The production of Elephunk commenced in August 2001, and was affected by the September 11 attacks, which both caused anxiety to the group members and inspired the songwriting. During the process, Fergie joined the group as the female vocalist, replacing Kim Hill, who departed the group in 2000. The recording sessions went on to be extended until May 2003, which caused its release to be postponed multiple times. The first album to have the group credited as The Black Eyed Peas, Elephunk is a hip hop and pop record incorporating an array of genres, such as R&B, Latin, funk, dancehall, rock and dance. It explores lyrical themes such as partying, sex, infatuation and, to a lesser extent, social issues.
Elephunk was met with critical polarity upon its release, directed towards its variety of genres and lyrical content. The Black Eyed Peas' breakthrough album, it was a sleeper hit, debuting at number 33 on the US Billboard 200 and peaking at number 14 after its 2004 reissue. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over three million units in the United States. Internationally, it peaked atop the charts in Australia and Switzerland, reaching the top ten in nearly every other country. One of the best-selling albums of 2004, the album has sold over nine million copies worldwide. Despite a mixed critical reception, its songs garnered the album six Grammy Award nominations and one win.
Elephunk produced four singles. "Where Is the Love?" became the group's first top-ten single on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eight, and reached number one in 15 countries. Its follow-up singles "Shut Up" and "Hey Mama" achieved widespread international success but failed to duplicate the US success of "Where Is the Love?". Regardless, the former topped the charts in 14 countries, while the latter won an MTV Video Music Award. The final single "Let's Get It Started", a censored re-recording of the track "Let's Get Retarded", peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the group their first Grammy Award. The album was further promoted globally with the Elephunk Tour (2004).
Background and development
After signing a record deal with Interscope Records, the Black Eyed Peas released two critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful studio albums–Behind the Front (1998) and Bridging the Gap (2000). The latter produced the single "Request + Line", featuring Macy Gray, which was their first to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 and numerous international charts, but peaked only at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] Following the commercial failures, it was unsure whether the group would continue recording together. will.i.am met Ron Fair, then-president of A&M Records, when he recruited the group for the Legally Blonde (2001) soundtrack, for which they recorded the song "Magic" featuring Terry Dexter. Fair offered the group to move to A&M, which they accepted.[3] In order to make them more commercially successful, Fair suggested a musical direction change:
"I asked them, 'How would you feel about taking a leap and going more into the pop world?' They replied, 'We don't want to lose our credibility or our fanbase.' I said, 'Well, if you don't take a shot at it, it's gonna get worse, because the backpack crowd are the people who will download the records for free.'"[3]
The group was initially reluctant; however, after discussions and several songwriting sessions, the idea was pursued.[3]Taboo would later claim if he was going to sell out, he'd "rather be selling out arenas than selling out of my trunk on the corner of my block."[4]
Recording and production
Fergie joined the Black Eyed Peas during the production of Elephunk.
