Will.i.am Read Online Free PDF Page B

the many traps that surrounded them. Then she did so by arranging for him to be
schooled in a better area. Will has honoured her in many ways, not least the fact that rather than writing songs that glorified the squalor and danger that surrounded him, he instead wrote positive
songs that encouraged everyone, whatever their background, to believe in themselves, to better themselves and to enjoy the ride. In so doing, he not only honoured Debra, he also put a smile on
faces around the world.

2 Building a Band
    O ne day, a momentous meeting took place when Will and Taboo met in the studio car park. As well as being significant in the history of the band
that became the Black Eyed Peas, this meeting is also pertinent to understanding Will’s own powerfully alluring charm. Prior to the formation of the Black Eyed Peas, Taboo had been in a band
called Pablo, and he had found himself growing increasingly disgruntled in the studio.
    Taboo’s memories of what happened next do much to shed light on the power of Will’s positive charisma. He recalled that when Will fixed you in eye-to-eye contact, the energy he could
communicate was immense. Taboo said that even when Will was a teenager, his eyes could ‘hook you and plug you’ into his own vast reserves of self-belief. His charisma was also matched
by his compassion: Will has long been spoken of as a man with much empathy. These are the sorts of skills that jettisoned US president Bill Clintonto the White House. One
wonders whether the opinionated Will might consider a crack at mainstream politics himself one day. He has stated that he will never do so, explaining: ‘I’ll never enter politics
myself, though. I’ve got too many skeletons in my closet.’ However, many a political career has been launched after fierce denials that the politician in question ever wanted to enter
the profession. It is as if reluctance is the final stage prior to acceptance. Furthermore, in his role as the unofficial but undoubted ambassador of the band, he has shown the stature and charisma
to have a good chance. America has always been open to the idea of celebrities moving into the political sphere, after all.
    At this stage, three future members of the Black Eyed Peas had met each other. Will found that he had significant things in common with apl and Taboo. All three had grown up in poor families who
lived in tough neighbourhoods and without the presence of a father. All three had faced difficulties, obstacles and emotional pain as a result of these disadvantages. All three had also found that
in music there was a sense of salvation – and as a potential way to better themselves financially, it was a big draw. With their already heightened sense of being outsiders, they wanted to
make music for other outsiders. They also felt that the right way to do this was to create positive music that lifted its listener. If only, they rightly reasoned, Will’s personality and
presencecould be injected into the music, they would have something almost magical on their hands. The positivity was – and is – key to the Black Eyed Peas project.
Will was the pivot of that positivity. He was to be at the centre of everything.
    For instance, it was Will who pushed for their act to include a live band. Here again, his approach was original. He knew that the presence of a live band would take his act outside of the rap
mainstream. ‘I got tired of DATs and records,’ he explained later. ‘I wanted to allow for a certain level of human mistakes in the music. I like the idea of having a different
vibe every night, you know, as to what the bass player might be feeling that night, or whatever. We just wanted live shit.’
    His bandmates quickly agreed with his proposal. As Taboo commented, without a band they would resemble a ‘car without wheels’. He felt this would give them the edge. So he personally
assembled the musicians himself. They then set to work rehearsing in apl’s garage,