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".
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will.i.am Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lemme, lemme, lemme
Lemme, lemme, lemme, lemme
Lemme lemme lemme lemme tell you who I am
I am will.i.am straight outta Cali, Cali
I am bringin' it to you right up yo' alley, alley
I am comin' with original diddley-dailies
I am will.i.am straight outta Cali, Cali
I am bringin' it to you right up yo' alley, alley
I am comin' with original diddley-dailies
I am holdin' it down to the finale, 'nale
I am will.i.am, that's right, my title's will
I am recitin' this, recital vital and ill
I am the illest composer to spill up in the Ville
I am universal, even sell in Brazil
I am beyond local, me now global
I am comin' up with shit to win by Nobel
I am surpisin' y'all 'til ya say it's unreal
I am as real as the sun's real ("Yo, break it down!")
I am beats, rhymes, no one can defeat mines
I am elite, deletin' those with petite minds
I am not the one with the criminal mind
I am changin' my mind if you keep fuckin' with mines
I am nonstop when it comes to droppin' funk
I am nonstop when I'm lettin' loose my junk
I am rockin' it, ah, ah, who's rockin' it?
I am will.i.am, brother, i.am
I am will.i.am straight outta Cali, Cali
I am bringin' it to you right up yo' alley, alley
I am comin' with original diddley-dailies
I am holdin' it down to the finale, 'nale
I am will.i.am straight outta Cali, Cali
I am bringin' it to you right up yo' alley, alley
I am comin' with original diddley-dailies
I am holdin' it down to the finale, 'nale
I am Where did I go, in a box of blow
I am cocked and loaded like a cylinder!
I am givin' it to ya', and my visitor
I am never wastin' time, not uno momento
I am magnifico, terrifico
I am professional since I was an embryo
I am makin' ya say, "Yo bro, slow yo' roll"
I am Say no bro, let's move to hyper mode
I am like a athlete, with the capabilities of fleetin' emcees
You ain't got the stamina to come dash with me
God dag, leave nigga's in agony
Yeah, catch the beat
No gimme that mic, lemme smash a beat
will.i.am always come calm com-complete
Lyric calm com-competition obsolete
I am will.i.am straight outta Cali, Cali
I am bringin' it to you right up yo' alley, alley
I am comin' with original diddley-dailies
I am holdin' it down to the finale, 'nale
I am will.i.am straight outta Cali, Cali
I am bringin' it to you right up yo' alley, alley
I am comin' with original diddley-dailies
I am holdi'n it down to the finale, 'nale
I am upset, nigga's ain't doin' shit!
I am not happy, ain't been happy since '86
I am diarrhea saliva, I spit the shit
I am I'm the shit, been it since '76
I am winnin' there, win it since I been in there
I am doin' it right, doin' it like this
I am w-i double the i-am
I am constructin' this new type of bound jam
I am yeah, I'm the man that's on this hot jam
I am yeah, I'm the man that's on this hot jam
I am the one that be comin' with (Joints and Jams)
I am do it on weekdays and (Weekends)
I am fulfillin' all of your (Requests) (What?)
I am the one that'll do it the best (What?)
I am will.i.am, brother, I am
I am It's will.i.am, nigga' hot damn
The lyrics to will.i.am's "I" are essentially a declaration of who will.i.am is as a musician and artist. He first establishes that he is "will.i.am straight outta Cali," referencing his California roots and upbringing. He then describes his style as "original diddley-dailies," suggesting that he brings something unique to the table. Throughout the song, he boasts about his talent, claiming to be the "illest composer" and "nonstop when it comes to droppin' funk." Will.i.am also describes himself as beyond local, now global, and is even "surprisin' y'all 'til ya say it's unreal." He talks about his professional demeanor and his drive to keep moving forward, never wasting a moment.
