Will.i.am

American musician (born 1975)

This article is about the musician. For other uses, see William.

will.i.am

will.i.am in 2018

Background information
Birth name| William James Adams Jr.
Also known as|

* Will 1X
* illwilly
* Willonex
* Zuper Blahq
* willpower

Born|  (1975-03-15) March 15, 1975 (age 49)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres|

* Hip hop
* pop rap[1]
* pop[2]
* R&B

Occupation(s)|

* Rapper
* singer
* songwriter
* record producer
* entrepreneur
* actor

Instruments|

* Vocals
* keyboards
* bass
* drums

Discography|

* Recording
* production

Years active| 1988–present
Labels|

* Epic
* E1
* Interscope
* Beat Generation
* will.i.am
* Barely Breaking Even
* Atlantic
* Ruthless

Member of| Black Eyed Peas
Formerly of|

* Atban Klann
* Jawbreakers

Relatives| Lynn Cain (uncle)
Website| will.i.am

Musical artist

William James Adams Jr.  (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he formed with fellow musicians apl.de.ap and Taboo in 1995. The group, having released nine total studio albums, saw their furthest mainstream success during their 2000s pop rap era with Elephunk (2003), Monkey Business (2005), The E.N.D. (2009), and The Beginning (2010). Adams served as lead vocalist since its formation, although for the albums, he did so alongside singer Fergie—who joined the group in 2002 and departed after the latter album.

As a solo artist, Adams released his first two albums, Lost Change (2001) and Must B 21 (2003) to lukewarm commercial response. The former was released by Atlantic Records, while the latter contained the song "Go!", which served as theme music for the NBA Live 2005 and Madden NFL 2005 seasons. His third album, Songs About Girls (2007) marked his first entry on the Billboard 200 as a solo act and spawned the moderate hit single "I Got It From My Mama." His fourth album, #willpower (2013) peaked at number nine on the chart and saw further success with its singles "Scream & Shout" (with Britney Spears) and "#thatPOWER" (featuring Justin Bieber). The former song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. In addition, his guest appearances on Fergie's 2006 single "Fergalicious" and Usher's 2010 single "OMG" peaked at numbers two and one on the chart, respectively. In 2024, he confirmed that a fifth solo studio album with no name will be released that same year.

A prolific record producer and songwriter, Adams has amassed credits on singles and albums for other artists including Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Jennifer Hudson, U2, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Psy, Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, Estelle, Nas, John Legend, Cheryl, and 2NE1, among others. Through his solo career and collaborative work with the Black Eyed Peas, he has a total of 41 top-40 entries on the UK Singles Chart since 1998, and has sold 9.4 million singles in the country.[3] He founded his namesake record label in 1998, which has signed artists including LMFAO, Kelis, and Macy Gray.

Outside of his music, Adams has served as a panelist and mentor on the reality competition series The Voice UK (2012–present), The Voice Australia (2014), and The Voice Kids (2017–2023). He is the recipient of seven Grammy Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, and a Daytime Emmy Award.

## Early life

[edit]

William James Adams Jr. was born in Los Angeles on March 15, 1975, the son of an African-American mother Debra (née Cain)[4][5] and Jamaican father William James Adams Sr.[6] He has never met his father,[7] and was raised by his mother in the Estrada Courts housing projects in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles,[8] where they were among the few African-Americans living in a predominantly Hispanic community.[9][10] He did not discover his full birth name until he was 25.[6] His mother encouraged him to be unique and to avoid conforming to the tendencies of the other youths in the neighborhood. To guide his musical career, she sent him to public schools in the more affluent West Los Angeles area such as Paul Revere Charter Middle School,[7] which was one hour-long bus journey away. During the regular school year, he attended Palisades Charter High School. During that time, he started going to raves with classmate Pasquale Rotella.[11][12]

Adams' maternal uncle is former National Football League (NFL) player Lynn Cain, who inspired him during his early years.[13] While studying at summer school at John Marshall High School, Adams became best friends with Allan Pineda (better known as apl.de.ap), who would later become a member of the Black Eyed Peas. While still in high school, Adams and Pineda performed in East Los Angeles clubs and were soon joined by three others to form the socially conscious Atban Klann rap group. Atban Klann caught the attention of rapper Eazy-E and Mason Miller, signing to his record label Ruthless Records in 1992. Adams later said his history with rave culture is why he chose a more electro sound for the Black Eyed Peas' albums The E.N.D. and The Beginning. Despite the use of electro and house music elements, will.i.am prefers to separate the underground from pop. In an article with Los Angeles Times, he mentioned that the secrecy surrounding the whereabouts of raves is what made raving special and different from the mainstream.[12]

## Music career

[edit]

### 1988–2000: Formations and the Black Eyed Peas

[edit]

will.i.am performing with the Black Eyed Peas in June 2009

In the summer of 1988, will.i.am began his music career as an eighth-grader when he met up with rapper Allan Pineda (better known as apl.de.ap) and fellow student Dante Santiago.[14] They began performing together around Los Angeles and were soon discovered by rapper/entrepreneur Eazy-E, who signed them to his label Ruthless Records in 1992. At the time, Will was known as "Will 1X". Atban Klann's first song, "Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas", was included on Eazy-E's extended play 5150: Home 4 tha Sick (1992). Afterward, the trio began recording an album, Grass Roots with the help of producers Mookie Mook and DJ Motiv8, but the album was never released due to Eazy-E's death in 1995. Subsequently, they changed their name to Black Eyed Pods, and Will replaced Dante with Jaime Gomez, better known under his stage name of Taboo. In 1997, they once again changed their name, this time to the Black Eyed Peas, and began recording their first album, Behind the Front, with the help of soul singer Kim Hill. They were soon signed to Interscope Records, and released their debut single, "Joints & Jam", in early 1998. The album was successful enough for the group's contract to be renewed, and in 2000, a second album, Bridging the Gap, was released.[citation needed]

### 2000–2003: Lost Change, Elephunk and Must B 21

[edit]

Following the release of Bridging the Gap, Will began recording his first solo release, Lost Change, which was the official soundtrack to the film of the same name. Featuring collaborations with Medusa, Planet Asia and Terry Dexter, the album was a critical success.[citation needed]

