BLACK EYED PEAS
L.A.-based hip-hop trio Black Eyed Peas started out as the unofficial West Coast franchise of the East Coast's iconic Native Tongues collective, desperate to show the world that not all West Coast rap devotees were about was blingin', bangin', and bitches: Former break dancers garbed in boho gear, comprised of various races and stressing positivity, the trio was a pointed antidote to the gangsta and ghetto fabulousness of the day. Their 1998 debut, Behind the Front produced the irresistible club hit, "Joints and Jams," but the group hadn't found their voice yet and the album sinks under the weight of its slick production. Their followup, Bridging the Gap, is a more organic-feeling representation of their considerable skills and vision: Tracks such as "On My Own" and "Weekend" display uncluttered and muscular production, deft samples, and smart rhymes. The group wanted to crack the big time, though, and they did with Elephunk, breaking out some marquee names -- Justin Timberlake, Papa Roach, Brazilian samba legend Sergio Mendes -- as well as adding a female member, Fergie, to their crew. The would-be What's Goin' On–era Marvin Gaye track "Where Is the Love" became an Up With People anthem, and the Parliament-inflected "Let's Get Retarded" achieved their booty-shaking goals (and became a theme song for the NBA). The production is meticulously detailed, but the crew's clichéd observations, preachy lyrics, and MTV-ready posturing make Elephunk their least inspiring album. 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."