Black Eyed Peas: "We need new Public Enemy"

• Summer 2019 The last Black Eyed Peas party in Spain.

Nobody escapes that urban Latino is one of the dominant spaces in the global pop scene, that figures like Bad Bunny or Rosalía compete in world popularity with Drake or Beyoncé, and that one of the formulas for success is to integrate bass Reggaeton elastics with electronic pop and club hip hop. will.I.am, the main producer of the Black Eyed Peas trio, made it clear when the first signal came to him, just after the shot of Despacito , by Luis Fonsi, and the subsequent collaboration that Justin Bieber made with the Puerto Rican author.

"It was like when PSY's Gangnam style came out ," he explains from his car, while driving around Los Angeles, with the palm trees in the background (advantages of speaking via Zoom). "A hit song is not the same as a movement, but some have made their way. After Gangnam Style, K-Pop exploded in the United States, and after J Balvin's Despacito y Mi gente , the same thing happened with pop. Latino. People realized something was up. Beyoncé in My People ? What's this about? "

We have been acclimatized here to the rise of urban music with lyrics in Spanish, but this phenomenon is relatively new in the United States mainstream . However, the curve is unstoppable, and will.I.am knew it was time to do something different. " We were not satisfied with a song and invited a Latin pop star. We had already started experimenting with the mixture of languages, English and Spanish, in 2015 I produced songs for Daddy Yankee or Juanes ... But we wanted to make an entire album" .

The album is Translation (Sony, 2020), a work completed in full confinement and in which most of the main figures of reggaeton and Latin pop participate: Shakira, J Balvin, Ozuna, Maluma, Becky G. And who is not appears in a greeting or a sample; Rosalía is mentioned in Ritmo - a song articulated from the chorus of Corona's Rhythm of the Night , the definitive Eurobeat anthem - but she has no featuring on the disc. "We couldn't spend all the cartridges at once," explains will.I.am. "The idea is to do a Translation 2 , because there are a lot of interesting people to work with."

In the vein of Black Eyed Peas since the publication of Elephunk (2003), Translation is a festive album that seeks to generate good vibes. The project had been going on for a long time, but it has ended up appearing at an especially opportune moment, in which the gray landscape that is drawn in American society - the pandemic, autarky, racial revolts, the real possibility of another economic recession - you need an optimistic antidote.

"In times like this," argues will.I.am, "what are you doing? A sad album to complain about, or a joyous album that gives hope? People will remember these moments, and I think it's good that I identify it with happy songs In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks and the terrorist threat, we published Where is the love ? , and in 2008, just after the recession, we did I gotta feeling , which was about tiredness due to so much sad news and the desire to have fun. I wanted to be a change in the vibration. Now we are in a similar moment. "

He also says that they do not rule out entering the social debate, and more at a time when the racial question has been reactivated in the United States, which, beyond the protests and some violent revolts promoted by the Black Lives Matter movement, has recovered with it forces the noble objective of reducing racism still installed in many layers of society. At the end of the day, Black Eyed Peas have had committed moments in their career, when they participated in the rap scene aware. But will.I.am insists that this is a mission for other types of artists. "I am sure there will be more committed projects like Run The Jewels. I am convinced that Kendrick Lamar or J. Cole will write about these moments and that they will do something fantastic. But what I am missing is a Public Enemy from 2020 , a young group , hard ... Where are they? We need them. "

On the black issue, will.I.am senses that it is a good time to internationalize a message of unity and respect. "Hopefully it's not something just from the United States, that we can connect threads with the United Kingdom, with French hip hop made by blacks, with African artists ... ". His partner Apl.de.ap, who participates in the interview along with the third member of Black Eyed Peas, Taboo, adds that Translation could be an album that helps strengthen ties and raise the need to collaborate musically on a global level.

What distresses them is that, in the midst of a pandemic, with the festivals canceled and the tours postponed, they cannot take their project to live, since it was intended to be a party without complexes. "I'm not going to lie either," admits will.I.am. " We have had such a good time in South America and in Spain that we wanted to have an album that would allow us to go there on tour every year ."

And they add one more thought, at a time when, while betting on dance music, the clubs of the world are practically closed. " Thank God there are social networks and especially TikTok, " says Taboo. "They have opened a space for people to communicate and dance. The challenges we have posed with songs like Mamacita on TikTok have had a great response. We have not been able to go to clubs, but still we have opened a window for people to be Happy. Maybe you don't dance the night away anymore, and only do it for 30 seconds, but it's just as incredible. It would be a shame if they say TikTok is banned in America. " Although, as will.I.am indicates, nothing will happen either. There will always be Instagram. Or Zoom. Or a vaccine.

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