In November 2001, work began on a third Black Eyed Peas album, Elephunk. Development of the album began on November 2, 2001, and was released just under two years later in 2003. At the time of development, only will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo were to feature on the album. During the production of "Shut Up" (the second single released from the album), they realized that a female vocal would work well with the song. Originally, Nicole Scherzinger (lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls) was approached to make a guest appearance on the record. She was forced to decline because she already was signed to a contract with Eden's Crush. Danté Santiago then introduced Fergie to will.i.am, whom she impressed with her vocal talents. She immediately bonded with the band and became a permanent member of the Peas, and her photo was printed onto the album cover. Lyricist Robbie Fisher, who has been working closely with the band since the beginning stages of the album, composed nine out of the fourteen tracks. In the United States, Elephunk reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 and became their first album to chart in the top 15. It gained even more commercial success internationally, particularly in the UK Album Charts where it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and 8.5 million copies worldwide.[15] After the success of Elephunk, the group was approached by Electronic Arts to feature some of their music on the 2004 game The Urbz. They remixed some of the tracks on Elephunk and translated it into Simlish and created new tracks for the game. They also feature in the game as playable characters.[16]

Elephunk contained their breakthrough commercial single, "Where Is the Love?", in November 2002 (featuring Justin Timberlake, although he did not appear in the video). On the strength of that single and follow-up singles like "Shut Up", Elephunk went on to sell 8.5 million copies worldwide. During this time, Will recorded a second solo album, Must B 21 to similar reception as its predecessor. "Where Is the Love?" and "Shut Up" reached number 1 on the UK Singles chart. "Hey Mama" was used for several advertisements including for Apple and iTunes. "Let's Get It Started" also received universal acclaim in the media section where a cover version of the song appears in the film Hot Tub Time Machine.[17] In 2002, Will recorded the song "Secrets" for the soundtrack to Dexter's Laboratory: The Hip-Hop Experiment, a musical accompaniment to the Cartoon Network original series. Prior to this, he had also composed the theme music for another Genndy Tartakovsky series, Samurai Jack.[citation needed]

### 2003–2006: Monkey Business

[edit]

In November 2003, work began on a fourth Black Eyed Peas album, entitled Monkey Business, the second album with new band member Fergie. Upon the success of Monkey Business, which was released in 2005, the album was certified three times Platinum by the RIAA in the U.S. and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The Canadian Recording Industry Association (or CRIA) has certified Monkey Business 6× Platinum, with sales of over 600,000 copies. The Australian Recording Industry Association (or ARIA) has also certified Monkey Business 6× Platinum, denoting sales of over 420,000 copies. The album's tracks earned the group four 2006 Grammy Award nominations and they also won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Don't Phunk with My Heart". According to IFPI, over 2 million copies have been sold in Europe.[18] In the UK alone, it has sold over 1 million copies, although this is significantly lower than their sales of Elephunk, which stand at over 1.6 million copies[19] and 10 million worldwide. The band announced they were going to take a break to focus on their own personal projects. Will went on to produce Fergie's first solo album, The Dutchess, which was released in 2006, before beginning work with Michael Jackson, who had requested Will's expertise for the recording and production of his new album. Work began on the Jackson album in 2006, and continued until the singer's death in 2009, at which point will.i.am revealed that none of the material recorded during the period would be released. However, remixes recorded for Jackson's Thriller 25 anniversary album were released in 2008.[citation needed]

### 2007–2009: Songs About Girls and Change Is Now

[edit]

will.i.am with Sheryl Crow and Herbie Hancock, performing at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial concert

In 2007, will.i.am announced that he had co-created an all-female soul band entitled the Paradiso Girls, who he intended to work with on an upcoming solo project. The album, Songs About Girls, was released in 2007. The album spawned three singles, "I Got It From My Mama", "One More Chance" and "Heartbreaker", and fared slightly better than his previous solo efforts, however, failed to shift more than 75,000 copies. Will also did a remix to the song "With Love" by actress and singer Hilary Duff.[citation needed]

In 2008, will.i.am contributed the song "One Tribe" to the Survival International charity album, Songs for Survival.[20] Also in 2008, he was featured on rapper Flo Rida's debut album, Mail on Sunday, where he produced and featured on the song "In the Ayer", and featured on Usher's fifth album, Here I Stand. In January 2008, will.i.am announced plans that he was masterminding a political album, Change is Now: Renewing America's Promise, in support of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. The first single, "Yes We Can", featured a music video directed by Jesse Dylan. The lyrics of the song are composed almost entirely of excerpts from Obama's speech on January 8, 2008, following the New Hampshire presidential primary election. The video features appearances from numerous celebrities and first appeared on the website for Dipdive. The video racked up three million views within a week and over four million subsequently on YouTube. On June 13, 2008, "Yes We Can" won an award at the 35th Annual Creative Arts and Entertainment Daytime Emmy Awards for "New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment".[21] On February 29, 2008, the album's second single, "We Are the Ones", was released on Dipdive and YouTube. The video features several celebrities chanting "O-BA-MA" as a portrayal as their hopes and wishes for Obama and his presidential campaign. On November 4, 2008, will.i.am spoke to CNN's "Anderson Cooper" about his support for then-Senator Obama using CNN's 'hologram' technology (actually tomography).[22] Following the 2008 election, and Obama's victory, Will released the album's third single, "It's a New Day". The video reflects on the historical events that led to the election of the first African-American president and the public's reaction to his election. The video debuted on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In honor of the inauguration of Barack Obama as president, will.i.am collaborated with producer David Foster on the album's fourth single, "America's Song", with contributing vocals from Seal, Bono, Mary J. Blige, and Faith Hill. In response to Obama's reaction following Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, will.i.am penned the album's fifth and final single, "The Jackass Song". It featured a sample of Kanye West's "Heartless".[23] Will wrote a blog post, which featured the song on Dipdive, and released in February 2009.[24] Will.i.am attended and spoke at the FIRST Robotics Competition kickoff on January 8, 2011, declaring, "I am a FIRST fan."[25] He has also named FIRST Founder Dean Kamen "one of [his] heroes" on his verified Twitter account.[26]

