, but their face time in the group’s music videos dwarfs that of supporting members, who go by the names Taboo and apl.de.ap.
That said, who is the Peas’ brightest shining star? Adams is surely the brains of the outfit, the charismatic leader, the technically savvy producer. But Fergie is the beautiful face of the group, the alluring voice behind its hooks, the late addition that helped take this group multiplatinum.
First, a little history: Adams co-founded the group with apl.de.ap and Taboo in 1995. The all-male trio released two records on Interscope, creating buzz in indie hip-hop communities but failing to sell many records.
In 2002, some financially smart changes were made. One involved an overhaul of the group’s sound, shifting weight from the foot they had planted in hip-hop to the foot they wanted to plant in the world of big-production pop. The other involved a personnel change: the addition of a woman, Fergie.
And that made all the difference. Suddenly this newly reconfigured pop band went twice platinum with its first Fergiefied record, “Elephunk.” The three-times platinum record “Monkey Business” followed — on the strength of the catchy, if incredibly dumb, Fergie-led single “My Humps.” And now the group is touring the platinum “The E.N.D.,” a surprisingly highly regarded pop album from 2009.
So who’s more central to the Peas’ success?
Let’s talk about Adams, whose profile has been raised significantly in the past few years. Not only is he the group’s most prominent producer, but he has also become the de facto spokesperson for the band and, in a way, today’s generation of youth.
When Adams spearheaded the pro-Obama “Yes We Can” video in February 2008, he emerged as one of the more influential pop culture voices in that year’s presidential election. It helped that he and the group released “The E.N.D.” the following year, cementing his status as a hitmaker as “I Gotta Feeling” and “Boom Boom Pow” became massive, year-defining smashes on radio and iTunes charts.
But as the group’s principal songwriter, Adams also has to own up to some of the larger, more undeniable criticisms of the group — primarily the dumbing down of its lyrical content. We could run any number of Peas lyrics here to prove our point, but you’ve heard the songs on the radio. “My Humps.” “Let’s Get It Started.” “I Gotta Feeling.” They’re hardly what you’d call insightful.
Sure, the Peas are still all about positivity, and they have been from the start. But anymore, the stupidity outweighs the good vibes in their music.
How much of that falls on Fergie? She’s certainly a part of it, especially since so much of her job description seems to be the objectified object. But eye candy is nothing new to pop music, and you can’t deny the former “Kids Incorporated” star’s impact on the group.
Pre-Fergie, the Peas were a backpacker favorite. Post- Fergie, the Peas are a household name.
She’s more than just a pretty face, and her vocals are sultry and fun. Not only does she add a confident, feminine presence to an aggressive, masculine environment, but she also has developed a charisma that is all her own.
It helps that Fergie has escaped the Peas’ umbrella a little, including her 2006 solo debut, “The Dutchess,” and her critically lauded, if minor, big-screen role in Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” half of “Grindhouse.”
Some of her solo singles were co-written by Adams, including “Fergalicious.” But others came from outside of her group, including hits “London Bridge” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” It should be mentioned that Adams was the record’s executive producer, so it wasn’t a completely adventurous outing.
You might say the Black Eyed Peas are where they are today because of the unusual chemistry of Adams and Fergie — and, to a lesser degree, their colleagues. Adams needs Fergie and vice versa, and thanks to their diligent, if slightly stupid, work, America now needs the Black Eyed Peas.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com; Twitter @RVRB
Teamwork a must in Black Eyed Peas’ “factory of music”
The Black Eyed Peas appear to be a modern-day democratic marvel.
In an age when multiplatinum acts can’t manage their personalities and check their egos, the Peas have found a way to get along for more than 12 years, according to group member Taboo.
“I’m not into fame and ego,” Taboo said this week from a tour stop in Kansas City, Mo. “I know what I bring to the table as a team player. And if there are megasuperstars on the team, I’m there for support. If I got Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on the team, I don’t mind being Dennis Rodman. It’s a championship team, and I didn’t get into this game to become a superstar/famous guy who can’t walk down the street with my family.”
Of course Taboo’s Jordan and Pippin are will.i.am and Fergie, the Peas’ lead producer/vocalist and sexpot/singer. And while the group works as a team in the studio, will.i.am has always been the group’s leader.
“Will has always been a leader, ever since Atban Klann, before Black Eyed Peas,” Taboo said of will.i.am’s previous group. “Will has always been the pioneer of creating new music, the visionary, and he’s a great leader. We all have our roles, but Will has always guided the ship, and we respect his ideas and his leadership role.”
Taboo describes the Peas’ recording sessions like an elaborate game of musical chairs.
“It’s a factory of music,” he said. “We went to London to record ‘The E.N.D.’ because Fergie was filming the movie ‘Nine’ there. So we rented out two studios near there. I would write something in one. Will would work a beat in the other. We’d be in and out of rooms, and it’s constant productivity. We’d work on five things at a time.
“It’s very hands-on as far as the four of us having equal share in the process.” Ricardo Baca
The Black Eyed Peas
Pop. Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle. Featuring Ludacris and LMFAO Saturday 7:30 p.m. $25.50-$79.50 TicketHorse outlets, , 866-461-6556
