Black Eyed Peas went to centenary state high school and got their start in 1988 when will.i.am (born 1975 William James Adams Jr.) and apl.de.ap (born 1974 Allan Pineda) began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The pair signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E) after catching the attention of the nephew of Jerry Heller (Eazy-E's manager). Along with Mookie Mook (Burning Star), Dante Santiago & DJ Motiv8, they called their group A.T.B.A.N. Klann. Their debut album, 'Grass Roots', was not released originally because Ruthless did not consider the social themes reflected in the group's music to be marketable to their audience. A single "Puddles of H2O" was released in 1994 but no album was released (until it leaked onto the Internet in the mid 2000s).
After Eazy-E died of an AIDS related illness in 1995, they changed their name to Black Eyed Peas; will.i.am explained on the front cover of the Monkey Business album that "Black Eyed Peas are food for the soul", hence the name. will.i.am has cited the Red Hot Chili Peppers as an influence and said he named his band after a food, like them. They replaced their original third member Mookie, with Dante Santiago the Peas original singer. Then Taboo (born Jaime Gomez) joined the group. Dante Santiago took on a role as a guest vocalist in the band and featured frequently on various tracks for their first four albums.
In 1996, they produced and appeared on a song entitled "That's Right" for Brian Austin Green's hip-hop album One Stop Carnival. Later, they began using Kim Hill as a steady background singer. Unlike many hip-hop acts, they chose to perform with a live band and adopted a musical and clothing style that differed wildly from the "gangsta rap" sounds of other Los Angeles-based hip-hop acts at the time. Through the mid-'90s, they performed in the local club circuit alongside fellow acts such as Ozomatli and Jurassic 5.
The group were signed to Interscope Records and released their debut, "Behind the Front", in 1998. The album won the group (and their accompanying live band, the Bucky Jonsons) critical acclaim. The album featured the single "Joints & Jams", which was included on the Bulworth soundtrack. Their second album, "Bridging the Gap", was released in 2000; it featured the single "Request + Line" featuring Macy Gray.
After replacing their female background singer with Fergie, the group released their breakout album, "Elephunk", and their 2005 album, "Monkey Business", which featured the hit singles "Pump It", "Don't Phunk With My Heart", "Don't Lie" and "My Humps".
"The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)", their fifth album, was released worldwide in June 2009 and has managed to sell 5 million copies in 8 months (Elephunk: 7 million, Monkey Business: 10 million). It already spawned 2 of the most downloaded singles of all time: "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling", both were downloaded 5 million times only in the USA. The 3rd single "Meet Me Halfway" was downloaded 2 million times and the 4th "Imma Be", which was just released, already sold 1 million. "Rock That Body" is the 5th single.
http://www.blackeyedpeas.com
Make Them Hear You
Black Eyed Peas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh huh
Uh huh
Yeah
Uh huh
Uh huh
Check it
I got something that I really want to say
It's been on my mind and it goes this way
Concerns about society
And while I have a chance i'm a say it (hey)
We got
Teachers teachin' crap to the kids
Equivalent to selling crack to the kids
That's why the world's so addicted to fear, monkey business
You see my inside
Said something ain't right
I've got a mouth fright
I say it out right
I'll make a statement
State my opinion
Maybe my action
Gives inspiration
To make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Hey mister, something's wrong
We know something's going on
You know something we should know
Hey! Hey! You! You!
Oh, and what do they know?
When they don't say what they know
Oh, you're life you own
Things you must say, let me know
There's some things that I really wanna know
Check it out now, cause this is how it go
Look we can go and buy tobacco
But apparently weed's illegal
If the world's so technological
Then why do we run cars off of oil
Gas and plastic all for oil
We went to war for oil
When it boils down to
(to, to, to, to, to, to)
You see my inside
Said something ain't right
I've got a mouth fright
I say it out right
I'll make a statement
State my opinion
Maybe my action
Gives inspiration
To make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Hey mister, something's wrong
We know something's going on
We know something wish you'd know
Hey! Hey! You! You
Oh, and where do they owe
When they don't say what they know
Oh, you're like your own
Things you must say, let me know
This is Monkey Business
I've got my rights to a business
This can't be life or is it
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
This is Monkey Business
I've got my rights to a business
This can't be life or is it
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Hey mister, something's wrong
We know something's going on
We know something wish you'd know
Why don't you just let us know
Make them hear you
La-la-la-la-la
Hear you
La-la-la-la-la
Hear you
La-la-la-la-la
Hear you
La-la-la-la-la
Hey mister, something's wrong
We know something's going on
You know something we should know
Hey! Hey! You! You!
The Black Eyed Peas’s song Make Them Hear You is an anthem that speaks about the societal issues and concerns. The lyrics are a call to action, with the message to speak up and raise awareness on the injustices of the world. The song talks about the educational system, the addiction to fear, and the importance of freedom of speech. The inaction of authority figures and their lack of transparency adds to the frustration expressed in the song. The chorus, “Make them hear you,” reinforces the message of the song, emphasizing the need to be heard and taken seriously.