### 2009–2016: Black Eyed Peas reformation, The E.N.D, The Beginning, and #willpower

[edit]

will.i.am in Los Angeles, California in 2010

In March 2009, will.i.am announced plans for the Black Eyed Peas to return, and within months their comeback single, "Boom Boom Pow", had reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100. They went on to have three number 1 singles before releasing their comeback album, The E.N.D. The album's success warranted a second comeback album, The Beginning, released in November 2010. The album spawned another three hit singles, but the band soon announced plans they were to break again, following the conclusion of their world tour. In 2009, will.i.am worked with rappers Flo Rida and Akon for Flo's second studio album, R.O.O.T.S., and recorded four tracks with Girls Aloud member Cheryl for her debut solo album 3 Words. He also worked with Rihanna on her fourth studio album, Rated R, for a track called "Photographs". In February 2010, he wrote and produced the single "OMG" by Usher, which appeared on Usher's seventh studio album, Raymond vs. Raymond. In a YouTube video posted by YGLifeOfficial on March 15, 2010, will.i.am expressed his desire to work with Korean K-pop girl group 2NE1, and help them achieve international success.[27] Will has recorded a collaboration with Britney Spears, "Big Fat Bass", which features on her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale.[28]

During the recording of the Black Eyed Peas' sixth studio album, The Beginning, band colleague Fergie announced in an interview that will.i.am was in the process of recording a new solo album, tentatively entitled Black Einstein.[29] Will.i.am formally announced that he was in the process of recording a fourth solo album, with some material being recorded under the pseudonym Zuper Blahq.[citation needed] In January 2010, a cut from the album, "I'm In the House", a collaboration with Steve Aoki, was released as a single, charting at #29 on the UK Singles Chart due to strong downloads. In October 2010, a second cut from the album, "Check It Out", a collaboration with rapper Nicki Minaj, peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart. In February 2011, a third cut from the album, "Dance", a collaboration with Natalia Kills, peaked at #62 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by James Sutton, and features a cameo by Natalia. In April 2011, will.i.am recorded four songs for the soundtrack of the animated film Rio, in which he voiced the character, Pedro the red-crested cardinal. "Hot Wings (I Wanna Party)", "Drop It Low", "Real In Rio" and "Advice For The Young At Heart", featuring an array of artists including Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway and Tears for Fears. None of the songs managed to chart, however, Will announced that he was going to remix the tracks for inclusion on Black Einstein. In September 2011, a fourth cut from the album, "Forever", a collaboration with Wolfgang Gartner, was released as a single. It was around this time that will.i.am announced that he changed the title of the album from Black Einstein to #willpower.[30] The video premiered on August 26, 2011. In November 2011, Will premiered what is intended to be the album's official lead single, "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)", a collaboration with Jennifer Lopez and Mick Jagger. Will announced via his Twitter that the video for "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)" was filmed in LA, and that before he returned home, he stopped off in Brazil to film the video for the album's second official single, "Great Times". In December 2011, a fifth cut from the album, "Party Like An Animal", a collaboration with Dutch singer Eva Simons and LMFAO, premiered at the HTC Beats Launch party. Will.i.am also announced he has collaborations with Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz and a couple others on the album. He also stated there is a possibility Shakira could feature on the album.[31] #willpower is due for release in 2013, and will.i.am later confirmed that Cheryl and Justin Bieber would also appear on #willpower.[32] In mid-October, Britney Spears confirmed on her Twitter account that she had filmed the music video for the single she was featuring in called "Scream & Shout".

He was among the performers at the Diamond Jubilee Concert held outside Buckingham Palace on June 4, 2012.

The first song broadcast from Mars was his new single, "Reach for the Stars".[33] He discussed and listened to it with a live audience at NASA in Pasadena, California after it was returned from the Curiosity rover.[33]

The song "Hall of Fame" by the Script also featured will.i.am. It debuted onto radio on July 23, 2012, and was released for digital download on August 21, 2012. He later featured in Priyanka Chopra's debut single "In My City".[34] It was announced in October 2012 that will.i.am will feature on Kesha's second album Warrior on the track "Crazy Kids". He also co-wrote and co-produced the Dr Luke produced track.

In November 2012, will.i.am released the third single from #willpower which was "Scream & Shout" featuring Britney Spears. It debuted in the top 20 on the Billboard 100, eventually reaching a peak of number 3 and debuting at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and reaching number one in January 2013 for two weeks. It went number one in many countries [35][36]

will.i.am attending his #willpower album release party in Hollywood, Los Angeles, 2012

During an interview with Capital FM, will.i.am confirmed he had collaborated with Justin Bieber for his next release "#thatPOWER" and premiered the single on the same day it was released onto iTunes in the US the same day and debuted on the Billboard 100 at number 42.[citation needed]

In April 2013, will.i.am and Chris Brown's track "Let's Go", also from the #willpower album, became the centre of a copyright controversy, with trance producers Arty and Mat Zo claiming that will.i.am used elements of their 2011 track "Rebound" in his song without permission from the artists or their label.[37] This claim was later backed by Anjunabeats, the record label behind Arty and Mat Zo.[38]

His fourth studio album, #willpower, was re-released in December 2013 featuring several new tracks, including the lead single "Feelin' Myself" featuring Miley Cyrus, French Montana, and Wiz Khalifa.[39]

Britney Spears featured will.i.am on her song "It Should Be Easy" on her eighth studio album Britney Jean, for which he co-wrote and produced several tracks. He was also an executive producer of the project.[40][41][42]

On April 4, 2014, will.i.am appeared on Alan Carr: Chatty Man, where he talked about plans to release his own Smartwatch. He revealed that it can be used as a phone, to store music, and use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.[43][44] He also showed a preview of a music video for a song called "It's My Birthday". On May 20, 2014, a 90-second snippet was uploaded to SoundCloud. It features American singer-songwriter Cody Wise, is produced by Will and Damien LeRoy and is written by himself, Cody Wise and Keith Harris. It was released on July 6, 2014.[45]

In an interview with Capital FM, will.i.am confirmed that the Black Eyed Peas were getting back together.[46][47] On April 7, 2016, will.i.am released the single "Boys & Girls" featuring Pia Mia. A week later on April 14, a new remix of "Mona Lisa Smile" featuring Nicole Scherzinger was released.[citation needed]

### 2017–present

[edit]

will.i.am at the World Economic Forum in 2023

In March 2020, will.i.am collaborated with a group of artists made up of Bono, Jennifer Hudson, and Yoshiki for the song "Sing For Life".[48] The musicians felt motivated by the widespread sense of despair surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the attempts by multiple individuals to pursue creative endeavors while facing new social restrictions. The official YouTube description stated that the track aimed to spread "joy" during trying "times like these".[49] In 2023, he released the singles "The Formula" (with Lil Wayne) and a fourth collaborative song with Britney Spears titled "Mind Your Business", both of which were panned by critics and failed to make an effect on domestic or worldwide charts.[50][51][52]

