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Ever since they were a fledgling group in the environs of
Los Angeles, The Black Eyed Peas have flaunted a passionate, energetic
hip-hop spirit people have always been drawn to. They've earned fans
worldwide with their inventive approach to hip-hop music, inspiring people
with loose rhymes, and a positive spirit and funkafied vibe. On Elephunk,
the group's third album, that spirit seems to course through their beings
even more than ever. The Black Eyed Peas will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and
newcomer Fergie named the album Elephunk to conjure up a big, deep funk
sound. Produced in its entirety by will.i.am and apl, the album boasts a
mix of live instruments and traditional hip-hop samples and beats. It also
mixes the group's breathless verbal acrobatics with a very conscious view
of the world. BEP's music has always been firmly entrenched in hip-hop but
also with an eye to other musical forms. Elephunk, more than previous
albums, seems to transcend the simple genre categorization, something
will.i.am admits was intentional, both lyrically and musically. "This is a
hip-hop record but we didn't go into this with hip-hop on our mind," says
will.i.am. "We were just thinking of good songs, good music. We didn't
want to say anything typical, like 'My style is this, and my rhymes are
like that.' A couple might have slipped in but we were really tired of
saying things like that." Elephunk was recorded in three different spurts
over the last two years, beginning in 2001. "We would record about eight
songs each time," remembers will.i.am. "Then each time we went back, I
felt I'd changed and grown as a producer. So we'd do eight more songs, and
those eight would be better than the previous eight. It kept going until
we were done."
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