He came to prominence in the late 1990s as a member of the hip hop group
The Black Eyed Peas. The group consists of rappers
will.i.am,
apl.de.ap, and
Taboo, and singer
Fergie. Since the release of their third album
Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide. Their first worldwide song was "
Where Is the Love?" in 2003, which topped 13 charts worldwide. Another single was the European hit "
Shut Up". Their next album
Monkey Business, was a worldwide success, certified 4×
Platinum in the U.S., and spawning two singles, "
My Humps" and "
Don't Phunk with My Heart". In 2009, the group became one of only 11 artists to have simultaneously held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the
Billboard Hot 100, with their singles "
Boom Boom Pow" and "
I Gotta Feeling"; which topped the chart for an unprecedented 26 consecutive weeks in 2009. The album later produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with "
Imma Be", making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album before being followed with "
Rock That Body" and "
Meet Me Halfway" which managed to peak in the Top 10 of Hot 100. "I Gotta Feeling" became the first single to sell more than 1 million
downloads in the
United Kingdom. The Black Eyed Peas were ranked 12th on the
Billboard's Decade-End Chart Artist of the Decade, and 7th in the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade.On the
52nd Grammy Awards ceremony, which held in January, 2010 they won 3 awards out of 6 nominations. In November 2010, they released the album
The Beginning. In February 2011, the group performed at the
Super Bowl XLV halftime show. The album's first two singles "
The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "
Just Can't Get Enough" became international hits and topped the charts in many countries. In July 2011, during their promotional
tour the group announced that they are taking a break and have denied rumors that the band has broken up.
Will.i.am has also release four solo albums. The first
Lost Change was released in
2001 on
Atlantic Records. The album itself is the original soundtrack to the movie of the same name. A music video was made for the song, "I Am", however, no singles were released from the album. The second solo album
Must B 21, was released on September 23, 2003. Track seventeen on the release, "Go!", was regularly used as the theme for the NBA Live 2005 and Madden NFL 2005 seasons. A video for the track was also recorded for use within the sports, however, no singles were released from the album. The third album
Songs About Girls, was released on September 25, 2007. The first single released from the album was a club track titled "I Got It from My Mama" which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #31 on the 17th of August 2007. The album also featured singles "Heartbreaker" and "One More Chance".
#willpower is the upcoming, fourth studio album.
Will.i.am is also a music producer, he has produced with other artists including
Michael Jackson,
Justin Bieber,
Eazy-E,
Britney Spears,
U2,
Rihanna,
Usher,
Justin Timberlake,
Earth, Wind & Fire,
Nicki Minaj,
Cheryl Cole,
2NE1,
SMAP,
The Game,
Nas,
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony,
Daddy Yankee,
Wolfgang Gartner, and
Juanes. He is a coach on
The Voice UK.