In February 2024, will.i.am appeared as a guest during Usher's Super Bowl halftime show, performing "OMG".[53]

## Other ventures

[edit]

### Acting

[edit]

The Black Eyed Peas, including will.i.am, first started acting in the commercial series "Instant Def" to advertise Snickers chocolate bars.[54] He starred in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa as the voice of the hippopotamus character Moto Moto. He also contributed a number of tracks to the film's soundtrack in collaboration with the score composer Hans Zimmer. Will.i.am played John Wraith in his major film debut, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a prequel to the X-Men film series. He also guest-starred on the CBS drama Joan of Arcadia as God, one of several actors who played this role during the series. He also starred in the 2011 animated film Rio, and 2014's Rio 2, as a rapping red-crested cardinal named Pedro, and like Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, he contributed his singing voice to the film's soundtrack, along with his fellow co-stars. In The Urbz: Sims In The City, will.i.am appeared as himself along with the Black Eyed Peas, and the film also uses Black Eyed Peas' songs as its soundtrack. He briefly appeared as himself in the Tina Fey and Steve Carell comedy film Date Night. He appeared in the 2016 Grammy-nominated documentary film about American DJ and producer Steve Aoki, titled I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.[55]

### The Voice UK and Australia

[edit]

On being confirmed as a coach on The Voice UK, will.i.am said, "I'm proud to be doing The Voice UK because the UK was the first place I saw success," and "It's the place I'm the most creative outside of home." Danny Cohen, controller of BBC One, added, "I am thrilled that will.i.am has signed up to be a coach on The Voice. He is a huge star who will bring a unique creativity to the show."[56] Talking about the differences between the show and X Factor, "I won't be a judge on X Factor. The Voice is different. You can't even compare the two. One, you have people in the music industry, current and legends, coaching the next generation. The other format you have judges critiquing, giving their opinions on things when they don't really know, other than Randy Jackson on Idol".[57]

In preparation for the role as a coach, he asked advice from friend and ex-The X Factor judge Cheryl Cole. Talking to Capital FM he said, "I reached out to Cheryl for advice on keeping your cool, having a poker face, the importance of sticking with the singers – it's their dream, a lot of the times when you have other performers a part of the show, celebrities tend to want the shine so they hog up time. So my whole thing was that I want to do The Voice, but I don't want to hog up time to where the singers up there are looking like, 'Is this about you guys?'.[58] In March 2012, it was reported that he had turned his "plush" dressing room into a recording studio, and "instead of just listening with his headphones, he has installed some mega bass bins".[citation needed]

On November 26, 2013, will.i.am was announced as a coach for the 2014 series of the Australian version of The Voice along with fellow Voice UK judge Kylie Minogue. He was the winning coach having coached voice winner Anja Nissen in 2014. Neither will.i.am nor Minogue returned for the fourth series in 2015.[citation needed]

He has contributed to The Voice UK since 2012.[59] He also served as a coach on the UK version of The Voice Kids from 2017 to 2023.[60]

### Fashion

[edit]

Before joining the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. In 2001, he began designing his own signature clothing line, i.am, which made its official debut in 2005 at the Magic Apparel Trade Show in Las Vegas.[61] In 2007, will.i.am teamed up with Blue Holdings to design a premium denim collection, i.am Antik, that was scheduled to debut in August 2007 at the Project Show in Las Vegas.[62] will.i.am instead had new partners and was launching i.am. Will.i.am is currently[when?] being sued $2 million for abandoning the project for which, the label states, he was obligated until 2016, but will.i.am insists it is already over. He also launched his own glasses range.[63][64]

### Technology

[edit]

will.i.am speaking at the 2011 FIRST kickoff at Southern New Hampshire University with Dean Kamen

Appearing at the kickoff event for the 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition, Logo Motion held at Southern New Hampshire University,[65] will.i.am stated that he is "a big fan", and that the newly unveiled game was "dope". He also executive produced a TV Special - I.AM. FIRST: Science is Rock & Roll - about the 2011 FIRST World Championship at the Edward Jones Dome, St Louis. It was produced by Greg Sills and Paul Flattery, directed by Michael Dempsey. It was aired by ABC on August 14, 2011, at 7 p.m. As part of the special, will.i.am appeared with the Black Eyed Peas. Willow Smith also performed and will.i.am did a DJ set. He continues to support FIRST, and at the 2013 FIRST World Championship, will.i.am became the first recipient of the Make It Loud award, which is given to the person who has contributed the most in increasing the awareness of FIRST to the general public.[66]

In January 2011, Intel named will.i.am as director of creative innovation, with input in developing smartphones, tablets and laptops.[67] In January 2012, he appeared on the BBC TV series Top Gear, as the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, where he claimed he was starting his own car company called IAMAUTO.[68]

By becoming the first artist to stream a song ("Reaching for the Stars") from the surface of Mars on August 28, 2012, will.i.am made inter-planetary music history. The event took place at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.[69]

Expanding his forays into iPhone accessory development, will.i.am announced plans to release a camera enhancer to "dramatically enhance the clarity and definition of iPhone photographs," by effectively making the 8-megapixel sensor into a 14-megapixel one. Termed the i.am+, the device was said to be the first in a series of "digital real estate" for the singer.[70]

In April 2016, it was announced that i.am+ had acquired the Tel Aviv machine-learning technology start-up Sensiya.[71]

3D Systems appointed will.i.am as its chief creative officer (CCO) on January 8, 2014.[72][73]

Since retiring from music (a retirement that did not last), he has helped design smartwatches for German company Deutsche Telekom since late 2015.[74][75][71]

In 2016, The Verge reported that will.i.am would join actress Gwyneth Paltrow and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk on Apple TV's Planet of the Apps, calling the trio "successful" and "big names" with experience launching companies.[76] The show received mixed to negative reviews.

On July 27, 2017, i.am acquired Wink, the Internet of Things and Smart Home hub platform, from owner Flextronics for a reported $38.7 million with an additional $20 million commitment, likely earmarked to sustain manufacturing of Wink's products.[77]

Will.i.am has focused his efforts on optimizing inclusivity of artificial intelligence. On June 7, 2024, he gave a speech at the Stata Center of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). [78] He is the CEO of the company Focus Your Ideas.

