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Hip-hop with a halo
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A socially-conscious hip-hop band releases its follow-up album
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GUYS AND A GIRL The Black Eyed Peas. From left are Taboo (Jaime Gomez), Fergie (Stacey Ferguson), will.i.am (Will Adams), and apl.de.ap (Allan Pineda)
The first single, "Where Is The Love" from their 2003 album called Elephunk introduced global audiences to a new facet of hip-hop that is socially conscious and sends out positive messages, going a long way in changing the tough and blunt "gangsta" image of hip-hop. Though the follow up singles like "Shut Up" and "Let's Get It Started" were not too heavy on the preaching quotient, the catchy rhythms and positivity in the tracks ensured chart success. Having recently released their second album Monkey Business, the Black Eyed Peas are one of the hottest pop bands today.
Just as hip-hop was on the verge of being regarded as the music of the rough n' tuff which propagated violence and a more-than-necessary level of aggression, a group of three guys and a girl (William, Fergie, apl.de.ap and Taboo) from Los Angeles tried something different. They wrote songs that spoke of universal love and peace, masquerading these thoughts in the backdrop of hip-hop. Though critics initially regarded Black Eyed Peas as a one-hit wonder, tracks like "Shut Up" were hugely popular. A common element in all the tracks was an underlying message of peace at various levels, ranging from peace between men and nations to peace within one's heart. Close on the heels of their stage performance at the Live 8 concert, BEP has released its new album in India. A follow-up album after such a small interval comes as a surprise but the managers of the band say it is to ensure continuity and consistency in fan following. The first single from the album, "Don't Phunk With My Heart" is one of those songs that sounds jarring the first time and you end up hating it. But as you repeatedly listen to it, you relate to the tune and begin humming it. By the time you hear it some five times, it becomes infectious. A very energetic and meaningful track, it cautions people against playing with other's emotions and feelings. A stereotype song with this message would be mellow and soft, but BEP have packed in a lot of punch to make it dance floor-friendly. The video for the second single, "Don't Lie" was premiered recently and can hope to hit the screens any day.
Though BEP has got instant success in the hip-hop arena, it remains to be seen how long it will sustain its popularity. Going by the monotonous similarity in all their songs, it won't be long before their originality dies. Let's hope their reported future collaboration with Gwen Stephani brings something new.
A. VISHNU
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