I Was in The Black Eyed Peas. Then I Quit. | 'Almost Famous' by Op-Docs

I i i I. What's happening? Welcome to the show. Yes, let me know everyone's name. William. What's up, y'all? This taboo Nawasha. This app.de.ap. Kim Hill, featured vocalist. Alright. How would you describe the entire musical concept of Black Eyed Peas? Yeah, they got rid of the

black

girl who was never part of the band, and

then

they got the white girl. They made her part of her and exploded. It's like, no, that's not how it happened. Los Angeles in the '90s: There was a lot of tension in Los Angeles. Hip-hop narratives became much more violent, bitch-and-hoe narratives.

Usually the topic boiled down to a woman preparing to return home. The harm that comes from the incessant, repetitive, senseless violence that permeates our media all the time. At this point, you have Dre and Pac. They were really telling the truth. His friends were drug dealers or pimps. This was a real thing. However, it was still jarring. A lot of rap music was very degrading. And my 20 year old self knew it was degrading, but the beats were so crazy and when you walked into the club and it was like (RAPPING) 1, 2, 3 and on 4, (TALKING) you're like Yo...everybody, you already know.

And you listen to the lyrics and you think, well, I know I'm not a bitch, so he can't talk to me. I grew up in Syracuse, New York. My first memory of music was sitting in front of the TV when “Soul Train” came on, and it was like I was here to hear it all. The best part of “Soul Train” was the Soul Train line. Then another segment of the show where there was at least one act, so it could be Elton John, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder. I want to get on “Soul Train.” That was the best show we could see.

My mother was a single mother. However, my life was privileged. We were

black

kids growing up in white suburbs, so I was always code-switching right in the middle of those two worlds, praying that those two worlds would never collide. And I remember I turned 16 and my mother told me, "We can't have two parties." Then, what are we going to do? I remember being terrified. I was hiding at my own party. I didn't want my black friends to say why do you talk like that? and my white friends would say who is that? My mother... was talking and I was telling him a story.

And it was very much like, you know, and I like it and I don't even like it: my mom would stop. Where is your voice? Where are you? Syracuse didn't have black radio. We didn't have access to it. I always wanted that space to write music from my point of view. So I'm moving to Los Angeles to get a record deal. Oh shit. It has to work. Even though I needed food and anything else, I thought, I'm taking headshots. Getting on a bus at 4:00 in the morning, when it was pitch black, from Culver City to the deepest part of the valley, the deep valley, I took headshots and it was like I started working.

Now let's get to work. Good. I got to “Living Single,” whatever the shows were. You get your 50 bucks and people would watch these shows where I was walking around as a background actor, an extra, and they were like, you did it. I say I didn't eat. I had a showcase for BMI. I go on stage and do my thing. This kid comes up and says, "I think you're really dumb." We should write music together. Just the most, just a precious little someone. Then I thought, where is your mom? Oh, my name is will.i.am and I'm Taboo Nawasha.

I am apl.de.ap. We are the Black Eyed Peas. You like food? Oh. Will had some songs ready to play for me, and the first one he played I thought, I love it. I saw that discipline and the ideas that came from it. I was like, oh, shit. Let me take my... wait. Let me sharpen my pencil. So I immediately felt respect for him and started writing something. And this was – the hook was like (SING) every day and all night, I dream of holding you tight. (SINGING) As crazy as it may seem, you're all I need, baby.

Something in the way you make me feel. (RAPING) You made me feel the way I'm supposed to feel. (SINGING) Feel. (RAPING) You made me feel the way I'm supposed to feel. (SINGING) Feel. That was... it was reinforced by the fact that we had this big sister and little brother kind of thing. You are one of us. You are going to join us on this journey. Love and kisses, we would like to thank the Black Eyed Peas for being on tour. Making this music and people bought it. We're selling out small venues and opening to everyone from Eminem and No Doubt to OutKast.

We couldn't believe our brand of hip-hop was being embraced. Hip-hop is progressive. He started to back away at one point. So we assume our duty to progress again. We were happy in a time of hip-hop where it wasn't really cool. just be happy. This whole L.A. underground movement really loved us. I didn't feel like there would be pressure to be anyone other than myself. (RAPING) My name is apl.de.ap. (RAPPING) My name is Taboo Nawasha. (RAPPING) My name is will.i.am. (RAPPING) And us, the Black Eyed Peas. That's the joint. That's the problem.

Turn up the volume and play it again. But these three rocked the House of Blues and

then

they had to go back to East Los Angeles with gangs and guys in jail. And I was in my two-bedroom apartment with my quirky roommate who lived in Hollywood, looking at a hair magazine. Let me, if I put enough coconut oil on my ends, I can shake it out and it's all wrinkled. How do you know. From right here in Los Angeles, let's meet a gorgeous rap team joining us for their latest single. The song on the Interscope label is titled "Joints and Jams." They are known as Black Eyed Peas.

When they asked us for “Soul Train,” I was pinching myself. Wow. (SINGING) The “Soul Train” people were lip syncing. (RAPING) That's the problem. Turn up the volume and play it again. We were like no way. We didn't sing for the track, and it was a big problem. (SINGING) It's the traffic jam. It's the jam. It's the rhythm. It's the feeling. Will looked at the camera and stopped singing. (RAPPING) Abroad, London, shit out of town. Shit out of London city abroad. And you heard that the song was going to make it clear that we're not actually going to sing this.

That was his way of making his point clear, you know? How would you describe the entire musical concept of Black Eyed Peas? Musical concept, as you can see, we are really very excited. I feel like we put our personalities before any gimmick and any materialism. The band was very specific about how people looked at us and received us and we were purists, so once it started, the pressure started to like, soften it and make it super commercial, it was like, we're not really going to do it. to do that, right? And the guys said, you don't have to come back to East L.A. if this doesn't work out.

Now there was new management, so the expectations and pressures are completely different. It just started to get clumsy and messy. You want me to fuck will.i.am in a swimsuit. They asked that of me, never the boys. That was happening from an executive level. How far from this table do you want it to go? The push and pull had to do with my sexuality and how much of that he was willing to like, literally strip me naked. He never wanted to be objectified while he was making my music. Where is your voice? Where are you?

This really deep brotherhood of brothers was starting to be affected by the machine. I didn't want that burden on my shoulders. So I wrote a letter to management and said, “No.” I

quit

, got my website and registered my stuff. And I was also traveling. It was inescapable. Oprah was like the coolest band on the planet. I was like, no, no, no, no. The Black Eyed Peas! Oh Lord! It was... I couldn't go anywhere. With three Grammy Awards and more than 27 million albums sold worldwide, the Black Eyed Peas are way ahead of their time. (RAPING) I'm so 3008 You so 2000 and late. (SINGING) I have a feeling that tonight will be a good night, that tonight will be a good night, that tonight will be a good, good night.

I was going through a separation. And I turned on the TV and I saw that Will was very happy. And I thought, wow, he did it. And I called. And I was like, I'm just far away. I'm going through a tough time and I saw you on TV. And you were happy. And I just need you to know that I'm happy for you. You did it. He poured out and said: I really miss you. Is different. And I just knew we would be okay. Nobody gave them anything. They worked their asses off. They deserve it. They deserve it.

Fergie and I have never met. She has never done anything to me. She didn't take anything from me. What I do feel is that if we ever met, it would be like a hug with a hug and a deep breath because I think we know something about being that woman in that construct, and that's... it's hard. But I was there for that part of hip-hop. That was pretty much the last thing. Know? And... it's like no one can stand that. Alright. that isn't wrapped in a bow with platinum records and a big house. I have my happy.