Sorry if this has been posted before. I tried searching in this forum first before posting but apparently the search feature is currently unavailable. Any way, found this little tidbit from my local paper.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi...ertainment

Los Angeles -- The house that Will built, the creative command post for will.i.am Adams, catalyst behind the massively popular if polarizing pop-rap outfit the Black Eyed Peas, is a dilapidated brown building wedged between the Los Angeles River and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, just east of the interstate.

The drab stucco structure has no signage -- and no signs of pop celebrity, either.

But this is, in fact, where that obnoxious Black Eyed Peas hit "My Humps" was recorded. Adams' nascent I.Am Clothing company is based here, too, as are the art department for his Will.I.Am Music Group label and his collection of vintage keyboards.

Apparently, the building's exterior is skeezy and unremarkable by design, to avoid advertising its As-Seen-on-MTV occupants. Inside, it's all state-of-the-art recording equipment, platinum certification plaques, freshly painted walls and stylish Asian design accents.

The Black Eyed Peas were slagged and written off by suspicious hip-hop fans on the basis of their foray into the land of crossover commercial success and commercial sponsorship. "Saturday Night Live" mocked them for their commercial ubiquity, and All Music Guide referred to their 2005 album, "Monkey Business," as a "deflated sellout."

Suddenly, though, at 31, rapper-producer-songwriter-remixer-arranger-keyboardist-drummer-dancer-clothing designer-label executive-product pitchman Adams is being recognized as one of the industry's more potent creative forces. His swelling resume includes collaborations with Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Carlos Santana, the Rolling Stones, Justin Timberlake, the Pussycat Dolls and Sergio Mendes.

As the Peas continue to move units -- the group's latest big hit is the Dick Dale-sampling "Pump It" -- major hip-hop stars are lining up for Adams' production and remix services, including Sean "Diddy" Combs, Nas, Too Short and Snoop Dogg. New York rapper Busta Rhymes, whose profanely titled new single was produced by Adams, calls him one of the greatest hit makers of "our time and our generation."

Even Elliott Wilson, editor in chief of rap journal XXL, is becoming a believer. "I've always been adamant about my hate for the Black Eyed Peas," he says, "but I like will.i.am. He's a really talented musician and a real student of hip-hop. ... You need to lump him in with the Pharrells and Kanyes -- the smart nerds of hip-hop who are really pushing the envelope."

When Adams surfaces, he can't seem to stop yawning. (Then again, it is the day after the 2006 Grammys, where the Peas won an award for the single "Don't Phunk With My Heart.")

"Sorry," he says, his voice reedy and raspy. "I was at Prince's house all night -- until, like, 8. We were talking about life. He's deep."
Another yawn.

But he's quickly awakened by his buzzing BlackBerry. His eyes pop open as he stares at an incoming e-mail message.

"WOW!" he shrieks. "Mick Jagger!"

No.

"Yes! I swear!"

Adams proffers the screen, and sure enough, there's a congratulatory note from Jagger.

"Dang," Adams says, "how crazy is that? I'm getting e-mails from Mick Jagger? Like: Yeah, right. Whatever dude. It doesn't seem real. I tell my mom about stuff like this, and she's like, really?"

Adams grew up in East L.A., raised by his schoolteacher mother, Debra Cain. "I have an older brother, a younger sister, a little brother," he says. "Plus, my mom adopted two girls, and she now has custody of two more boys. She did it all by herself. No husband, no dude, no nothing. She's supermama, dude."

Enrolled in a magnet program, Adams was bused to schools in affluent neighborhoods. "It was a great opportunity for kids in the projects to get a better education."

In high school, he joined a break-dancing crew that included a Filipino American b-boy, Allen Pineda. Adams, Pineda and break-dancer Jamie Gomez eventually formed the Black Eyed Peas, a multiracial group specializing in funky, positive-vibes rap with a social conscience. The trio's success on the underground Southern California rap circuit led to a deal with Interscope Records.

Despite critical acclaim, their first two albums, 1998's "Behind the Front" and 2000's "Bridging the Gap," didn't resonate with consumers in the gangsta-obsessed U.S. marketplace, and they considered disbanding.

Enter Stacy Ferguson -- and controversy.

The fair-skinned pop vocalist known as Fergie added an alluring new dimension. With 2003's "Elephunk," the Peas were suddenly selling millions of records on the strength of hits "Where Is the Love?" and the Grammy-winning "Let's Get It Started." They landed multiple sponsorship deals: the first iPod commercial, a Best Buy promotion and the NBA Finals campaign.

Last year's "Monkey Business" produced a top-selling download in the much-derided single "My Humps," which became the first cell phone ring tone to surpass the 2 million sales mark.

Adams turns defensive when the subject of his critics comes up.

They're fickle, he says, but at least they're paying attention.

"When people ain't sayin' nothing, you ain't doin' nothing. It was like we'd been making food for chefs with our first two records, dude. The last two, we were still making food for chefs -- but it just so happened that other people ate it, too, and liked it. And the chefs were like: 'Man, you sold out! You put extra spice in it! You didn't used to use sugar.' "

Adams says he'll eventually get around to a solo album. First, though, he has to finish projects with Nas, Diddy, Macy Gray and Timberlake, and work on new material with Legend, and there's a Fergie solo album on the way. Then there's crunk-soul diva Ciara, with whom Adams is meeting next.

"She wants to talk about having me work on her album," he says, then yawns. He ambles out of the plain brown building and hops into a sleek silver Mercedes V8 Kompressor.

Think Ciara would be coming to this grungy corner near I-5? No. Way. The summit is at a swanky hotel in Beverly Hills

Yup, Prince is deep-- deeply religious, perhaps??

rogue588 thinks will.i.am is overrated.

Black Eyed Peas = shameless sellouts.

garbage !

Rogue588 said:

I agree...this cat is vastly overrated....I heard him on a song
with Erika Baduh and Sergio Mendes...total hot garbage.

unremarkable said:

Maybe,but have U ever heard Joints & Jams from theur first album??
Great stuff!!
And I do like some of his work with Sergio Mendes.

First album fine.

It's when they weren't selling enough, and hired a sexy white female lead singer, and started making pop, that I thought... tossers.

I have will i am's solo cd from a about 5 years ago. It's slammin', but I never checked out The Black Eyed Peas CDs.

Revolution said:

I totally agree! I don't know why so many people are hyping this guy. He may have some talent, but the shit he does with the BEP is "hot garbage" and doesn't interest me in the least.

DavidSF said:

Will.I.Am thinks the puddle he stepped in this morning is deep.

I thought the point of this thread was that "Prince is Deep".

So deep there's not enough time to peel the onion.

u2.pr.nce thinks will.i.am. is a dumb ass name.

Can someone tell me why the fuck Prince hangs out with these no marks? Weren't Mel B and Tony Rich enough?

I don't think Prince is all that deep.