Overall, "I" serves as a clear declaration of will.i.am's talents and accomplishments as a musician. He is confident in his abilities and isn't afraid to let the world know it. The repetition of "lemme" and "I am" emphasizes his self-assuredness and his need to be recognized for his unique style and contributions to the music industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Lemme, lemme, lemme
Let me, let me, let me
Lemme, lemme, lemme, lemme
Let me, let me, let me, let me
Lemme lemme lemme lemme tell you who I am
Let me, let me, let me, let me tell you who I am
I am will.i.am straight outta Cali, Cali
I am will.i.am from California
I am bringin' it to you right up yo' alley, alley
I am presenting my music in a way that appeals to you
I am comin' with original diddley-dailies
I am creating unique and original music
I am holdin' it down to the finale, 'nale
I will keep making music until the very end of my career
I am will.i.am, that's right, my title's will
I go by the name will.i.am
I am recitin' this, recital vital and ill
I am performing this song with precision and skill
I am the illest composer to spill up in the Ville
I am the best composer in the game
I am universal, even sell in Brazil
My music has worldwide appeal and can even sell in Brazil
I am beyond local, me now global
My music has gone beyond just being popular in local areas and is now known globally
I am comin' up with shit to win by Nobel
I am creating music that is so good, it could potentially win a Nobel prize
I am surpisin' y'all 'til ya say it's unreal
I am constantly pushing the boundaries of what people expect from me
I am as real as the sun's real ("Yo, break it down!")
I am authentic and genuine
I am beats, rhymes, no one can defeat mines
My beats and rhymes are unbeatable
I am elite, deletin' those with petite minds
I am at the top of my game, leaving behind those who can't keep up
I am not the one with the criminal mind
I am not a criminal
I am changin' my mind if you keep fuckin' with mines
I am willing to change my mind if someone is bothering me too much
I am nonstop when it comes to droppin' funk
I am constantly creating and releasing new music
I am nonstop when I'm lettin' loose my junk
I never stop creating music
I am rockin' it, ah, ah, who's rockin' it?
I am performing this song and asking who else is doing it better
I am will.i.am, brother, i.am
I am will.i.am
I am Where did I go, in a box of blow
I am not sure where I went, I got lost in something
I am cocked and loaded like a cylinder!
I am ready to perform and create music like a loaded gun ready to fire
I am givin' it to ya', and my visitor
I am sharing my music with you and whoever you're listening with
I am never wastin' time, not uno momento
I don't waste any time when it comes to creating and performing music
I am magnifico, terrifico
I am excellent, amazing
I am professional since I was an embryo
I have always been professional and committed to my music career
I am makin' ya say, "Yo bro, slow yo' roll"
My music is making you tell me to slow down and take it easy
I am Say no bro, let's move to hyper mode
I am saying no and instead let's speed things up and go into hyper mode
I am like a athlete, with the capabilities of fleetin' emcees
I am like an athlete, I have the necessary skills to create and perform music faster than others
You ain't got the stamina to come dash with me
Others don't have the necessary energy to keep up with me
God dag, leave nigga's in agony
My music is so good that it leaves others in agony
Yeah, catch the beat
I am asking others to catch the rhythm of my music
No gimme that mic, lemme smash a beat
I am asking for the microphone and saying that I will create an amazing beat
will.i.am always come calm com-complete
I always stay calm and deliver a complete performance
Lyric calm com-competition obsolete
I am so good at creating music that it makes competition irrelevant
I am upset, nigga's ain't doin' shit!
I am upset that others aren't creating good music
I am not happy, ain't been happy since '86
I am not happy and haven't been since the year 1986
I am diarrhea saliva, I spit the shit
I am spitting out my words and music with great force and energy
I am I'm the shit, been it since '76
I am excellent and have been since the year 1976
I am winnin' there, win it since I been in there
I am winning and have been since I started in the music industry
I am doin' it right, doin' it like this
I am doing things the right way and doing it like this
I am w-i double the i-am
I spell my name as w-i double the i-am
I am constructin' this new type of bound jam
I am creating a new type of music and sound
I am yeah, I'm the man that's on this hot jam
I am the man behind this popular and amazing song
I am the one that be comin' with (Joints and Jams)
I am the one creating music with great beats and rhythms
I am do it on weekdays and (Weekends)
I create music every day of the week, including weekends
I am fulfillin' all of your (Requests) (What?)
I am fulfilling all of your music requests
I am the one that'll do it the best (What?)
I am the best musician and will do it the best
I am will.i.am, brother, I am
I am will.i.am
I am It's will.i.am, nigga' hot damn
I am will.i.am and I am amazing
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: WILLIAM ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind