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".
Bomb Bomb
will.i.am Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Start the engines
Let's get it started, yeah, yeah..
Here it comes...
About to drop the bombs... drop it!
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
Yeah, we 'bout to drop it on you like this
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
Yeah, Supernatural and will.i.am
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
Bring it here, bring it here, make it clear, make it clear yeah
[Supernatural] (will)
It's hip-hop, it's real hot (real hot)
The way we control it, it's like Cyclops (Cyclops)
It's all locked (all locked), it don't stop (don't stop)
It's so funky that I keep it in a Ziploc (keep it funky)
It's too ill (too ill), cause we real real (yeah, yeah)
Yo, I hooked up with my little pah ill will (Yo wassup?)
And he rock that (rock that), with a format (format)
Plug it in now I make the go-to-war rap
Where the boys at? Cause they all bore (all bore)
Another point for the B Boyz has been scored (that's right)
I'm a MC (MC), not a fake cat
Yo, I'm quick with the mental nice wit rap
Yo, it's a gift, yeah when I spit (when I spit)
Yo I'm pimpin like Gladys Knight and the Pips
Yo I never slip, cause it's super hot
You could say, yeah, that we got to locked, c'mon
[Chorus: will.i.am]
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
Yeah, we drop the bomb baby, here comes the bomb, baby
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
B--O--M--B -- DROP
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
Ye-yeah, we drop the bomb baby, here comes the bomb baby
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
D-R-O-P all them bombs
[Supernatural]
He wan' go and never stoppin it (stoppin it)
And off of the top right now, yo, he's droppin it
It's like grease in the skillet, yo, I'm poppin it
Fryin it, yo, layin it and poppin it (p-p-p-poppin it)
And if you've never had it before, please try it, kid
Because, once you get it, you'll love it a little bit
And once you, do it a little bit a lot of it
I told you before this the way we droppin it
C'mon fifty bars, I'm a superstar
You can see me on the Ave., in a super car (vroom vroom!)
Yo, I put it down, and I wear a crown
All the people in the city, please gather round
Whether LA (LA), or even New York (New York)
Anywhere I go I live it like a rhyme sport
Off of the top you know that it's ill lettin me rock
Like I told you, it never do stop, c'mon
[Chorus]
[Supernatural] (will)
Real nice, on the mic device
Yo I said it once, don't make me say it twice
Yo I said it once, don't make me say it twice
(Aiyyo 'Nats, smooth it out like if you Zima on ice)
Yo it's real ill, and you know that
Every time I do it pah, it's a Kodak
You can say I'm old school, I'm like a throwback
For all the little children out there didn't know that
Oh open up, and let me come on in
Because once I do it, you want me to do again
I told you, you can go just tell a friend (tell a friend)
I'm nice with the freestyle and the pad and pen (pen)
I'ma make my ends (make my ends), I'ma get my cheese (get my cheese)
Never heard lyrics that work quite like these (these)
Stop drop and freeze (freeze), fall to your knees (knees)
Yea, if you think you're beatin me, nigga please~!
Told you before, this is the art of war
I say I swoop down on the party like a preda-tor
Yo, somebody call The Source edi-tor ('tor)
And tell 'em give me mics, give me four, give me more
Oh do it ill, yo we make you bounce
I rock so many microphones I can't even count
Off th,e top of the dome, any place that I go
I've mastered the lyrics and damn I'm tight with the flow, whoa
The lyrics of will.i.am's song Bomb Bomb feature the collaboration of him and the legendary freestyle rapper Supernatural. The song speaks on their skills as MCs and the forceful impact they have on the rap game, in essence an ode to their artistry. The track features two verses of Supernatural's signature freestyling where he displays his gift for creativity and his unparalleled improvisational skills over a beat that keeps the energy high. He raps about his prowess as an MC and compares himself to Gladys Knight and the Pips, saying he doesn't slip when he spits.
In the chorus, will.i.am reassures his audience that when they drop the bomb, everyone is going to like it when he repeats the titular phrase "Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb." In general, the verses and chorus speak on the rappers' incredible talent and their readiness to share it with the world. The lyrics talk of the power of their rapping skills and how they are set to drop it like a bomb for the enjoyment of their fans. Overall, the song's lyrics purpose is to convey that these are two legends in the game that are about to drop a track that will shake the industry and pave the way for new levels of excellence.
Line by Line Meaning
Start the engines
Let's get this show on the road and start the music
Let's get it started, yeah, yeah..
Let's begin the music and keep the energy high
Here it comes...
Get ready for what's about to happen
About to drop the bombs... drop it!
The music is going to get intense and powerful
(Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
This is the sound of the beat dropping
Yeah, we 'bout to drop it on you like this
Get ready for the music to hit you hard
But when we drop it, I know you gon' like this
The music will be amazing and you'll enjoy it
Yeah, Supernatural and will.i.am
These two artists are performing the song together
Bring it here, bring it here, make it clear, make it clear yeah
Let's bring the music and make it powerful and clear
It's hip-hop, it's real hot (real hot)
This song is a hip-hop style and it's really intense
The way we control it, it's like Cyclops (Cyclops)
We are in complete control of the music like Cyclops from X-Men
It's all locked (all locked), it don't stop (don't stop)
The music is locked in and won't stop until we're finished
It's so funky that I keep it in a Ziploc (keep it funky)
The music is so funky that it needs to be kept fresh in a Ziploc bag
It's too ill (too ill), cause we real real (yeah, yeah)
The music is too cool and we're truly great at what we do
Yo, I hooked up with my little pah ill will (Yo wassup?)
