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".
07 Swing By My Way
will.i.am Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lookin' like a movie start
I gotta know just who you are so tell me you name
I like the way you groove and glide
I like the way you slip and slide
Maybe later on tonight you'll come play with me
And oh, show me to another place
And oh, tell me what it takes for you toâ?¦
Swing by my way
Swing by my way
Maybe we should slow it down
Or maybe we should just head out
Or maybe I should kiss you now right here on the floor
Cause baby when you move like that
You're givin' me a heart attack
But still you got me comin' back and beggin' for more
And oh, show me to another place
And oh, show me how your honey taste
And oh, tell me what it takes for you toâ?¦
Swing by my way
Swing by my way
And, baby oh wee
Watch yourself you might be comin' home with me
Grab your purse and baby let me grab my keys
Let's get up out this place and maybeâ?¦
Swing by my way
Swing by my way
Lady over by the bar
Lookin' like a movie start
I gotta know just who you are so tell me you name
I like the way you groove and glide
I like the way you slip and slide
Maybe later on tonight you'll come play with me
In "Swing By My Way," will.i.am sings about spotting an attractive woman at the bar and trying to grab her attention. He's intrigued by her energy and style, admiring the way she "grooves and glides" and "slips and slides." He wants to get to know her better, hoping they can "play" together later in the night. He's so taken with her that he's even open to abandoning their current location ("Maybe we should just head out") and spontaneously kissing her on the floor.
The lyrics in this song are straightforward and unambiguous, conveying the singer's attraction to a woman he's just met. The chorus is repetitive, emphasizing his desire for her to come his way so that they can spend some time together.
Line by Line Meaning
Lady over by the bar
There's a woman at the bar that caught my eye
Lookin' like a movie start
She's beautiful and captivating, just like a movie star
I gotta know just who you are so tell me you name
I'm intrigued by her and want to get to know her better, starting with her name
I like the way you groove and glide
I find her dancing style attractive
I like the way you slip and slide
She moves smoothly and effortlessly, which I find appealing
Maybe later on tonight you'll come play with me
I hope she'll agree to spend some time with me later tonight
And oh, show me to another place
I want to go somewhere else with her, away from this bar
And oh, show me how your honey taste
I want to experience the sweet taste of her lips
And oh, tell me what it takes for you to swing by my way
I want to know what I need to do to persuade her to spend some quality time with me
Maybe we should slow it down
We could take our time and enjoy each other's company
Or maybe we should just head out
We could leave the bar and find another place to hang out
Or maybe I should kiss you now right here on the floor
I'm tempted to kiss her right now, right here on the dance floor
Cause baby when you move like that
I'm mesmerized by the way she dances
You're givin' me a heart attack
She's so alluring that my heart is racing
But still you got me comin' back and beggin' for more
Even though she's driving me crazy, I can't resist wanting more of her
And, baby oh wee
I'm really into her and can't contain my excitement
Watch yourself you might be comin' home with me
I'm hoping she'll agree to go home with me tonight
Grab your purse and baby let me grab my keys
Let's leave this place and go somewhere more private
Let's get up out this place and maybe swing by my way
I'm hopeful that she'll accompany me to my place and spend the night
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GEORGE PAJON JR., JOHN STEPHENS, WILL ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Olive Owl
1998 Throwback song. Still love it. ❤🎵💃
Nic Welsh
Ain't no better tunes then the 90s 💕👌🎧💜🎉🎶💕
ANGeLEk1
Yep every genre of the 90s has tha bangers
ofelsewhere
what a total BOP. we didnt deserve this back then. 😭😭 still missing this era and gotta revive it sometimes. XX
Gianna E.
I was a teen when this song came out , I miss the 90’s !
Alicia Mack
So was I in junior high
Rachel y
I agree!
Diji
Likewise.
SUPER jdilly Dillio
This was in heavy rotation in 1999 and is the soundtrack of Myrtle Beach S.C.'s Black Bike Week from 1998-2006. Those days are gone forever but songs like this help them live on in memory!
BayouBengal84
Down in South Louisiana, this was straight up skating rink music. Cuttin' UP for real, i miss them days. Nostalgia hittin hard right now!