We have all grown up jamming to The Black Eyed Peas. Haven’t we?
From ‘Pump It’ to ‘I Gotta Feeling’ to ‘Don’t Stop The Party,’ no party or celebration was complete without blasting your speakers off to their music.
In a time and era where gangster rap dominated the music industry, The Black Eyed Peas were like a breath of fresh air with their contemporary r&b and hip-hop mixed music style. The band has successfully sold more than 75 million records and won 6 Grammy Awards in the past.
Despite the immense success, The Black Eyed Peas have been on a hiatus for the past couple of years, and their fans have been eagerly waiting to feed their soul with some Black Eyed Peas magic. Now the question on everyone’s mind is: What happened to The Black Eyed Peas?
Keep reading further as we draw the curtains and reveal what The Black Eyed Peas have been up to.
2013 – will.i.am Releases His Solo Album #WillPower
After enjoying a lucrative music journey with The Black Eyed Peas, the lead band member, will.i.am, went on to release his new solo album called #willpower in April 2013.
The album featured various hit songs and collaborations with some renowned artists like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Nicole Scherzinger, Skylar Grey, and Afrojack, to name a few. The album was an instant hit, making it to the Billboard Top 10 list and selling over 450,000 records.
2014 – Tragedy Hit the Band as Taboo got Diagnosed with Cancer
More popularly known by his stage name Taboo, Jaime Luis Gomez was a rapper songwriter in The Black Eyed Peas and is one of the band’s beloved members.
2014 was an emotional roller-coaster for Taboo and The Black Eyed Peas as he got diagnosed with testicular cancer. Fortunately, he immediately began his treatment, and things were not looking too critical for him at this stage. However, it was still a scary time for the band and their favorite member, Taboo.
Here is what Taboo said in an interview, “My life flashed before my eyes. I thought about my kids. I thought about my wife. Nothing prepares you for the shock of someone telling you, you have that horrible disease.”
2017 – Taboo Got Featured in the Rumble Documentary
Band member Taboo is of American Native and Mexican descent. Therefore, to pay an homage to his roots, he appeared in the special documentary, Rumble – The Indians Who Rocked The World.
The documentary featured various renowned Indian personalities and celebrated their contributions to the world. Taboo grew up in L.A., so this documentary also gave him an opportunity to learn more about his ancestors and culture.
2017 – Fergie Releases Her Second Solo Album Double Duchess
Following the footsteps of will.i.am, the band’s lady love, Fergie, released the follow-up of her first solo album titled ‘Double Duchess.’
Fergie released her first album, ‘The Dutchess’ back in 2006, and it received a phenomenal response worldwide. A decade later, Fergie was all set to surprise her fans with ‘Double Dutchess’ that featured a mix of r&b, hip-hop, etc.
Like will.i.am, Fergie also collaborated with some mainstream artists like Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and YG for ‘Double Dutchess.’
2018 – Fergie Disappoints Fans at NBA All-Star Game
After the release of ‘Double Dutchess,’ the Fergalicious girl was back in the news, but for all the wrong reasons this time.
In her performance at 2018’s NBA All-Star Game, Fergie sang a horrible rendition of the US national anthem, resulting in a lot of backlash in the news. On seeing the negative responses, Fergie was humble enough to accept her fault and apologized to the fans for not living up to their expectations.
2018 – Fergie Bids Farewell to The Black Eyed Peas
The ‘Glamorous’ girl Fergie made a media announcement in 2017 that she was shifting her focus to her solo career and spending more quality time with her baby. However, it was later revealed in 2018 that Fergie has officially stepped away from the band.
She wanted to focus on being a full-time momma and could not commit to the band like earlier, so she had taken a step back, leaving her fans in shambles.
Here is what Apl.de.ap said in an interview expressing his feelings about Fergie’s departure, “Fergie is our sister. So even with these small connections, she’s always going to be our sister. But unfortunately, our schedule is displaced by [her] wanting to be a great mom, and she wants to focus on that. And like Will said, we support her 100 percent.”
2019 – will.i.am joins The Voice UK as Judge
Fans were thrilled with the news when will.i.am announced that he would be joining The Voice UK as a judge.
Even though he was an established musician in the industry, will.i.am was particularly nervous about being a judge of the critically-acclaimed reality show. He even reached out to one of his friends for a few tips.
2020 – The Black Eyed Peas Strikes Back at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards
Following a long hiatus, The Black Eyed Peas were finally back to surprise their fans with an incredible performance at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.
They hit the stage with the ever-green party track, ‘I Gotta Feeling’ but with a surprising twist this time. After Fergie’s departure from the band, The Black Eyed Peas made an entrance with her replacement, and here’s what we know about her.
Rey Soul is a singer-songwriter from The Voice Philippines. However, this isn’t the first time that J. Rey performed with the band. She was also part of their 2018 project Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 and got the opportunity to go on a world tour with The Black Eyed Peas.
In addition to this, J. Rey Soul has majorly contributed to translating the band’s Latin-inspired album. You can also find Miss Soul performing on virtual gigs like the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular and The Late Late Show With James Corden.
With an outstanding performance at MTV Awards, fans are looking forward to seeing more of The Black Eyed Peas and how J. Rey will add her magical touch to the band. After all, filling in Fergie’s shoes is no easy task!
2020 – The Stars Not In Favor for will.i.am
As mentioned earlier, will.i.am was kind of nervous about being a judge at The Voice, and now we know why.
Unfortunately, he was again in the spotlight for a massive blunder he made in one of the episodes of the reality show, The Voice. Twitter fans were spiteful when they found out that will.i.am misquoted a song’s artist name and gave the credit to someone else. The internet shows you no mercy, and this time poor will.i.am fell victim to it.
Final Wrap Up – What’s Next for The Black Eyed Peas?
Following the 2020 MTV Music Awards performance, fans are eager to see what plans are in store for The Black Eyed Peas. With Taboo successfully recovering from cancer and J. Rey Soul as Fergie’s replacement, it looks like the band is ready to be back in the music game.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for another iconic song from the maestros to get this party started.
Wishing you a good-good night! Stay tuned for more news, stories, and musical guides.
Eduardo Perez is a multi-instrumentalist with over 20 years of experience playing instruments such as piano, guitar, ukulele, and bass. Having arranged songs and produced music in a recording studio, he has a wealth of knowledge to share about analyzing songs, composing, and producing. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Musical Studies at Berklee College School of Music. Featured on Entrepreneur.com. Subscribe to his YouTube channel, or follow him on Instagram.