The recording for Elephunk commenced on August 23, 2001, with "Smells Like Funk", which wouldn't be finished until July 2, 2002.[5] Sessions took place at various recording studios across California. Most of the tracks were recorded at The Stewchia in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. Other locations included the Glenwood Studio in Burbank, California and Record Plant in Los Angeles. Music for "Smells Like Funk" was recorded at a house in Bodega Bay, California. "Anxiety" was the sole song recorded at Velvet Tone in Sacramento, California, and was recorded from March 24 until July 23, 2002.[5] The final song recorded for the album was "The Boogie That Be", which was finished on May 11, 2003, only a day prior to "Where Is the Love?" being serviced to radio as the lead single.[5]will.i.am wrote "Don't Knock It", a song "about how everybody got their opinion. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean somebody else ain't going to love it", which ultimately failed to make the final cut, much like the mid-tempo "Thanks" and the Rockwilder-produced "Fire".[6]
September 11 attacks greatly affected the group, both by causing them anxiety and by influencing their songwriting. will.i.am stated in 2018: "On our last day [of recording sessions in San Francisco], as I was packing my equipment, I saw the first plane fly through the World Trade Center. I thought it was a film. The fear of driving back home, y'know going over San Francisco bridge. That 10 minute drive across the bridge felt like an hour."[7] In December, will.i.am created a loop and a guitar part he liked; apl.de.ap and Taboo also heard the track and were able to write similar lyrics over it. Justin Timberlake was introduced to the group by Taboo, and got a chance to hear the track. Impressed with the music, Timberlake helped write and sing the chorus. The production of "Where Is the Love?" was temporarily halted in early 2002 as the band burned out over what will.i.am claimed was September 11 attacks-induced anxiety.[7] Its recording later resumed and finished on March 3, 2003.[5]
The Black Eyed Peas begun recording Elephunk as a trio; original member Kim Hill departed the group in 2000. As a female vocalist was needed for some of the tracks, various singers were brought in to record. Terry Dexter provided backing vocals for "Smells Like Funk", Noelle Scaggs for "Let's Get Retarded" and "Smells Like Funk", and Debi Nova for "Latin Girls".[5] In early 2002, during the recording of "Shut Up", will.i.am once again sought a female vocalist needed for the song. His original choice was Nicole Scherzinger, who was a member of Eden's Crush at the time. He asked Scherzinger's then-fiancé Nick Hexum from 311, who rejected the offer for her.[8] will.i.am then asked Fergie, whom he met in 2001 on a radio show where both the Black Eyed Peas and Wild Orchid, of which Fergie was a member at the time, performed. She accepted the offer and was soon made a permanent member of the Black Eyed Peas, recording remainder of the album with the group.[9]
Elephunk is a hip hop and pop album which incorporates an array of genres, such as R&B, Latin, funk, dancehall, rock and dance.[10][11][12] It explores lyrical themes such as partying, sex, infatuation and, to a lesser extent, social issues. The album opens with the horn-infused "Southern-fried rapid rap" song "Hands Up".[13][14] The trumpet-driven "Labor Day (It's a Holiday)" lyrically celebrates an alcohol and sex-filled three-day weekend.[14][15] "Let's Get Retarded" encourages its listeners to party with lines such as "Lose your mind, this is the time / Y'all can't stand still, twist and bang your spine / Bob your head like epilepsy / Up inside the club or in your Bentley".[16] Its censored version "Let's Get It Started" replaces the terms "retarded" and "epilepsy", and replaces the original track on the 2022 reissue.[17] The dancehall track "Hey Mama" features a male protagonist expressing his attraction to a woman.[18][19] "Shut Up" details an argument between two lovers leading up to the end of their relationship.[6] The sixth track "Smells Like Funk" describes an odor-filled environment and insinuates cannabis consumption.[14] "Latin Girls" is a guitar riff-laced song incorporating Latin piano and percussion, and lyrically celebrates Hispanic women.[20][14]Jazz-influenced "Sexy" sees the male protagonist express his love and admiration towards his female love interest prior to having sex with her.[11][21]
