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
Play It Loud
Black Eyed Peas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To rhythm and sound.
Music is my medicine,
Let the rhythm pound
And play it loud, baby play it loud
Play it loud, baby play it loud
Rock the crowd, baby rock the crowd
I found a love,
Its in the music
Drop all your guns,
Drop all that bullshit.
We come to love
Inside the instruments.
John Lennon, Bob Marley are my presidents.
The sound of trumpets wake up people sleeping now,
The drum and volume playin' gonna shake the ground
The violins will pick you up when you are down
The melody will spin around and around.
And who's going to stop us?
Who's going to stop us from rocking with this sound?
Who's going to stop us, who's going to stop us
From b-b-breaking it down?
Imma play lay it loud, Imma play it loud.
Play it loud, baby play it loud
And rock the crowd, baby rock the crowd
And rock the crowd, baby play it loud.
Hot beats coming from the city streets,
M.P.3's via internet from overseas
D.J's playing, you dance to 'em
Swaying, staying up
All night, zombie life
Audio delight, oh.
The sound of trumpets wake up people laying down, oh
The drum and volume playin' gonna shake the ground
The violins will pick you up when you are down
The melody will spin around and around.
And who's going to stop us?
Who's going to stop us from rocking with this sound?
Who's going to stop us, who's going to stop us
From b-b-breaking it down?
Imma play it loud, Imma play it loud.
Play it loud, baby play it loud
And rock the crowd, baby rock the crowd
Play it loud, baby play it loud.
I pledge my allegiance.
To rhythm and sound.
"Play It Loud" by Black Eyed Peas celebrates the power of music and the unity it can bring. The opening verse pledges allegiance to the rhythm and sound of music and highlights how it can serve as a form of medicine for the soul. The song encourages listeners to embrace the vibrancy and energy of music and allow it to take over and profoundly impact their life. The repeated chorus encourages everyone to play it loud and rock the crowd, letting the sound of music bring people together in joy and harmony.
The lyrics evoke a sense of cultural diversity and appreciation for global music as the song speaks of hot beats coming from the city streets and MP3s from all over the world via the internet. The song brings to light the transformative power of music and how it can be used as a medium for engaging in social change. The final verse suggests that music can wake people up from their slumber and inspire them towards action by breaking down barriers and creating a powerful sense of unity.
The overall message of the song is that music is a unifying force that transcends all differences and has the power to bring people together in a celebration of life. The song invites everyone to let loose and immerse themselves in the joy and freedom of music, to play it loud and let the sound carry them away.
Line by Line Meaning
I pledge my allegiance,
I vow to devote myself entirely to music, its rhythms, and sounds.
To rhythm and sound.
My devotion is to the beating pulse and the power of the sound.
Music is my medicine,
The tunes I listen to and play have the power to heal me from all emotional wounds.
Let the rhythm pound
I let the beats thump inside me, and it injects energy into me to live life cheerfully.
And play it loud, baby play it loud
Crank up the music and let's blast it into the atmosphere to make an impact.
Rock the crowd, baby rock the crowd
Powerful music is like compulsion that makes people want to dance and spread joy together.
I found a love,
I have found something that moves me and inspires me in the form of music.
Its in the music
The affection and enthusiasm I feel is present in the notes and rhythms of music.
Drop all your guns,
I ask people to forget aggression and violence and listen to the soothing rhythms instead.
Drop all that bullshit.
Forget all the negativity and meaningless talking, and let's just vibe with music.
We come to love
We unite to celebrate love through the creation and appreciation of music.
Inside the instruments.
The creators of music put their passion and love for the art into the sounds and notes of their instruments.
John Lennon, Bob Marley are my presidents.
These artists are my idols and people that I admire and respect.
The sound of trumpets wake up people sleeping now,
The sound created by trumpets has the power of awakening people to enjoy the music and moments of life.
The drum and volume playin' gonna shake the ground
When the drum rolls, and the music is loud, it makes earth-shattering impacts on our hearts and minds.
The violins will pick you up when you are down
The soulful and emotional sound created by violins can uplift and elevate our mood in tough times.
The melody will spin around and around.
The sweet and powerful tune continues to play and spread its magic wherever one goes.
And who's going to stop us?
No one can take away our freedom to live the moments and celebrate music and joy.
Who's going to stop us from rocking with this sound?
We will not let anyone take away our right to let the music flow through us and make us jump up with joy.
From b-b-breaking it down?
Will anyone ever throw cold water on our party and make us stop the music and merry-making?
Imma play lay it loud, Imma play it loud.
I am going to switch up the volume and play music so loud that it vibrates the walls and the hearts of the people around.
Hot beats coming from the city streets,
The sounds of music are so intense and mesmerizing that the entire city can feel the rhythm coming from the streets with hot beats and bass.
M.P.3's via internet from overseas
The power of music has no bounds and transcends geographical boundaries now which we can feel through mp3 sent through the internet from abroad.
D.J's playing, you dance to 'em
D.J's know how to mix music and get people to vibe with them and let go of all their inhibitions to dance under the rhythm's spell.
Swaying, staying up
The music is so soulful that it makes us sway, move, and stay up with the beats digging deep inside our souls.
All night, zombie life
Music has the power to take us into a trance, and we dance till we drop, feeling like zombies under the spell of the harmonies.
Audio delight, oh.
The sound created by music is so delightful that it can make us forget all our troubles and bring sheer joy.
Play it loud, baby play it loud
Music is the universal language, and everyone must hear, feel, and celebrate it together.
Play it loud, baby play it loud
I want everybody to crank up the volume and play the music loud to experience the magic of harmony.
And rock the crowd, baby rock the crowd
Let's drop the beats, and the people will be swept off their feet to dance and rock the crowd.
Play it loud, baby play it loud.
The music must be enjoyed without any inhibitions and loud enough to reach the hearts of everyone present.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Michael Mchenry, Alain Whyte, Will Adams, Jean Baptiste
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind