When William was sixteen years old, he started rapping in late 1991 under the name "Will-1X" after being discovered by Compton rapper and former N.W.A. leader Eazy-E and signed a deal to Eazy's Ruthless Records. will.i.am's first rap song was "Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas" from Eazy-E's 1992 EP 5150: Home 4 tha Sick. Shortly after Eazy-E's death in 1995, Will left Ruthless to start a group that would later be called the Black Eyed Peas with fellow rappers Taboo and apl.de.ap.
After the addition of singer-songwriter Fergie, the group shot into mainstream pop consciousness with a set of hit singles in the mid-00s, popularity that continues to this day. The Black Eyed Peas' producer is Sergio Mendes, an internationally successful Brazilian musician and jazz aficionado. In September 2007, will.i.am took a major step into a solo career identity by joining with his record label, Universal Music Group (UMG), on a pilot scheme to reward certain file-sharing with cash incentives, including will.i.am tracks from his then upcoming release Songs About Girls.
In total, he has released four solo albums: Lost Change (2001), Must B 21 (2003), Songs About Girls (2007), and #willpower (2013). Although often facing mixed critical reviews, he's experienced significant commercial success, including a set of popular singles. His solo performances, featuring collaborations with a wide group of artists including Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Phife Dawg, Snoop Dogg, and Nicole Scherzinger, are perhaps best summed up in the international top 20 mega-hit "Scream & Shout".
Will.i.am was also recently cast as John Wraith in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a prequel to the X-Men movie series. And if one enjoyed Madagascar 2's chunky hippo, Moto Moto, then one should know that the deep voice belonged will.i.am., who came in after he was ''pimped'' out to the directors by his friend and sometimes collaborator Justin Timberlake.
Before joining the Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. In 2001, he began designing his own signature clothing line, i.am, which made its official debut in 2005 at the Magic apparel trade show in Las Vegas. In 2007, Will.i.am teamed up with Blue Holdings to design a premium denim collection, i.am Antik, that had its debut on the Project Show in Las Vegas. He has also designed clothing for the Black Eyed Peas.
In January 2008, will.i.am helped write a song, "Yes We Can", in support of the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign of Barack Obama, which in turn became a music video directed by Jesse Dylan. The lyrics of the song are composed almost entirely of excerpts from Obama's speech on January 8, 2008, following the New Hampshire presidential primary election. The video features appearances from numerous celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriguez, Kelly Hu, Hill Harper, Amber Valletta, Eric Balfour, Aisha Tyler, Nicole Scherzinger, Nick Cannon, Bryan Greenberg, Common and first appeared on the website for Dipdive, and within a week of its appearance racked up three million views, and over four million views on Youtube.
On February 29, 2008, a second video titled "We Are The Ones" was released on Dipdive and YouTube. It included cameo appearances from Jessica Alba, Ryan Phillippe, Kerry Washington, John Leguizamo, Regina King, Tyrese Gibson, Eric Mabius, Tichina Arnold, Adrienne Palicki, comedian George Lopez, and singers Macy Gray, Zoe Kravitz and Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo. The video features everyone chanting "O-BA-MA" as a portrayal as their hopes and wishes for Obama and his presidential campaign.
In 2013, will.i.am released his album "#thatpower".
Na Na
Will.I.Am Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take me to the edge then you hit the breaks
I say it's over one day
Then I'm crawling back begging you to stay
Make up then we break up all the time
Say that I hate a song
Some people say it's so wrong
But even when we fight, girl, you turn me on
Make up then we break up all the time
We're like na, na, na
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
Always like na, na, na
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
No we can't make up our minds
'Cause when we think we got it right
We go na, na, na, na, na, na
You were at a party too late
When I do the same all you do is complain
You know that it drives me insane
But when I get with you girl, you make it okay
Make up then we break up all the time
We're like na, na, na
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
Always like na, na, na
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
No we can't make up our minds
'Cause when we think we got it right
We go na, na, na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, yeah, yeah, yeah
Na, na, na, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, it drives me mad
Na, na, na, na, na, na
We're like na, na, na
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
Always like na, na, na
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
We're like na, na, na
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
Always like na, na, na
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
No, we can't make up our minds
'Cause when we think we've got it right
We go na, na, na
The song "Na Na" by Will.I.Am is about a tumultuous relationship between two people who can't seem to get enough of each other despite their constant fighting and makeups and breakups. The opening lines "We've got a bit of love hate, Take me to the edge then you hit the breaks" sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer acknowledging the push-pull dynamic between them. He goes on to describe their pattern of breaking up and then making up over and over again, never seeming to be able to decide if they want to stay together or not.
The chorus is a catchy repetition of "na, na, na" and "yeah, yeah, yeah" which is likely meant to represent the uncertainty of the couple's relationship. Even when they think they've got it right, they end up back where they started, unsure of what they want. The lyric "No we can't make up our minds, 'Cause when we think we got it right, We go na, na, na, na, na, na" reinforces this idea.
The song also delves into the idea of jealousy and how it can be a driving force in a relationship. The line "You were at a party too late, When I do the same all you do is complain" showcases the double standard that many couples have. The singer mentions how frustrating it is when his partner complains about him doing things that she does herself. But when they come back together, they are able to make it work, even with all their flaws.
Overall, "Na Na" is a portrayal of the ups and downs of a passionate but tumultuous relationship, filled with uncertainty, jealousy, and ultimately, a strong connection.
Line by Line Meaning
We've got a bit of love hate
Our relationship is a mix of love and hate
Take me to the edge then you hit the breaks
You push me to my limit, then back off abruptly
I say it's over one day
I declare our relationship to be over on one occasion
Then I'm crawling back begging you to stay
But on another occasion, I'm begging you to stay
Make up then we break up all the time
We constantly break up and then make up
Say that I hate a song
I express my dislike for a song
Then you go request it the whole night long
But you play it all night long regardless
Some people say it's so wrong
Some people think our relationship is unhealthy or toxic
But even when we fight, girl, you turn me on
But I still feel attracted to you, even when we are arguing
We're like na, na, na
We are indecisive about our relationship
Then we're like yeah, yeah, yeah
We switch between being uncertain and being committed
Always like na, na, na
We are constantly unsure about what we want
No we can't make up our minds
We struggle to come to a decision about our relationship
'Cause when we think we got it right
Even when we feel like we've figured things out
We go na, na, na, na, na, na
Something happens to throw us off and make us uncertain again
You were at a party too late
You stayed out late at a party
When I do the same all you do is complain
But when I do the same, you get upset
You know that it drives me insane
You know that this inconsistency frustrates me
But when I get with you girl, you make it okay
But when we're together, you make everything feel better
Oh, it drives me mad
This inconsistency is causing me to go crazy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: IAIN JAMES, SAVAN KOTECHA, JAMES MURRAY, MUSTAFA OMER, MATT SQUIRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dionysios Valmas
That is why he is who he is.....he took a joke, turned it in a concept in minutes, and an actual great song in weeks.....
Asel Dossymova
Dionisis Valmas h
Kat A.
No idea this was a joke from The Voice. He's very creative!
DJSANS 321
Yep and so happy
Chelsey F
Kat A. Ikr
Lauren Scott
I still can't get over how this was a joke on The Voice and he turned it into my new jam... amazing
Camila Helena
Yeah, right!!?? THAT'S CALLED TALENT.
Hritikaa
i too cant believe he actually did it !!i literallly checked the dates of the show and when this song was released and just found out that this song was published after he composed the song in the voice
themusikguySPECIAL
will.i.am continues to release great music and always evolves his sound and manages to stay true himself at the same time. Of course he already had better songs but this is so much better than 99% what's popular in the charts right now! No matter how this song might perform on the charts, hopefully a new solo album will follow soon :)
Rafael F. Lima
Will nunca decepciona