Archive for the ‘The E.N.D.’ Category

The Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” this week becomes the first song to top the 6 million mark in paid downloads. As it happens, the Peas also had the first song to top the 500,000 mark in paid downloads. “Let’s Get It Started” topped 500K in February 2005.

I’ll tell you about another digital record that the Peas set this week. “Imma Be” tops the 3 million mark in digital sales. It’s the third song from The E.N.D. to reach (or exceed) that sales plateau. The E.N.D. is the first album, in its originally released form, to spawn three 3-million-selling digital hits. The expanded versions of Lady Gaga’s The Fame and Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad also contain three 3 million-sellers, but in both cases only two of the three songs appeared on the original releases. (Gaga’s “Bad Romance” was added to The Fame Monster. Rihanna’s “Disturbia” was added to Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded.)

The Black Eyed Peas proved that 2009 was definitely their year, but their hit-making abilities have transcended with them to the year 2010.  

In the first six months, one song topped the 3 million mark, down from three in the first six months of 2009. Thirteen songs topped 2 million, up from seven; 39 songs topped 1 million, up from 31; and 83 songs topped 500K, the same as in the first six months of 2009.

In the first six months, one album topped the 2 million mark, up from none in the first six months of 2009; four albums topped 1 million, down from three in the first six months of 2009; and 17 albums topped 500K, down from 19. 

Paul Grein has made a list ranking the year’s giggest hits,, thus far.  Here is where the Black Eyed Peas landed:

Digital Sales

2. The Black Eyed Peas, “Imma Be,” 2,561,000. The Peas had the top two songs on the year-end Digital Songs chart for 2009 and may rank in the year-end top five again this year. This song sold an additional 375K in 2009. Peak: #1. 

Album Sales

6. The Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D. 838,000 (includes 173,000 digital). This sold an additional 1,787,000 copies in 2009, which made it that year’s #7 album. 

Will.I.Am also landed on the digital sales chart with his featuring alongside Usher in OMG ranking in at number 5:

5. Usher featuring will.i.am, “OMG,” 2,485,000. This was the biggest collaboration of the first six months. This gives will.i.am two songs in the mid-year top five (combining lead and featured roles). Peak: #1.

Here is an article posted on MTV about what the Peas have done for music today…

They say a well-rounded education is the key to success, and if that truly is the case, the my schooling is woefully incomplete when it comes to the subject of pop. That’s why we bring you “Popology,” the guide to modern radio-friendly stars as seen through the eyes of a guy who grew up on punk and metal

When the Black Eyed Peas first introduced themselves to the music world with 1998’s Behind the Front, they presented a funky, organic-sounding brand of hip-hop that took a handful of cues from the Fugees’ The Score (which had been a massive hit only two years earlier). With R&B-kissed tracks and a positive take on lyricism (most of their rhymes were about life back in the day and spreading love and such), they were a welcome if not entirely compelling addition to a hip-hop scene that was dominated by the pop-friendliness of Diddy and the rise of ultra-violent crossovers like DMX.

They churned out an excellent follow-up in 2000’s Bridging the Gap, but unfortunately that album underperformed once it hit store shelves (released at the height of the Napster era, they blamed the weak sales on illegal downloads). So the group re-tooled a bit and added a woman named Stacy Ferguson (the singer the world would come to know and love as Fergie). They resurfaced in 2003 with Elephunk, and everything got turned on its ear.

Traces of the old Black Eyed Peas sound remained, but the sound had evolved into a far more radio-friendly stew of traditional R&B and party funk. The good vibes were still they, but the message was way more about putting your hands up than about giving back to your community. In fact, the first track on the album is called “Hands Up,” which takes a slinky funk beat and encourages you to put your elbows above your head. It actually sets the tone for just about every big hit the group would have post-2003 (including their gigantic singles from 2009’s The E.N.D.): A non-stop barrage of choruses mixed in with a handful of catch phrases in a party-friendly atmosphere.

The biggest singles from Elephunk got so massive that it became weird to think about them as songs any more. This is especially true of “Let’s Get Retarded” (and not “Let’s Get It Started,” no matter what the NBA wants you to think), an finger-popping anthem that has scored so many movie trailers, commercials and sports bumpers that it seems strange listening to it on a pair of headphones as part of an album. “Let’s Get Retarded” became ultra-ubiquitous almost immediately after it was released. It’s almost unfair to think of it as music by the Black Eyed Peas. It’s waybigger than that.

