Early Life
will.i.am. was born on March 15, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. His birth name is William James Adams. After his father took off, William’s mother, Debra, raised him on her own. Growing up in the projects was not easy, and music always helped William to look on the bright side of life. He decided to pursue a career in music when he was in high school.
Career
will.i.am. started by forming the rap group Atban Klann with his high-school friend Allan Pineda, stage name apl.de.ap). The combination of break-dancing and hip-hop styles brought something new to the scene and got the group signed to Easy-E’s label, Ruthless Records, in 1992. Unfortunately, the label dropped the group after the death of Easy-E in 1995.
That’s when will.i.am. decided to rename the group to The Black Eyed Pods, and then to Black Eyed Peas and added another group member, Taboo. The group released the debut album Behind the Front in 1998. In 2001, will.i.am. released his debut solo album Lost Change. Although, The Black Eyed Peas were still on the top of his priority list and added Fergie to the mix.
The first album with Fergie onboard Elephunk arrived in 2003 and was an absolute hit. Their song Where Is the Love climbed to number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100. Over the next couple of years, the group sold over 76 million albums across the world and won 6 GRAMMY Awards.
will.i.am. kept on producing music. Thanks to the new recognition, he got the chance to produce for Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Justin Bieber.
He even pursued a career in the movie industry appearing in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. will.i.am. was a judge in The X Factor and American Idol, and a coach on The Voice Australia and The Voice UK on several occasions.
will.i.am. Relationships: Who He Dated?
will.i.am. is currently single but has been involved with:
Natalie Imbruglia (2008)
Casey Batchelor (2013)
In the News
will.i.am. is continuously in the media ever since his announcement in 2016 about The Black Eyed Peas coming back together. They released their comeback album in 2018, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1.
Want to keep up with will.i.am.? Make sure to stay tuned to The Shade Room!