## Personal life

[edit]

In December 2010, will.i.am discussed suffering from tinnitus as a result of his career.[79] In April 2013, he revealed that he has ADHD.[80] He became a vegan in early 2017.[81]

The i.am Angel Foundation provided fast internet access to the Estrada Courts housing project in Boyle Heights where he formerly lived.[8]

## Legal issues

[edit]

On June 22, 2009, gossip blogger Perez Hilton accused will.i.am and his entourage of assaulting him in Toronto after the MuchMusic Video Awards, a charge will.i.am denied in a video posted on his blog. No further action was taken.[82]

In late 2019, will.i.am's technology company i.am+ was the subject of multiple tax liens, with the state of California alleging over $500,000 in delinquent taxes and the federal government alleging $1.78 million in delinquent taxes and interest.[83]

## Discography

[edit]

Main articles: will.i.am discography and will.i.am production discography

See also: The Black Eyed Peas discography

Studio albums

* Lost Change (2001)
* Must B 21 (2003)
* Songs About Girls (2007)
* #willpower (2013)
* TBA (2024)

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2004  | Garfield: The Movie | Himself  | Cameo during Hey Mama dance
2008  | Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa | Moto Moto  | Voice
Also composer
2009  | Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard | Snow  | Voice
X-Men Origins: Wolverine | John Wraith |
2010  | Date Night | Himself  | Cameo
Bouncing Cats |
2011  | Rio | Pedro  | Voice
2014  | Rio 2

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2001–2004, 2017  | Samurai Jack | Theme song singer  |
2005  | Joan of Arcadia | Three Card Monte Guy God  | Episode: "Independence Day"
2007  | Cane | Himself  | Episode: "A New Legacy"
2012  | The Cleveland Show | Bernard Bernard  | 13 episodes
2012 Television Rack Awards | Host  | First Time Hosting, 9th time performing
American Idol | Himself  | Top 12 guest mentor
Top Gear | Celebrity guest
2012–present  | The Voice UK | Coach or "judge" and mentor for artists, seasons 1 onwards
2014  | The Voice Australia | Coach or "judge" and mentor for artists, season 3
2017  | Planet of the Apps | Mentor
2017–2023  | The Voice Kids UK | Coach or "judge" and mentor for artists, seasons 1 through 7
2019  | The Rookie | Episode: "The Checklist"
Songland | Episode: "will.i.am"
The Voice | Mentor
2020  | Anitta: Made in Honório | Episode 3: "Funk"
2021  | Alter Ego | Judge: Musician, Producer and Tech Entrepreneur
will.i.am: The Blackprint | Presenter of the Black History Month documentary for ITV
2023  | Superstar: Aaliyah | ABC documentary
That's My Jam  | Himself/Guest  | Along with Keke Palmer, Saweetie, Joel McHale

### Video games

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Voice role  | Notes

|
|
|

2004  | The Urbz: Sims in the City | Himself  | Vocals
2009  | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | John Wraith  |
2011  | The Black Eyed Peas Experience | Himself  |

## Tours

[edit]

* The #Willpower Tour (2013–15)
* The Vans Warped Tour (2009)

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Daytime Emmy Awards

* 2008, New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment: "Yes We Can"[84]

Grammy Awards
Year  | Nominee / work  | Award  | Result

|
|
|

2004 | Elephunk | Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical | Nominated
"Where Is the Love?"  (ft. Justin Timberlake)  | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Nominated
Record of the Year | Nominated
2005 | "Let's Get It Started"  | Nominated
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Won
Best Rap Song | Nominated
"Hey Mama"  | Nominated
2006 | "Don't Phunk with My Heart"  | Nominated
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group  | Won
"Ordinary People"  | Song of the Year | Nominated
Best R&B Song | Nominated
"Gone Going"  (with Jack Johnson)  | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocal | Nominated
"Don't Lie"  | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | Nominated
2007 | "My Humps"  | Won
will.i.am  | Producer of the Year, Non-Classical | Nominated
"Mas Que Nada"  | Best Best Urban/Alternative Performance | Nominated
"That Heat"  | Nominated
2009 | "Be OK"  | Won
"American Boy"  | Song of the Year  | Nominated
will.i.am  | Producer of the Year, Non-Classical  | Nominated
2010 | The E.N.D. | Album of the Year | Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Album | Won
"I Gotta Feeling"  | Record of the Year  | Nominated
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals  | Won
"Boom Boom Pow"  | Best Dance Recording | Nominated
Best Short Form Music Video | Won

[85]

Latin Grammy Awards

* 2006, Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album: "Timeless", Sérgio Mendes (producer) [86]

Television Rack Awards

* As of 2012, will.i.am. had won ten Television Rack Awards altogether (five with the Black Eyed Peas and five as a solo artist).[citation needed]

The National Television Awards
Year  | Nominee / work  | Award  | Result

|
|
|

2018 | The Voice UK | TV Judge | Nominated

Mirchi Music Awards

* 2012, Indie Pop Song of the Year – "In My City" (Nominated)[87]