"Fly Away" is a rock-influenced hip hop track which encourages a former lover to leave, while "The Boogie That Be" is a "vintage early 1980's electro-funk" song.[11][22] Electric guitar-driven ballad "The Apl Song" features apl.de.ap rapping–partly in Filipino–about a ghetto in the Philippines where he once lived.[18][23] "Anxiety", featuring Papa Roach, is a rap metal track in which the protagonist seeks "self-control amidst stressful paranoia".[14][15]Elephunk closes with its lead single "Where Is the Love?", featuring Justin Timberlake. Although initially intended as a vessel to post-September 11 attacks anxiety, the song discusses many issues, including terrorism, US government hypocrisy, racism, gang crime, pollution, war and intolerance, with the call for love in the chorus as the element tying these together. The lines "Overseas, yeah, we try'na stop terrorism / But we still got terrorists here living / In the USA, the big CIA / The Bloods and the Crips and the KKK" suggests those organizations being terrorists as well.[24] It also alludes to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and its casus belli with the lyric "A war's going on but the reason's undercover" in the bridge. will.i.am laid the track's main rhythm over the chord progression, which he claimed to be inspired by human heartbeat: "I was like, 'this song needs a heartbeat.' I just liked the pull and the call of response of the human heart – a beat, a rhythm that we hear everyday subconsciously, without paying attention to it."[7]
Title and artwork
will.i.am revealed the title of the Black Eyed Peas' third studio album to be Elephunk on June 11, 2002, explaining:
"An elephant ain't the fastest, swiftest animal, but it walks smoothly. It's fat. It's heavy. Thump, thump. You can just picture an elephant's movement. That's the sound of the album. We have a lot of trombones, fat basslines, fat grooves, and nice, thick horn layers and arrangements. Just fat funk."[6]
The album cover for Elephunk was designed by Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri and uses images of the group members photographed by Markus Klinko.[5] It features each member in a corner and an artwork of an elephant's head in the center against a light blue background.[25] The cover marked the first time the group was credited as The Black Eyed Peas, the name they would retire in 2018, when they removed the prefix.[25]
In March, the Black Eyed Peas embarked on their third headlining tour, titled Elephunk Tour, and toured North America, Asia, Europe and Oceania until December.[37] On May 24, Elephunk was reissued to include "Let's Get It Started", the re-recorded version of "Let's Get Retarded" used to promote the 2004 NBA playoffs.[38] A video album titled Behind the Bridge to Elephunk was released outside North America on May 26 and included music videos, behind-the-scenes footage and live performances.[39] In August, Electronic Arts (EA) announced that the Black Eyed Peas would re-record some of their songs in Simlish and record new tracks for the soundtrack of the 2004 video game The Urbz: Sims in the City, and would also appear in the game as playable characters.[40] The group continued promoting Elephunk by performing "Let's Get It Started" at Fashion Rocks on September 8,[41] at the MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2004 on October 21,[42] at the VH1 Big in '04 Awards on December 1,[43] and at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2005, where the song won the group their first Grammy Award, for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.[44] 13 years after its release, the album was made available on vinyl for the first time on September 30, 2016.[45] On April 1, 2022, it was re-released for digital download and streaming worldwide to exclude "Let's Get Retarded", which was replaced by "Let's Get It Started", and to include the hidden track "Third Eye" and the previously UK-only bonus tracks "Rock My Shit" and "What's Goin' Down".[46]
Singles
"Where Is the Love?" was released as the lead single from Elephunk on May 12, 2003.[47] It became the group's breakthrough hit and their first top-ten single on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eight.[2] The song peaked atop the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Hot 100 Singles and the US Mainstream Top 40.[48][49][50] It was the best-selling single of 2003 in the UK.[51] The digital single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 25, 2004, for sales of 500,000 units in the United States.[52] Despite the initial mixed reception from music critics, the song was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards (2004).[53] The song's accompanying music video was filmed in East Los Angeles and features will.i.am and Taboo act as a soul music road duo who use music to tell people what is wrong with the world, Fergie as a peacemaker who places stickers with question marks on them all over the place to ask people where the love is, and apl.de.ap as a criminal who is arrested for using criminal offences to tell people the truth.[54]
"Shut Up" was released as the second single from Elephunk on September 8, 2003.[55] It wasn't as successful as its predecessor in the US as it failed to enter the US Billboard Hot 100. However, it duplicated the international commercial success of "Where Is the Love?", peaking atop the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland, and the European Hot 100 Singles.[56][57][58] The digital single was certified gold by the RIAA on May 19, 2005, for sales of 500,000 units in the US.[59] The song's accompanying music video was directed by The Malloys and features an opera themed around a battle of the sexes, in which will.i.am and Taboo play Fergie's suitors, and apl.de.ap is the conductor. It features cameos by Kimberly Wyatt and Carmit Bachar from the Pussycat Dolls, Travis Barker from Blink-182, Shifty Shellshock from Crazy Town, and French singer Afida Turner.[54]
