The Beginning
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas’ sixth album, The Beginning is the follow-up to the group’s blockbuster album The E.N.D.
Released in June 2009, The E.N.D. has sold more than 11 million copies worldยฌwide, while spending 52 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
It is also the first album in two decades by a duo or group to yield five Top 10 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, including the No. 1 hits “Boom Boom Pow,” “I Gotta Feeling” (which is the best-selling digital song in SoundScan history), and “Imma Be,” as well as the Top 10’s “Meet Me Halfway” and “Rock That Body.”
In addition, The E.N.D. was nominated for six 2010 Grammy Awards and won for Best Pop Vocal Album, “Boom Boom Pow” won Best Short Form Music Video and “I Gotta Feeling” won for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.
While the title of The E.N.D. was a play on words (standing for “The Energy Never Dies”), the new album’s title, The Beginning, “refers to what is actually happening in the world right now,” says will.i.am. “The Beginning is symbolic of adopting new technologies, such as augmented reality, 3D, and 360 video.
It’s also about being experimental and taking songs we’ve liked from the past and playing around with sick, crazy beats.”
In keeping with that manifesto, the first single from The Beginning is “The Time (Dirty Bit),” which is built around a sample from the classic 1987 theme from Dirty Dancing, (“I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
“The song is a celebration of this amazing time in our lives,” says vocalist Fergie. “We’ve been on tour all over the world, and looking out at stadiums full of people who came out to see us — that’s as big as it gets.
After the shows, we go out to the clubs and meet the fans; those are moments that we have to remember.” “Plus the fact that we get to experience it with each other,” adds vocalist apl.de.ap, “that’s the best feeling ever.”
“You never know what’s going to happen, so you want to make the best of every day,” says will.i.am. “We wanted to capture that feeling and release a song that celebrates with the fans because it wouldn’t have happened without them.”
This album is the beginning of a new era of Pea world domination — fasten your seat belts pea-ple enjoy the ride, declares Taboo.
The Black Eyed Peas have shot a video for “The Time (Dirty Bit),” with director Rich Lee, who also lensed the Peas’ “Imma Be Rocking That Body” video, as well as clips for Eminem (“Not Afraid”), The All-American Rejects (“The Wind Blows”), Fergie (“Clumsy”), and the Pussycat Dolls (“Hush Hush”).
The Beginning will be released in several physical formats – a standard CD, a deluxe CD that includes 3 bonus songs, a full album vinyl and a combo two-disc set of 20 songs that includes The Beginning & The Best of THE E.N.D..
The E.N.D. was The Black Eyed Peas first original music since 2005’s Monkey Business, which was certified triple platinum in the U.S., with worldwide sales of more than nine million.
Monkey Business generated Grammy Awards over two consecutive years, for “Don’t Phunk with My Heart” and “My Humps.”
The Peas’ first Grammy Award came six years ago, for “Let’s Get It Started,” from their breakthrough 2003 album Elephunk, which introduced Fergie into the lineup, and transformed the group into international superstars with cumulative 25x platinum sales in nearly a dozen countries around the world.
In 2006, Fergie released her six-million-selling solo debut The Dutchess and 2007 Producer of the Year Grammy-nominee will.i.am released Songs About Girls.
Since forming in 1995, The Black Eyed Peas have sold more than 28 million albums worldwide and more than 30.8 million digital tracks.
In addition, they have logged more than 300 headline tour dates in 29 countries with more than 2.2 million tickets sold. The group has been nominated for a 2010 American Music Award in the Favorite Band, Duo or Group category.
