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
Smells Like Funk
Black Eyed Peas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah that's funky (funky)
Yeah that's funky (funky)
[Chorus]
If it smells like funk it must be us
Funk funk out chickies dank your stuff
If it smells like funk it must be us
If it smells like funk it must be us
Funk funk out chickies dank your stuff
If it smells like funk it must be us
Cause nobody's funky as us
Cause we keep it stinky, (stinky)
We keep it stinky ( stinky)
We keep it stinky (stinky) stinky stinky stinky
The funk phenomenon
We funk you on and on
There's no need to hold your nose
Cause this funk stink like a rose
Big booty funk toe jam funk underarm funk
Like you headlockin' a skunk
Reakin' like disease, athletes feet
The stench didn't come 'til after this beat
Smellin' like draw's, no reason no cause
Put your hands up on the speaker
And get smelly like ours
You knew we was coming
Before we entered the door
Cause you was smellin' rhyme
When we walkin' down the hall
We bring the funk worse than we dog
Stinkin' like that ladies shittin' out
We drop enough shit to keep the toilets clogged
To keep the people jumpin'
Like them in full force
The first one who smelt it, is the one who dealt it
The Black Eyed Peas keep the scent fly like Delta
Funky like onions, you cryin'
(You always cryin') girl you ain't
[Chorus]
Yo, you funkin' with the funk family
The non-fabricated factual faculty
We formulatin' up in a factory
Focusin' on a the energy, the fluid flow free
We flawless, everything is flaw free
We flourish and we flaunt our flavor freshly
Can you believe we flipped the frequency
And freakin c's they all leave frantically
But our intentions are to be friendly
But they frighten when we start the free stylin' frenzy
I funk up your flat 'til your girlfriend leave
Fillin' all anatomy
Bringin' me flat
Should be diggin' these rhymes fatty beats like cellulite
Lyrics all flappy
We bring the funk to your festivities
If you think something stink, it must be the Peas
[Chorus]
Cellulite overweight stinkin' MC's
Stench smell so strong its unsanitary
Cause you sense me a mile away
So junky the funk sound from Serengeti
Meaty fat nasty like Miss Fat Booty
Stripes getting dirty like mud fights and dirt bikes
Turning these draw's black that's used to be white
And shittin' on these tracks that you gonna need to wipe
The odours so contagious that it shows up in your dreams
Man you can pick me out like food in between
Your two front teeth 'cause you be like in the streets
We got beefy ass beats that we bumpin' in the street
We salty not sweet like stink box of feet
Sour underarm funky, we ain't washed in a week
Now man we be reakin' every damn weekend
We can all bounce to the funk and the season
[Bridge]
Bounce, bounce, bounce
Yeah that's funky
Yeah that's funky
If you smellin' somethin' funky
Then you know it got to be
Nobody other than Apl
Well, let's say funk
Cause you know that if you
Smell funk, then it must be us
If you smellin' fat funk then it must be us
If you smellin' somethin' funky
Then you know it got to be
Nobody other than Apl
Well, let's say funk
Cause you know that if
It smells like funk
Smellin' elephants, than it must be us
If you smellin' somethin' funky
Then you know it got to be
Nobody other than Apl
Well, let's say funk
Cause you know that if
It smells like funk
Elephant shit, it must be us
Elephant, it's what you want
Cellulite, it's all right
Elephant, it's what you want
Cellulite, it's all right
Some thing's that are fat you should not get rid of
But there is some fat you should burn...
The Black Eyed Peas' "Smells Like Funk" is a song that celebrates funk and everything that smells funky. The track opens with the repeated refrain, "Yeah, that's funky," setting the tone for the funky, yet humorous lyrics to follow. The chorus reinforces the theme of the song, stating that if something smells like funk, it must be the Peas. The lyrics also allude to the notion that the group is the best at being funky and no one can match their stink. The verse takes the listener on a journey through different types of funk, from underarm funk to toe jam funk to stinky rhymes. The bridge emphasizes the message that if you smell funk, it must be the Black Eyed Peas.
The song is a playful celebration of the genre of funk, which emphasizes an upbeat rhythm and a danceable groove. The song's lyrics embrace what some might consider unpleasant smells and turn them into something cool and worth celebrating. The Black Eyed Peas challenge the listener to let go of their inhibitions and embrace the stink, while reminding them that they are the ultimate funk masters. The song's catchy beat, fun rhymes, and playful lyrics are what make it a fan favorite and a unique addition to the Black Eyed Peas' discography.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah that's funky (funky)
Expressing that something is funky.
If it smells like funk it must be us
If the funk is in the air, it must be coming from us.
Funk funk out chickies dank your stuff
Get your funk together, ladies.
We keep it stinky ( stinky)
We maintain a high level of stink.
The funk phenomenon
The phenomenon of funk music.
We funk you on and on
We keep the funk coming endlessly.
Cause this funk stink like a rose
Despite the stink, our funk is still beautiful like a rose.
Big booty funk, toe jam funk, underarm funk
Different types of funk smells.
Like you headlockin' a skunk
The smell is as strong as wrestling a skunk.
Reakin' like disease, athletes feet
The stink is like the smell of a disease or athletes feet.
The stench didn't come 'til after this beat
The stink only came after the music started playing.
Put your hands up on the speaker, and get smelly like ours
Put your hands on the artist and become one with our stink.
We bring the funk worse than we dog
We bring the funk harder than any dog.
Stinkin' like that ladies shittin' out
Our funk smells like women using the restroom.
We drop enough shit to keep the toilets clogged
We bring enough funk to clog a toilet.
The Black Eyed Peas keep the scent fly like Delta
We keep our scent fresh like an airline.
The first one who smelt it, is the one who dealt it
The person who smells it first is usually the one responsible for creating the smell.
We flourish and we flaunt our flavor freshly
We proudly display our fresh, unique style and sound.
But they frighten when we start the free stylin' frenzy
People get scared when we start freestyling.
Can you believe we flipped the frequency
Can you believe we changed the sound and style of music?
We funky like onions, you crying (you always crying), girl you ain't
We are funky like onions and make people cry (figuratively) with our sound.
Sour underarm funky, we ain't washed in a week
Our funk smells like sour underarm and we haven't washed in a week.
Now man we be reakin' every damn weekend
We smell terrible every weekend.
If you smellin' somethin' funky, then you know it got to be
If you smell something funky, it can only be us.
Elephant, it's what you want, cellulite, it's all right
Being big/fat is okay sometimes, but not always.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: ALLAN PINEDA, WILL ADAMS, GEORGE JR PAJON, MICHAEL FRATANTUNO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind