Will.I.Am - Biography and discography, all albums and songs

will.i.am (real name William James Adams Jr.; born March 15, 1975, in Los Angeles) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and entrepreneur, best known as a co-founder and key member of Black Eyed Peas. Within the group, he works as a vocalist, rapper, songwriter and producer of a significant part of its material.

will.i.am’s solo discography includes the albums Lost Change, Must B 21, Songs About Girls and #willpower. His best-known solo and collaborative recordings include «I Got It from My Mama», «This Is Love», «Scream & Shout» with Britney Spears and «#thatPOWER» with Justin Bieber.

As a producer and songwriter, will.i.am has worked with Fergie, Sérgio Mendes, The Pussycat Dolls, Usher, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and other artists. Over the course of his music career, he has won seven Grammy Awards. Beyond music, he is involved in educational and technology projects and has served as a coach on the British version of The Voice since 2012.

Childhood in East Los Angeles

William James Adams grew up in the Estrada Courts public housing complex in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles. He was raised by his mother, Debra Cain; his father was not involved in his upbringing.

His mother tried to give him the opportunity to study outside his own neighbourhood. William attended schools in West Los Angeles, including Palisades Charter High School, commuting across the city every day.

As a teenager, he became interested in breakdancing, hip-hop and club culture. Around the same time, he met Allan Pineda, the future apl.de.ap. Their collaboration began long before the formation of Black Eyed Peas.

Tribal Nation and Atban Klann

In the late 1980s, William and apl.de.ap were members of the dance-rap crew Tribal Nation. At the time, Adams performed under the name Will 1X.

Later came the project Atban Klann — A Tribe Beyond a Nation. In 1992, the group signed with Ruthless Records, the label founded by Eazy-E of N.W.A.

Atban Klann’s music differed from the gangsta rap associated with Ruthless. Their recordings leaned more toward alternative hip-hop, jazz elements and dance-oriented aesthetics.

The group recorded the album Grass Roots, but it did not receive a full commercial release at the time. After Eazy-E’s death in 1995, their relationship with Ruthless came to an end.

The formation of Black Eyed Peas

After Atban Klann, will.i.am and apl.de.ap continued working together. They were joined by Taboo, born Jaime Luis Gomez. For a time, the project was called Black Eyed Pods before settling on the name Black Eyed Peas.

The early Black Eyed Peas were primarily an alternative hip-hop group. Singer Kim Hill played an important role during this period, although the permanent core consisted of will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo.

In 1998, the band released its debut album, Behind the Front, combining rap, funk, soul and live instrumentation. The second album, Bridging the Gap, followed in 2000.

Fergie and Elephunk

While the group was working on its third album, Fergie — Stacy Ann Ferguson — joined Black Eyed Peas.

At the same time, the band’s sound changed: pop melodies, electronic production and large-scale choruses became more prominent.

In 2003, Black Eyed Peas released Elephunk. International success came with «Where Is the Love?», recorded with Justin Timberlake.

It was followed by «Shut Up», «Hey Mama» and a new version of «Let’s Get It Started». The latter earned Black Eyed Peas their first Grammy Award.

Monkey Business

In 2005, Black Eyed Peas released Monkey Business.

Its biggest hits included «Don’t Phunk with My Heart», «Don’t Lie», «My Humps» and «Pump It».

By this point, will.i.am’s production style was already highly recognizable: dense programmed rhythms, short vocal phrases, a combination of rap verses and pop choruses, samples and extensive electronic vocal processing.

The E.N.D.

In 2009, the group released The E.N.D., an acronym for The Energy Never Dies.

Black Eyed Peas made a decisive shift away from hip-hop toward electropop and dance-oriented electronic music.

The biggest hits were «Boom Boom Pow» and «I Gotta Feeling». «I Gotta Feeling» became one of the defining pop songs of the late 2000s.

The album brought the group several Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album. «I Gotta Feeling» won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group, while the «Boom Boom Pow» video received the award for Best Short Form Music Video.

In 2010, Black Eyed Peas followed with The Beginning, featuring «The Time (Dirty Bit)», «Just Can’t Get Enough» and «Don’t Stop the Party».

After their 2011 world tour, Black Eyed Peas took an extended break.

Early solo albums

will.i.am’s early solo music was noticeably different from the later pop hits of Black Eyed Peas.

In 2001, the British label BBE released Lost Change as part of its Beat Generation series. The album combined instrumental hip-hop, rap, jazz elements and experimental arrangements.

In 2003 came Must B 21: Soundtrack to Get Things Started. MC Lyte, KRS-One, Phife Dawg, Fergie, Taboo and other artists contributed to the recording.

His third album, Songs About Girls, was released in 2007 and moved noticeably closer to pop and R&B.

The lead single was «I Got It from My Mama». The album also included «Heartbreaker», «One More Chance», «The Donque Song» with Snoop Dogg and other tracks.

#willpower

will.i.am’s fourth solo album, #willpower, was released in 2013.

Its best-known song was «Scream & Shout» with Britney Spears. The track received extensive international airplay and became one of will.i.am’s biggest solo hits.

The album also featured «This Is Love» with Eva Simons and «#thatPOWER» with Justin Bieber. Miley Cyrus, Nicole Scherzinger, Skylar Grey and other artists also contributed.

