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
phenomenon
Black Eyed Peas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your beauty is like
A shining star light
You make my heart skip
You are my highlight
You got that aura
It's so angelic
You're so electric
Your smile is sunshine
You give me sunlight
You're what I'm missing
Apart of my life
Compared to no one
One in a million
You got me going
You're my ignition
CHORUS
Can't nobody love me like the way you do
It's a phenomenon
It's a phenomenon
Can't nobody love me like the way you do
It's a phenomenon
It's a phenomenon
You take me to higher grounds
Na na na na na na na na na na na na
You take me to higher grounds
Na na na na na na na na na na na na
FERGIE
What you say is overrated
Cuz you made it up
You think that i am slow
You didn't know
Oh what you say to me
Is the bait into the same shit
That you say all them o-o-oh's
Them other o-o-oh's
You used to be the kind of the man
That would take me as I am
Now you go-oh
Mr. go-oh
No need to stay another day
So I'll be on my way
I'm out the door
Out the door
Oh-oh
CHORUS
Can't nobody love me like the way you do
It's a phenomenon
It's a phenomenon
Can nobody love me like the way you do
It's a phenomenon
It's a phenomenon
You take me to higher grounds
Na na na na na na na na na na na na
You take me to higher grounds
Na na na na na na na na na na na na
TABOO
You're the one I want
You're the one I need
You're my everything
You're my everything
You're the one for me
You're the one for me
You're my everything
You're my evreythang
APL.DE.AP
This feelings crazy
I can't explain it
It's so amazing
Feels like I'm dreaming
This love aint basic
It's like a spaceship
Out somewhere far
I wanna visit
Like the taj mahal
Or the great wall
You're a phenomenon
You're a phenomenon
Like the pyramid
Or coliseum
You're a phenomenon
You're a phenomenon
The song "Phenomenon" by Black Eyed Peas features verses from Apl.De.Ap and Taboo, and a chorus sung by Fergie. The lyrics are about the power of love, with Apl.De.Ap singing about a woman who he compares to a shining star, whose beauty and aura are electric and angelic. He can't find anyone else like her, and sings that she's his ignition, taking him to higher ground. In the chorus, they repeat that nobody can love him like she does, calling it a phenomenon. Taboo's verse reinforces this sentiment, calling her his everything and proclaiming that their love is amazing.
The song seems to be about the power of romantic love, and specifically how it can elevate a person and make them feel like they're experiencing something truly exceptional. The way Apl.De.Ap describes the object of his love as electric, angelic, and a shining star gives her an otherworldly quality, as though she's a divine being who has descended to earth to capture his heart. The chorus doubles down on this idea, calling their love a phenomenon that nobody else can replicate. Fergie's brief verse seems to be a counterpoint to this idea - she sings about someone who's overrated and tries to bait her with the same old lines, suggesting that not all loves are created equal.
Line by Line Meaning
Your beauty is like
Your appearance is comparable to a shining star that gives off light
A shining star light
You possess something that adds bright light to my life like a shining star
You make my heart skip
You induce my anxiousness and excitement at the same time
You are my highlight
You are a significant part of my life upon which all other things revolve around
You got that aura
You exhibit a type of energy that can't be seen but can be felt
It's so angelic
You have an ethereal quality that is both otherworldly and heavenly
You take me over
You have the ability to dominate my emotions and consume my every thought
You're so electric
You possess a dynamic and energetic quality
Your smile is sunshine
Your smile shines like the brightness of the sun
You give me sunlight
You provide me with the warmth and light necessary to keep me going
You're what I'm missing
You are the void in my life that needs to be filled
Apart of my life
You are a significant part of my life
Compared to no one
You are incomparable to anyone else
One in a million
You are extremely rare and unique
You got me going
You evoke my emotions and control my mental state
You're my ignition
You are the spark that propels and drives me forward
Can't nobody love me like the way you do
No one else can grasp the concept of love in the same manner that you do
It's a phenomenon
The way you love me is an extraordinary and truly remarkable occurrence
You take me to higher grounds
You raise and uplift me from my current state
What you say is overrated
The things you say are not as impressive or valuable as you believe them to be
Cuz you made it up
You fabricated and invented the things you are saying
You think that I am slow
You believe that I am mentally dull and unintelligent
You didn't know
Your assumption of me is incorrect
Oh what you say to me
What you tell me is merely an empty statement
Is the bait into the same shit
You take the bait but it leads to the same repetitive behavior
That you say all them o-o-oh's
The things you say contain meaningless and repetitive o-o-oh's
Them other o-o-oh's
You continue to say that same repetitive o-o-oh's that others say
You used to be the kind of the man
You were once the type of man that I admired
That would take me as I am
You accepted me for who I was
Now you go-oh
You have now changed from the person you used to be
Mr. go-oh
You now exemplify the opposite of the kind of man you used to be
No need to stay another day
You are no longer necessary to be a part of my life
So I'll be on my way
I must depart from this situation
I'm out the door
I am leaving now
This feeling's crazy
The emotions I have are intense and overwhelming
I can't explain it
The emotions I have are beyond comprehension and description
It's so amazing
The feelings I have are stunning and incredible
Feels like I'm dreaming
I feel as though I am in a dream-like state
This love ain't basic
The emotions and feelings I have toward you are not ordinary and basic
It's like a spaceship
Our love is like a rocket ship that's beyond this world
Out somewhere far
I desire to travel and venture out beyond my current location
I wanna visit
I wish to explore and experience something unique
Like the taj mahal
I want to visit and explore a symbolic and historical landmark, like the Taj Mahal
Or the great wall
I desire to travel to and explore the Great Wall of China
You're a phenomenon
You are incredible and extraordinary, beyond normal human experience
Like the pyramid
You are as historically and culturally important, like the Egyptian pyramids
Or coliseum
You are as historically and culturally significant, like the Colosseum in Rome, Italy
You're my everything
You are the most important and significant person in my life
You're my everything
You are the most important and significant person in my life
You're the one I want
I desire and long for you
You're the one I need
You are the only one who can satisfy my needs
You're my everything
You fill each void and complete every aspect of my life
You're my everything
You fill each void and complete every aspect of my life
You're the one for me
You are the only one that satisfies my emotional and physical desires
You're the one for me
You are my perfect match and soul mate- the one person who is bound to me for life
You're my everything
You complete me in every way possible
You're my everything
You fill each void and complete every aspect of my life
You're a phenomenon
You are exceptional and remarkable, beyond normal human experience
Like the pyramid
You are as historically and culturally significant, like the Egyptian pyramids
Or coliseum
You are as historically and culturally important, like the Colosseum in Rome, Italy
You're a phenomenon
You are amazing beyond words
You're a phenomenon
You are amazing beyond words
Contributed by Aaliyah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.