## Notes

[edit]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Will.i.am Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
2. ^ "Review: Will.i.am, #willpower". Slant Magazine. April 23, 2013.
3. ^ "Official Charts Analysis: Linkin Park pip Maroon 5 to No.1 by 3k sales". Music Week. July 2, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
4. ^ "Will. i. Am of Black Eyed Peas" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (May 1, 2009) ChickenBones: A Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2010-.
5. ^ 'Nightline Playlist: will.i.am' Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (February 2, 2008) ABCnews/Frontline. Retrieved February 2, 2010-.
6. ^ a b McLean, Craig (May 30, 2009). "Force of Will". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved February 25, 2013. "Aged 25, when a passport application resulted in him seeing his full birth certificate for the first time, he found out that his real, full name was William James Adams Jr. He was named after his Jamaican father he never known [sic], and whom no one in his family ever discussed."
7. ^ a b 'will.i.am's Aha! Moment' Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (April 14, 2009) Oprah.com. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
8. ^ a b Mackey, Ashley (January 13, 2023). "Will.i.am helps close the digital divide in his Boyle Heights community". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
9. ^ Dennis, Steve; Taboo (2011). Fallin' Up: My Story. New York City: Simon & Schuster. p. 56. ISBN 9781439192085. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
10. ^ "Will.i.am on Living in East Los Angeles | Exclusive Interview | NELA TV". February 17, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021 - via YouTube.
11. ^ White, Danny (2013). Will.i.am: The Unauthorized Biography. Michael O' Mara Books. pp. Chapter: 1 Reaching New Heights. ISBN 978-1782430032.
12. ^ a b "Will.i.am on rave culture: "The underground is bigger than the surface. That's what people don't understand."". Los Angeles Times. May 30, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
13. ^ "Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am Wants To Try Out For The Dolphins". MTV Newsroom. September 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
14. ^ Andy Kellman. "The Black Eyed Peas". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
15. ^ "Amazon Elephunk Information". Amazon.
16. ^ "Black Eyed Peas To Feature In The Urbz: Sims In The City". Archived from the original on January 3, 2013.
17. ^ "Hot Tub Time Machine Interview". March 26, 2010.
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22. ^ "Video – Breaking News Videos from". CNN. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
23. ^ ""The Jackass Song" uploaded by will.i.am". Dipdive.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
24. ^ iamwill. "Blog written by will.i.am". Dipdive.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
25. ^ "FRC Kickoff 2011 Stream Recording". FRC Team 3403. January 8, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
26. ^ will.i.am (January 8, 2011). "Tweet from @iamwill".
27. ^ will.i.am (August 31, 2010). "Will.I.AM talks to 2NE1". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
28. ^ "BRITNEY TWEETS FROM STUDIO WITH WILL.I.AM". BritneySpears.com. February 8, 2011.[dead link]
29. ^ Navjosh (May 24, 2011). "Will.i.am To Release New Solo Album 'Black Einstein'. On October 24, 2011, songs were leaked through the internet after a presentation in club hosted by HTC. One of these songs is called "T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)" with vocals by Jennifer Lopez and Mick Jagger". Hip Hop N More. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
30. ^ "Will.I.Am tweet about his new song "The Hardest Ever (T.H.E.)"". Twitter. October 12, 2011.
31. ^ Corner, Lewis (January 30, 2012). "will.i.am teams with Britney Spears, Alicia Keys for new album". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
32. ^ Mark Savage (February 22, 2012). "Cheryl Cole and Justin Bieber join will.i.am album". BBC News.
33. ^ a b mars.nasa.gov. "Curiosity Rover Plays First Song Transmitted From Another Planet". mars.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
34. ^ Nyay Bhushan (August 25, 2012). "Priyanka Chopra's First Single to Debut on NFL's 'Thursday Night Kickoff'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
35. ^ Billboard (December 5, 2012). "Rihanna Remains Atop Hot 100, Adds Radio Songs Reign". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
36. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. February 4, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
37. ^ Goodacre, Kate (April 17, 2013). "will.i.am and Chris Brown's 'Let's Go' in copyright breach allegation". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
38. ^ "Will.i.am Rips Off Arty & Mat Zo's 'Rebound' for Latest Single". TranceFixxed. April 17, 2013. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
39. ^ "will.i.am : "Feeling Myself" feat. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa et French Montana en יcoute". Chartsinfrance.net. April 21, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
40. ^ Billboard (January 5, 2013). "Will.i.am Executive Producing New Britney Spears Album". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
41. ^ "Britney Spears On Working With Will.i.am: "He's Like A Kid Or A Little Genius!"". capitalfm.com.
42. ^ "Britney Spears, 'Britney Jean': Track-By-Track Review". billboard.com. November 26, 2013.
43. ^ "will.i.am on Chatty Man: New music and the watch". iam-fan.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2014.
44. ^ Celia Curtis (April 7, 2014). "What does will.i.am's smartwatch do?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022.
45. ^ "will.i.am Announces New Song 'Birthday' Featuring Cody Wise - Capital FM". capitalfm.com.
46. ^ "WATCH: Will.i.am Confirms Black Eyed Peas Reunion... & Thinks They Should... - will.i.am - Capital FM". Capital FM. April 7, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
47. ^ Ashleigh Rainbird (April 7, 2016). "Black Eyed Peas to reform five years after last album, Will.i.am reveals". mirror. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
48. ^ "Bono, Will.I.Am, Jennifer Hudson & Yoshiki Collab on "Sing For Life"". Billboard. March 24, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
49. ^ "Will.i.am releases new version of Bono's coronavirus song | Complete Music Update". Retrieved April 30, 2020.
50. ^ "Will.i.am and Britney Spears Release New Song Collaboration 'Mind Your Business' | Entertainment Tonight". July 20, 2023.
51. ^ "Britney Spears, Will.i.am Reunite for New Single 'Mind Your Business'". Rolling Stone. July 21, 2023.
52. ^ "Britney Spears and Will.i.am Drop New Song 'Mind Your Business'". July 21, 2023.
53. ^ "Usher's 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show Special Guests: See Alicia Keys, Ludacris and More". Peoplemag. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
54. ^ "First episode of Instant Def". YouTube. March 15, 2010. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
55. ^ "Steve Aoki 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' Documentary Hits Netflix". The Nocturnal Times. August 24, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
56. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (December 2, 2011). "Jessie Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am confirmed as second coach on 'The Voice UK'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
57. ^ Tetteh, Sarah (January 27, 2012). "will.i.am on why Cheryl Cole won't work on X Factor again, his nights out with Mick Jagger and why The Voice is better than X Factor". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
58. ^ "Will.i.am asked for Cheryl's advice over 'The Voice' role". MTV. January 2, 2012. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
59. ^ Deepika Rajani. "Will's awkward mistake on The Voice". OK! Magazine. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
60. ^ "Hooray, our Voice Kids 2017 coaches are confirmed!". Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
61. ^ "Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am Launches Clothing Line". Remixmag.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
62. ^ "Yahoo Finance - Stock Market Live, Quotes, Business & Finance News". Retrieved June 19, 2007. [dead link]
63. ^ "will.i.am is now working with Specsavers - Ragtrader". ragtrader.com.au.
64. ^ Noelle Faulkner (August 15, 2018). "Visionary collab: why there's more to Will.I.Am's new eyewear line than meets the eye". Vogue Australia. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
65. ^ "LOGO MOTION Game Revealed by Dean Kamen and will.i.am to 50,000 High-School Students at 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff". Manchester, New Hampshire: BusinessWire. January 8, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
66. ^ "2013 FRC Championship Awards List". FIRST Robotics Competition. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
67. ^ Olivarez-Giles, Nathan (January 25, 2011). "Will.i.am named Intel's director of creative innovation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
68. ^ Evans, Sean (August 30, 2016). "Will.I.Am Ruins Another Perfectly Fine Car". The Drive. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
69. ^ Moskowitz, Clara (August 28, 2012). "Mars Rover Belts Out Will.i.am Song From Red Planet in Cosmic First". Space.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
70. ^ Dehn, Georgia (November 21, 2012). "Will.i.am's iPhone accessories to 'turn smartphones into genius phones'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
71. ^ a b Solon, Olivia (May 2, 2016). "Will.i.am's Back With a New AI That Lives on Your Wrist—Or in Your Clothes". Wired. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
72. ^ "3D Systems Appoints will.i.am as Its Chief Creative Officer". 3DSystems. January 8, 2014. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
73. ^ Petch, Michael (December 2, 2019). "The hype and rise of 3D printing and Avi Reichental". 3DPrintingIndustry.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
74. ^ Preuschat, Archibald (February 22, 2016). "Deutsche Telekom Teams Up With will.i.am on New Smartwatch". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
75. ^ Morby, Alice (February 23, 2016). "Will.i.am's second wearable is a voice-activated smartwatch". Dezeen. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
76. ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (August 4, 2016). "Apple's Planet of the Apps show will feature Will.i.am and Gwyneth Paltrow". The Verge. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
77. ^ Lunden, Ingrid (July 27, 2017). "i.am+ buys Wink, the smart home hub formerly owned by Flex and Quirky". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
78. ^ "Will.i.am Is Looking to Make AI Technology More Inclusive". Miami New Times. May 8, 2024.
79. ^ Kaufman, Gil (December 7, 2010). "Will.I.Am Reveals He Has Tinnitus, Ringing In The Ears". MTV. Archived from the original on January 19, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
80. ^ "Black Eyed Peas | Will.i.am Has Adhd | Contactmusic.com". contactmusic.com. April 28, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
81. ^ Huntman, Ruth (February 16, 2020). "Sunday with will.i.am: 'I go to the mall to look at tech'". The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
82. ^ "Perez Hilton Asks Twitter Followers to Call Police on will.i.am". Los Angeles Times. June 22, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
83. ^ O'Kane, Sean (October 25, 2019). "Smart home platform Wink is dying as Will.i.am's tech company is low on money". The Verge. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
84. ^ "daytime entertainment emmy awards creative arts, creative craft winners". Emmyonline.org. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
85. ^ "GRAMMY.com". GRAMMY.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
86. ^ "Latin GRAMMYs". Latin GRAMMYs. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
87. ^ "Nominations - Mirchi Music Award Hindi 2012". www.radiomirchi.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Will.i.am.