After #willpower, will.i.am did not release another full-length solo album, focusing instead on individual singles, collaborations and work with Black Eyed Peas.

Production work

A significant part of will.i.am’s music career has involved producing and writing for other artists.

In 2006, he produced a substantial portion of Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes’s Timeless, which combined Brazilian music with contemporary hip-hop and R&B.

will.i.am also contributed to Fergie’s solo album The Dutchess.

Other production and collaborative credits include «Beep» by The Pussycat Dolls, «OMG» by Usher, «Big Fat Bass» by Britney Spears and numerous recordings with artists from a wide range of genres.

In the mid-2000s, will.i.am worked in the studio with Michael Jackson on new material. Their joint sessions did not result in a separate album being released during Jackson’s lifetime.

«Yes We Can»

In 2008, will.i.am created the song and video project «Yes We Can», built around excerpts from a speech by Barack Obama.

Musicians, actors and other figures from American culture took part in the recording and video.

The project was not official material from the presidential campaign, but it circulated widely during the 2008 election.

The return of Black Eyed Peas

After several years away, Black Eyed Peas resumed activity without Fergie. The permanent line-up once again consisted of will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo.

In 2018, the group released Masters of the Sun Vol. 1, returning to a stronger hip-hop foundation.

The 2020 album Translation was much more closely connected with Latin pop and reggaeton. Its guest list included J Balvin, Shakira, Ozuna, Maluma, Becky G, Nicky Jam and other artists.

One of its biggest songs was «RITMO (Bad Boys for Life)» with J Balvin, which interpolates «The Rhythm of the Night» by Corona. It was followed by «MAMACITA» and «GIRL LIKE ME» with Shakira.

In 2022, Black Eyed Peas released the album Elevation.

The Voice UK

In 2012, will.i.am joined the coaching panel for the first season of the British version of The Voice.

He continued with the programme after its move from the BBC to ITV and also appeared on the children’s version, The Voice Kids UK.

As of 2026, will.i.am remains a coach on The Voice UK. He is also announced for the programme’s fifteenth season, scheduled for 2027.

«Reach for the Stars» and NASA

In August 2012, the song «Reach for the Stars» was transmitted back to Earth from the Curiosity Mars rover and played during an educational event at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA described it as the first time a recorded song had been transmitted to Earth from another planet.

The project was connected with an educational initiative focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

i.am Angel Foundation

In 2009, will.i.am founded the charitable organization i.am Angel Foundation.

The foundation supports school and university students from low-income communities, particularly in East Los Angeles. Its programmes include college preparation, educational support and STEAM initiatives covering science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.

A significant part of the foundation’s work is concentrated in Boyle Heights, where will.i.am grew up.

Technology projects

Over time, technology became a separate major area of will.i.am’s work.

He invested in Beats Electronics during the company’s early development, worked with electronics and automotive manufacturers and created his own technology products.

His company i.am+ worked on wearable electronics, headphones and artificial intelligence systems.

During the 2020s, will.i.am has been developing FYI, a company working on tools for communication, collaboration and content creation using artificial intelligence.

MBUX SOUND DRIVE

In 2024, Mercedes-AMG and will.i.am introduced MBUX SOUND DRIVE, a system that connects music with the movement of a vehicle.

The software analyses acceleration, braking, steering and other parameters. The music responds to the driver’s actions, changing its structure and intensity while the vehicle is moving.

xboom by will.i.am

In late 2024, LG Electronics announced a collaboration with will.i.am on a range of portable audio products called xboom by will.i.am.

The musician took on the role of Experiential Architect and contributes to the sound, design and overall concept of the devices.

In 2025, the products began integrating FYI.RAiDiO, an AI-powered audio platform developed by FYI. It includes personalized radio stations and interaction with virtual hosts.

Solo singles after #willpower

After #willpower, will.i.am continued releasing individual tracks.

Over the following years, he released «Birthday» with Cody Wise, «FIYAH», «MIND YOUR BUSINESS» with Britney Spears, «LET’S GO» and «It’s Saturday».

In 2025, he released «East LA» with Taboo, a song dedicated to East Los Angeles.

In July 2026, the single «Sick Ass Foo’s» appeared featuring Lil Mr. E and Toxica.

Musical style

will.i.am’s early projects and the first Black Eyed Peas albums were rooted in alternative hip-hop, jazz rap, funk and breakdance culture.

By the mid-2000s, his production increasingly incorporated pop and electronic music. On The E.N.D. and #willpower, the main elements became programmed rhythms, synthesizers, processed vocals and club-oriented EDM production.

Later Black Eyed Peas albums added reggaeton and contemporary Latin pop to this foundation.

Across different projects, will.i.am works as a rapper, singer, producer, songwriter and arranger. In many recordings, his contribution is especially evident in the rhythm, song structure and overall character of the production.

will.i.am solo discography

2001 — Lost Change
2003 — Must B 21: Soundtrack to Get Things Started
2007 — Songs About Girls
2013 — #willpower

Selected solo songs and collaborations

«I Got It from My Mama», «Heartbreaker», «This Is Love», «Scream & Shout», «#thatPOWER», «Birthday», «FIYAH», «MIND YOUR BUSINESS», «LET’S GO», «It’s Saturday», «East LA» and «Sick Ass Foo’s».