"Hey Mama" was released as the third single from Elephunk on January 12, 2004.[60] It was an improvement from its predecessor on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 23, as well as peaking at number eight on the Mainstream Top 40.[2][50] Internationally, it reached the top ten in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, and on the European Hot 100 Singles.[61][62][63] The digital single was certified gold by the RIAA on October 25, 2004, for sales of 500,000 units in the US.[64] Critically acclaimed, the song was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards (2005).[53] Its accompanying music video features the group performing in a psychedelic limbo, a black-and-white striped room, and a nightclub.[54] At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, it won Best Choreography in a Video, while receiving nominations for Best Dance Video and Best Hip-Hop Video.[65][66]
In April 2004, "Let's Get Retarded" was announced to have been re-recorded and retitled "Let's Get It Started" for its use in promotion of the 2004 NBA playoffs.[67] Initially unplanned as a single, the new version was so well-received it was released as the fourth and final single from Elephunk on June 1, 2004.[68] The song peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100,[2] and reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France and New Zealand.[69] The digital single was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on June 29, 2012, for sales of three million units in the US.[68] Critically acclaimed, the song won the group their first Grammy Award, for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, and was also nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rap Song.[53] The song's accompanying music video features the group energetically performing in a nighttime Los Angeles setting.[70]
Elephunk received mixed to positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 66, based on 15 reviews, indicating generally positive reviews.[71] John Bush from AllMusic wrote that Elephunk "possesses some of the most boundary-pushing productions in contemporary, (mostly) uncommercial hip-hop".[72][79] Chris Nettleton from Drowned in Sound complimented the album, writing: "This record is full of first rate rapping, first rate tunes, first rate instrumentation. Look on the surface, and you've got an album full of memorable songs, hooks that lodge in your mind... but look in depth, and it's quality from the top down."[76] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau called the album "the brightest actual pop album of 2003" and commented that the group "remain unbelievable, but in pop that's just one more aesthetic nuance".[78] K.B. Tindal from HipHopDX described the album as "a collaboration of riffs, funk, rhymes, vocals and beats and looses steam at some points with all the originality that just seems to be all over the place, but it's still a solid outing none the less".[20] Terry Sawyer from PopMatters called the album "one of the essential hip-hop records of the year", adding that it "drops non-stop hook and hump, an album with almost no missteps and more than its share of undeniable, thumping joy."[14] Bill Lehane from musicOMH also praised the album, writing: "With Elephunk, this alternative rap crew have proved again that they are just that, offering a different style of hip-hop to contrast with the gangsta style. Whoever digs that vibe, get your hands up."[18]
Evan Serpick Entertainment Weekly gave Elephunk a less favorable review, stating: "They try dancehall ('Hey Mama'), salsa ('Latin Girls'), even nu-metal ('Anxiety' with Papa Roach), but the biggest offense for a once smart-sounding rap collective is 'Where Is the Love?', the horrifyingly trite single. It's enough to make longtime fans wonder, 'Where are the Peas?'".[12] Ernest Hardy criticized the album's final two tracks, "in which cliched observations, preachy lyrics and MTV-ready posturing float atop meticulously detailed production".[13] Writing for Blender, Joseph Patel labeled the album "too simple for its own good", criticizing its repetitive refrains.[75] Nathan Rabin from The A.V. Club said the album "gets off to a discouraging start, with non-starting dance tracks like "Hands Up," "Labor Day (It's A Holiday)," and the dancehall-flavored "Hey Mama," which sound busy and cluttered without being infectious or catchy. It picks up around its halfway point, though, as the pace gets less frantic and the production becomes smoother, subtler, and more refreshingly sophisticated."[74] Writing for the Canadian publication Exclaim!, Del F. Cowie criticized the album by saying: "With the breadth of music the group attempts to cover, the dumbed-down lyrics now merely function as a means to get from one catchy chorus to another."[80] Bob Waliszewski from the fundamentalist Protestant publication Plugged In objected to the album's sexual themes and profanity.[15]