* Will.i.am – official site
* Will.i.am discography at Discogs
* Will.i.am at IMDb
* Will.i.am's channel on YouTube
* Will.i.am at Beatbuggy

* v
* t
* e

will.i.am

* Discography
* Production discography

Studio albums|

* Lost Change
* Must B 21
* Songs About Girls
* #willpower

Soundtrack albums|

* Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Singles|

* "I Got It from My Mama"
* "Heartbreaker"
* "One More Chance"
* "Check It Out"
* "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)"
* "Great Times"
* "This Is Love"
* "Scream & Shout"
* "#thatPOWER"
* "Fall Down"
* "Bang Bang"
* "Feelin' Myself"
* "It's My Birthday"
* "Boys & Girls"
* "Mind Your Business"

Featured singles|

* "Beep"
* "I Love My Bitch"
* "Fergalicious"
* "Hip Hop Is Dead"
* "A Dream"
* "Baby Love"
* "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)"
* "Be OK"
* "I Want You"
* "In the Ayer"
* "What's Your Name"
* "All My Life (In the Ghetto)"
* "3 Words"
* "I'm in the House"
* "OMG"
* "Wavin' Flag" (Celebration Mix)
* "Forever"
* "Free"
* "Hall of Fame"
* "In My City"
* "Crazy Kids"
* "Something Really Bad"
* "It Should Be Easy"
* "Home"
* "Ew!"
* "I'm So Excited"
* "The Girl Is Mine 2008"

Promotional singles|

* "Here I Come"
* "Yes We Can"
* "It's a New Day"
* "America's Song"
* "I Wanna Go Crazy"
* "Reach for the Stars (Mars Edition)"

Other songs|

* "I Like to Move It"
* "Big Fat Bass"
* "Let's Go"

Related articles|

* Atban Klann
* Black Eyed Peas

Awards for will.i.am

* v
* t
* e

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video

1990s|

* "Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole (1991)
* "Black or White" – Michael Jackson (1992)
* "I'm Every Woman" – Whitney Houston (1993)
* No Award (1994)
* "Waterfalls" – TLC (1995)
* "I Believe I Can Fly" – R. Kelly (1996)
* "Stomp" – God's Property (1997)
* "Just the Two of Us" – Will Smith (1998)
* "Wild Wild West" – Will Smith (1999)

2000s|

* "I Wish" – R. Kelly (2000)
* "You Rock My World" – Michael Jackson (2001)
* "Little Things" – India Arie (2002)
* "Dance with My Father" – Luther Vandross (2003)
* "If I Ain't Got You" – Alicia Keys (2004)
* "Unbreakable" – Alicia Keys (2005)
* "Be Without You" – Mary J. Blige (2006)
* "Like You'll Never See Me Again" – Alicia Keys (2007)
* "Yes We Can" – will.i.am (2008)
* "I Look to You" – Whitney Houston (2009)

2010s|

* "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" – Alicia Keys (2010)
* "Where You At?" – Jennifer Hudson (2011)
* "Girl on Fire" – Alicia Keys (2012)
* "Q.U.E.E.N." – Janelle Monáe featuring Erykah Badu (2013)
* "You & I (Nobody in the World)" – John Legend (2014)
* "Shame" – Tyrese Gibson (2015)
* "Formation" – Beyoncé (2016)
* "That's What I Like" – Bruno Mars (2017)
* "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018)
* "Juice" – Lizzo (2019)

2020s|

* "Brown Skin Girl" – Beyoncé, Saint Jhn, and Wizkid featuring Blue Ivy Carter (2020)
* "Essence" – Wizkid featuring Tems (2021)
* "Lift Me Up" – Rihanna (2022)
* "Sensational" – Chris Brown featuring Davido & Lojay (2023)