Moreover, the song highlights the hypocrisy in society. In the lyrics, there’s a comparison drawn between tobacco and weed. Though tobacco is deadly, it’s still legal, whereas weed is illegal. The song also speaks about the dependency on oil, and how the world runs on it, which has led to wars and damage to the environment. The message conveyed is to question the things that society has accepted and the systems in place, to strive for change and make voices heard.
Overall, Make Them Hear You is a powerful and thought-provoking song that encourages people to stand up for what they believe in and to speak out against societal issues.
Line by Line Meaning
I got something that I really want to say
I have a message that I want to share with the world
It's been on my mind and it goes this way
This message has been weighing on my mind and here's how it goes
Concerns about society
My message is about the problems in society
And while I have a chance i'm a say it (hey)
Since I have a platform to speak, I'm going to share my message
We got
There is a problem that we need to address
Teachers teachin' crap to the kids
Some teachers are teaching useless information to students
Equivalent to selling crack to the kids
This is as harmful as selling drugs to children
That's why the world's so addicted to fear, monkey business
This is why the world is consumed by fear and chaos
You see my inside
I'm sharing my innermost thoughts and feelings
Said something ain't right
Something is wrong with the current state of the world
I've got a mouth fright
I'm afraid to speak up
I say it out right
But I'll speak my mind anyway
I'll make a statement
I'll make my message loud and clear
State my opinion
I'll share my personal beliefs
Maybe my action
Perhaps my words and actions can inspire change
Gives inspiration
I hope to inspire others to speak up and make a difference
To make them hear you
To get others to listen to your message
Hey mister, something's wrong
Sir, there is a problem that needs to be addressed
We know something's going on
We are aware of the situation at hand
You know something we should know
You have information that would be helpful for us to know
Oh, and what do they know?
What knowledge do they possess?
When they don't say what they know
If they don't speak up, their knowledge is useless
Oh, you're life you own
You have the power to control your own life
Things you must say, let me know
Please share important information that needs to be said
There's some things that I really wanna know
There are unanswered questions that I would like addressed
Check it out now, cause this is how it go
Pay attention, because this is how things are
Look we can go and buy tobacco
It's legal to purchase tobacco products
But apparently weed's illegal
Yet marijuana is still illegal in some places
If the world's so technological
Considering our advanced technology
Then why do we run cars off of oil
Why are we still relying on fossil fuels to power our vehicles?
Gas and plastic all for oil
So much of our existence revolves around the use of oil
We went to war for oil
Countries have gone to war over access to oil
(to, to, to, to, to, to)
Background chanting music
This is Monkey Business
This is chaos and disorder
I've got my rights to a business
I have the right to speak up and make change
This can't be life or is it
This state of the world can't be all that there is, or can it?
Make them hear you
Get people to listen to your message
Hey mister, something's wrong
Sir, there is a problem that needs to be addressed
We know something's going on
We are aware of the situation at hand
We know something wish you'd know
We have information that we think you should be aware of
Why don't you just let us know
Please give us the information we need to properly address the issue
La-la-la-la-la
Background chanting music
Hear you
Listen to what we have to say
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILL ADAMS, GEORGE JR PAJON, STACY FERGUSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Deer子鹿
I got something that I really want to say
It's been on my mind and it goes this way
Concerns about society
And while I have a chance imma say it (hey)
We got
Teachers teachin' crap to the kids
Equivalent to selling crack to the kids
That's why the world's so addicted to fear, monkey business
You see my inside
Said something ain't right
I've got a mouth fright
I say it out right
I'll make a statement
State my opinion (Love it)
Maybe my action
Gives inspiration
To make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Hey mister, something's wrong
We know something's going on
You know something we should know
Hey! Hey! You! You!
Ohh, and what do they know?
When they don't say what they know
Ohh, you're life you own
Things you must say, let me know
There's some things that I really wanna know
Check it out now, cuz this is how it go
Look we can go and buy tobacco
But apparently weed's illegal
If the world's so technological
Then why do we run cars off of oil
Gas and plastic all for oil
We went to war for oil
When it boils down to
(to, to, to, to, to, to)
You see my inside
Said something ain't right
I've got a mouth fright
I say it out right
I'll make a statement
State my opinion
Maybe my action
Gives inspiration
To make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Hey mister, something's wrong
We know something's going on
We know something wish you'd know
Hey! Hey! You! You
Ohh, and where do they owe
When they don't say what they know
Ohh, you're like your own
Things you must say, let me know
This is Monkey Business
I've got my rights to a business
This can't be life or is it
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
This is Monkey Business
I've got my rights to a business
This can't be life or is it
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Make them hear you
Hey mister, something's wrong
We know something's going on
We know something wish you'd know
Why don't you just let us know
Make them hear you
La-la-la-la-la
Hear you
La-la-la-la-la
Hear you
La-la-la-la-la
Hear you
La-la-la-la-la
Hey mister, something's wrong
We know something's going on
You know something we should know
Hey! Hey! You! You!
Macadam Blob
I don’t remember this track
Black Eyed Peas Library
It's a bonus track
ARCoventry
The “Japan Bonus Track” I think it was only on CDs sold in Japan
Inter-dimensional Lizard
Make "then" hear you?
This is highly unorthodox.