Elephunk was a sleeper hit both in the United States and internationally. It debuted at number 33 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated July 12, 2003 with first-week sales of 31,000 copies,[90][91] originally peaking at number 26 in its seventh week.[92] After a year of fluctuating within the chart, the album's sales were boosted by its reissue, and it consequently reached a new peak at number 14 on June 26, 2004.[93] As of 2022, it has spent a total of 106 weeks on the Billboard 200.[94] The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 3, 2004, for shipments of two million units in the US. By 2011, it had sold over three million copies in the country.[95] In Canada, the album debuted at number eight on January 14, 2004,[96] peaking at number two in its eleventh week.[97] It was certified septuple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) on December 15, 2005.[98]
In the United Kingdom, Elephunk debuted and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart dated August 23, 2003.[99] It peaked atop the UK R&B Albums Chart dated December 6.[100] On July 22, 2013, it was certified quintuple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI); it has sold 1.6 million copies in the UK.[101] The album reached number one in Switzerland, after debuting at number 60 and climbing the chart for five months.[102] In France, it debuted at number 115 in July 2003 and originally peaked at number three six months later.[103] Following the August 2004 reissue, it reached a new peak at number two and was certified platinum soon after.[104] Elsewhere in Europe, the album peaked within the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Sweden, as well as peaking at number two on the European Top 100 Albums.[103][105] It has been certified triple platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for sales of three million copies in Europe.[106]
Elephunk was a commercial success in Oceania as well. In Australia, it debuted at number 50 and went on to peak atop the chart after a year of charting, on August 29, 2004, spending a total of 70 weeks on the chart.[107] The album has been certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[108] In New Zealand, it debuted at number 11, and after months of fluctuating within the top 30, peaked at number two on April 19, 2004.[109] The album has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ).[110] As of September 2013, it has sold over nine million copies worldwide.[111]
Elephunk and its singles are credited for pushing the Black Eyed Peas into stardom and cementing them as pop culture icons.[114][115][116] The group's breakthrough record, it became their first charting album in numerous countries, as well as their first album to be certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[117] Specifically, lead single "Where Is the Love?" is credited for establishing the group as a viable act worldwide. According to Katie Sharp from Mic, "it brought an oddball rap group from L.A. right into the public eye. Suddenly, there was a powerful force countering all the macho posturing in rap and the shallowness of pop — there was a catchy song delivering incisive cultural criticism about world peace in the wake of 9/11. And it became a massive global hit."[115] The album was the group's first to feature Fergie, who was also credited for being "the primary vehicle for the Black Eyed Peas' rise to pop stardom, though. She not only brought sex appeal to the all-male dynamic, but she also brought a heavy emphasis on catchy hooks."[115]Elephunk was also credited for individually propelling Fergie and will.i.am to global prominence.[115]
However, the group's newfound commercial success and the introduction of Fergie also resulted with what some critics perceived as a downgrade in quality of the group's music, and the group received accusations of selling out.[114][115] Writing for Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani stated: "The Black Eyed Peas's 2003 breakthrough album, Elephunk, was a slow-building success story. Filling the album with irritatingly catchy songs was a bold, ballsy move you couldn't help but admire, and it transitioned the Peas, with the aide of new member Stacy Ferguson, from the Fugees-lite to omnipresent pop supergroup."[118] During the Elephunk Tour (2004), which supported Elephunk worldwide, the Black Eyed Peas commenced production of their fourth studio album Monkey Business.[119] It was released on May 25, 2005, and became the group's first US Billboard 200 top-ten album, debuting at number two, and produced their first two US Billboard Hot 100 top-three singles–"Don't Phunk with My Heart" and "My Humps".
10 years after the release of Elephunk, will.i.am revealed that representatives from the Black Eyed Peas' then-label A&M Records did not like the songs produced for the album, namely "Where Is the Love?", "Shut Up" and "Let's Get Retarded", as they didn't consider them "hits".[111] He added: "Me and apl.de.ap were like, 'Look, dude. If this is going to be our last record, a lot of groups like us are getting dropped. Let's just make the kind of record we want to make; our record.' And so 'Elephunk' was our record."[111] Despite A&M's initial reaction, aforementioned three songs were all released as singles and became award-winning international hits.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