I collaborated with my friend Ill Will on this song
And he rock that (rock that), with a format (format)
Ill Will performed with a specific format and style
Plug it in now I make the go-to-war rap
I'm going to perform a powerful rap that will make everyone jump
Where the boys at? Cause they all bore (all bore)
We want to know where the boys are because they're probably bored
Another point for the B Boyz has been scored (that's right)
We just scored another point for the B Boyz, which is great
I'm a MC (MC), not a fake cat
I am a real MC and not someone pretending to be one
Yo, I'm quick with the mental nice wit rap
I am quick-witted and can rap effortlessly
Yo, it's a gift, yeah when I spit (when I spit)
My ability to rap is a gift and it shows when I perform
Yo I'm pimpin like Gladys Knight and the Pips
I am performing at a high level like Gladys Knight and The Pips
Yo I never slip, cause it's super hot
I never make mistakes because I'm doing so well
You could say, yeah, that we got to locked, c'mon
We have the music locked in and going well
Yeah, we drop the bomb baby, here comes the bomb, baby (Bomb-BOMB, bomb-bomb)
Get ready for the powerful music because it's about to come
B--O--M--B -- DROP
We're really going to drop the beat hard
Ye-yeah, we drop the bomb baby, here comes the bomb baby
We're going to drop a bomb of music on you
D-R-O-P all them bombs
We're going to keep dropping the beat until everyone loves it
He wan' go and never stoppin it (stoppin it)
He wants to keep going and never stop the music
And off of the top right now, yo, he's droppin it
He's freestyling right now and dropping some amazing bars
It's like grease in the skillet, yo, I'm poppin it
The music is like grease in a skillet, hot and popping
Fryin it, yo, layin it and poppin it (p-p-p-poppin it)
The music is frying hot and popping hard
And if you've never had it before, please try it, kid
If you haven't heard this music before, give it a try because you'll love it
Because, once you get it, you'll love it a little bit
Once you start to enjoy the music, you'll love it more and more
And once you, do it a little bit a lot of it
After you start enjoying the music, it will become a big part of your life
I told you before this the way we droppin it
I've already explained that we're dropping the beat hard
C'mon fifty bars, I'm a superstar
I am a superstar who can perform fifty bars
You can see me on the Ave., in a super car (vroom vroom!)
You might see me driving a super car around town
Yo, I put it down, and I wear a crown
I am performing at a high level and have earned my place as the best
All the people in the city, please gather round
Everyone should come and see what we're doing
Whether LA (LA), or even New York (New York)
We're performing in both Los Angeles and New York
Anywhere I go I live it like a rhyme sport
Everywhere I go, I perform like it's the biggest stage in the world
Off of the top you know that it's ill lettin me rock
I am an expert freestyler and can perform off the top of my head easily
Like I told you, it never do stop, c'mon
As I said before, we can keep this music going forever
Real nice, on the mic device
I sound really great when I perform on the microphone
Yo I said it once, don't make me say it twice
I already said it once, so don't make me repeat myself
(Aiyyo 'Nats, smooth it out like if you Zima on ice)
Hey Supernatural, let's smooth out the music like a Zima on ice
Yo it's real ill, and you know that
The music is amazing and everyone knows it
Every time I do it pah, it's a Kodak
Whenever I perform, it's a moment people want to capture like a Kodak camera
You can say I'm old school, I'm like a throwback
Some might say I'm old school, like a throwback to an earlier era
For all the little children out there didn't know that
Some kids may not know about the older style of music I'm performing
Oh open up, and let me come on in
Get ready to enjoy the music I'm performing
Because once I do it, you want me to do again
You'll love the music so much that you'll want to hear it again and again
I told you, you can go just tell a friend (tell a friend)
Spread the word to your friends about the music we're performing
I'm nice with the freestyle and the pad and pen (pen)
I am great at freestyling and writing lyrics
I'ma make my ends (make my ends), I'ma get my cheese (get my cheese)
I'm going to make money performing music
Never heard lyrics that work quite like these (these)
My lyrics are unique and amazing, unlike anything you've heard before
Stop drop and freeze (freeze), fall to your knees (knees)
The music is so powerful that you might feel like stopping, dropping, freezing, or falling to your knees
Yea, if you think you're beatin me, nigga please~!
No one can beat me at performing, it's impossible
Told you before, this is the art of war
As I explained before, performing music is like a battle
I say I swoop down on the party like a preda-tor
I come into the party and attack it aggressively like a predator
Yo, somebody call The Source edi-tor ('tor)
Someone should call The Source editor because they'll love what I'm doing
And tell 'em give me mics, give me four, give me more
Ask The Source to let me perform more and with more microphones
Oh do it ill, yo we make you bounce
We're performing greatly and making the crowd bounce to the beat
I rock so many microphones I can't even count
I am great at performing and use so many microphones that I don't even know how many
Off the top of the dome, any place that I go
I can freestyle effortlessly anywhere I go
I've mastered the lyrics and damn I'm tight with the flow, whoa
I am amazing at performing and have perfected my lyrics and flow
Contributed by Violet Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.