* v
* t
* e

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song

Song
(1971–2015)|

* "Theme from Shaft" – Isaac Hayes (1971)
* No Award (1972–1994)
* "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" – Whitney Houston (1995)
* "I Believe I Can Fly" – R. Kelly (1996)
* "A Song for Mama" – Boyz II Men (1997)
* "Lean on Me" – Kirk Franklin (1998)
* "Spend My Life with You" – Eric Benét featuring Tamia (1999)
* "Open My Heart" – Yolanda Adams (2000)
* "A Woman's Worth" – Alicia Keys (2001)
* "Brighter Day" – Kirk Franklin (2002)
* "Dance with My Father" – Luther Vandross (2003)
* "If I Ain't Got You" – Alicia Keys (2004)
* "Unbreakable" – Alicia Keys (2005)
* "I Am Not My Hair" – India Arie (2006)
* "Like You'll Never See Me Again" – Alicia Keys (2007)
* "Yes We Can" – will.i.am (2008)
* "God in Me" – Mary Mary (2009)
* "Bittersweet" – Fantasia (2010)
* "I Smile" – Kirk Franklin (2011)
* "I Look to You" – Whitney Houston and R. Kelly (2012)
* "All of Me" – John Legend (2013)
* "We Are Here" – Alicia Keys (2014)
* "Back Together" – Jill Scott (2015)

Contemporary
(2016–2019)|

* "Freedom" – Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar (2016)
* "HUMBLE." – Kendrick Lamar (2017)
* "Boo'd Up" – Ella Mai (2018)
* "Before I Let Go" – Beyoncé (2019)

Traditional
(2016–2019)|

* "I See Victory" – Kim Burrell and Pharrell Williams (2016)
* "That's What I Like" – Bruno Mars (2017)
* "Long as I Live" – Toni Braxton (2018)
* "Spirit" – Beyoncé (2019)

Soul/R&B
(2020–present)|

* "Do It" – Chloe x Halle (2020)
* "Pick Up Your Feelings" – Jazmine Sullivan (2021)
* "Cuff It" – Beyoncé (2022)
* "ICU (Remix)" – Coco Jones featuring Justin Timberlake (2023)

Hip Hop/Rap
(2020–present)|

* "Savage (Remix)" – Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé (2020)
* "Fye Fye" – Tobe Nwigwe featuring Fat Nwigwe (2021)
* "Hotel Lobby" – Quavo and Takeoff (2022)
* "Cobra" – Megan Thee Stallion (2023)

International
(2020–present)|

* "Lockdown" – Original Koffee (2020)
* "Essence" – Wizkid featuring Tems and Justin Bieber (2021)
* "No Woman, No Cry" – Tems (2022)
* "Me & U" – Tems (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines) recipients

* Aurora Quezon
* Carlos P. Romulo
* Carmen de Luna
* Francisca Tirona-Benitez
* María Orosa
* Jaime De Veyra
* Rebecca Parrish
* Sergio Osmeña
* Elpidio Quirino
* Emilio Aguinaldo
* Juan Nakpil
* Engracia Cruz-Reyes
* Trinidad Fernandez-Legarda
* Guillermo Tolentino
* Vicente Madrigal
* Scout Oscar M. Alcaraz'
* International Rice Research Institute
* Manuel Elizalde
* Kenneth Lee Pike
* Herbert W. Armstrong
* Gabriel Elorde
* Paeng Nepomuceno
* Lea Salonga
* Cecile Licad
* Maniya Barredo
* Haydee Yorac
* Teresita de Castro
* Armand Fabella
* Hermogenes Esperon
* Edelmiro Amante
* Emilio Osmeña
* Epimaco Velasco
* Franklin Drilon
* Leonardo Quisumbing
* Victor Sumulong
* Ramon Montaño
* Jang Young-sik
* Philip Watts
* Robert A. Underwood
* Manny Pacquiao
* Dr. Josette Biyo
* Abdulmari Imao
* Alexander Magno
* Alfonso Yuchengco
* Andres Bautista
* Carmen Pedrosa
* Efraim Tendero
* Gilberto Duavit Sr.
* Mel Senen Sarmiento
* Oscar Rodriguez
* Pablo Garcia
* Pedro Romualdo
* Raul Lambino
* René Azurin
* Sergio Apostol
* Vicente Paterno
* Anita Magsaysay-Ho
* Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo
* Oscar Yatco
* Romeo Tabuena
* apl.de.ap
* will.i.am
* Benjamin Cayetano
* Linda Lingle
* Francisco Bustamante
* Monique Lhuillier
* Federico Alcuaz
* Manuel Conde
* Malang
* Alfonso Cusi
* Antonio Cuenco
* Nerissa Soon-Ruiz
* Raul del Mar
* Thadeo Ouano
* Tomas Osmeña
* Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias
* Reverend Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros, SJ
* Francis Magalona
* Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala II
* Leland Yee
* Lilia de Lima
* Ambeth Ocampo

* v
* t
* e

Black Eyed Peas

* will.i.am
* apl.de.ap
* Taboo
* J. Rey Soul

* Fergie
* Kim Hill

Studio albums|

* Behind the Front
* Bridging the Gap
* Elephunk
* Monkey Business
* The E.N.D.
* The Beginning
* Masters of the Sun Vol. 1
* Translation
* Elevation

Compilations|

* Renegotiations: The Remixes
* The E.N.D. Summer 2010 Canadian Invasion Tour: Remix Collection

Video albums|

* Behind the Bridge to Elephunk
* Live from Sydney to Vegas

Singles|

* "Joints & Jam"
* "Karma"
* "BEP Empire/Get Original
* "Weekends"
* "Request + Line"
* "Where Is the Love?"
* "Shut Up"
* "Hey Mama"
* "Let's Get It Started"
* "Don't Phunk with My Heart"
* "Don't Lie"
* "My Humps"
* "Pump It"
* "Boom Boom Pow"
* "I Gotta Feeling"
* "Meet Me Halfway"
* "Imma Be"
* "Rock That Body"
* "Missing You"
* "The Time (Dirty Bit)"
* "Just Can't Get Enough"
* "Don't Stop the Party"
* "Where's the Love"
* "Be Nice"
* "Ritmo"
* "Mamacita"
* "Feel the Beat"
* "Vida Loca"
* "Girl Like Me"
* "Don't You Worry"
* "Simply the Best"

Promotional singles|

* "Alive"
* "Yesterday"

Featured singles|

* "Mas que Nada"

Concert tours|

* The Monkey Business Tour
* Honda Civic Tour
* The E.N.D. World Tour
* The Beginning Massive Stadium Tour

Related articles|

* Accolades
* Discography
* Atban Klann
* The Black Eyed Peas Experience
* Masters of the Sun (comic)
* Super Bowl XLV halftime show
* "Ima Korean"

* Category

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Norway
* France
* BnF data
* Germany
* Israel
* United States
* Czech Republic
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