The Peas also scored big with “Hey Mama,” one of the earliest songs to be used in an iPod commercial. Back at the dawn of the iPod, inclusion in one of those commercials meant instant success and stardom (now there are so many the brand has been a bit diluted). Much like it’s hard to think about “I Gotta Feeling” without picturing the Target logo, “Hey Mama” became ubiquitous with the first wave of Apple’s (the company, not the BEP member) game-changing music player.

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Break out the popcorn. With their current album The E.N.D. still making noise on the charts, the ubiquitous Black Eyed Peas are gearing up to hit a theater near you. And according to frontman and musical mastermind will.i.am, the group will have the most successful director in movie history handling the camera for what he calls the ultimate concert film.

“Right now we are planning our 3-D tour movie and James Cameron is directing it,” will.i.am tells VIBE. “We have the biggest director because we are the biggest group on the planet. The Peas are filming it in South America. People will be able to see us in the theater with the 3-D glasses and everything.”

“There will be a storyline that [Cameron] came up with, which will be dope,” the BEP frontman continues. “It’s a full-length film and it’s based around our tour activities. We’ve toured from America and Europe, to the Middle East, South America, Asia and Africa. It’s not like we go, ‘Yo, we are international, you know what I’m saying? London and Paris!’ Nah, that’s just two cities. We want to go across the planet.”

The as-yet-untitled Black Eyed Peas concert film isn’t set for release until early next year. In the meantime, will.i.am says contrary to reports of a riff between himself and Peas’ star vocalist Fergie, the pair’s relationship is stronger than ever.

“Fergie wants to do another solo record, so of course we are going to do that,” he says. “We have material ready for that. But right now we are focused on the Peas—our world tour and the movie.” —Keith Murphy

The irrepressible pop band, composed of Fergie, Will.I.Am, Apl.De.Ap and Taboo has sold more downloads – some 3.3 million – in UK chart history than any other group, according to the Official Charts Company.

Managing director Martin Talbot congratulated the band for an “incredible achievement”.

Singer Fergie said: “It’s exhilarating to know we are so connected to our Peabodies.

“Hopefully the good vibes from that song [I Gotta Feeling] will continue to brighten people’s lives.”

And front man and co-founder Will.i.am added: “Wow!!! out of all the artists in the world??? I had a feeling I was supposed to move to the UK”

The feat is yet another triumph for the group which has notched up eleven Top 10 singles – including four number ones – and three Top 5 albums in Britain.

They have sold some 35 million albums and 41 million singles worldwide.

“Black Eyed Peas will forever be able to state that they scored the UK’s first million-selling download and I Gotta Feeling is now firmly established as one of the defining tunes of our time,” Mr Talbot said.

Here is a question answered by Gary Trust on his Billboard “Ask” Column.

Hi Gary,

I’ve read Billboard columns like Chart Beat and the Between the Bullets commentary boxes in the magazine since around 1993 almost every week. I meant to write earlier, but I still think this item makes for great trivia.

The Black Eyed Peas‘ “The E.N.D.” is the first album in more than 23 years to yield three No. 1 singles in the U.K. and on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.

“Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” topped U.K. and U.S. charts, while “Meet Me Halfway” reigned in the U.K. and “Imma Be” in the U.S.

Madonna last accomplished this feat in 1986-87 with her album “True Blue”: “Papa Don’t Preach” led the U.S. and U.K. charts, “Live to Tell” and “Open Your Heart” ruled in the U.S., and “True Blue” and “La Isla Bonita” were U.K.-only No. 1s.

I just wanted to spotlight an achievement by the Black Eyed Peas that should not go overlooked.

Thank you,
 
Elmo Aybar
Puno, Peru

Hi Elmo,

Thanks for pointing out yet another monumental accomplishment by the quartet. As reported yesterday in Chart Beat, the Black Eyed Peas are the first duo or group to collect five top 10s on the Hot 100 from one album in more than 20 years.

You all read correctly!  The Black Eyed Peas have just obtained their 5th Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit from the same album with their latest single “Rock That Body“.  The single jumps from #14 to #7 on Hot Digital Songs and from #16 to #9 on the Hot 100.  Their previous top 10 singles have been “Boom Boom Pow” (#1), “I Gotta Feeling” (#1), “Meet Me Halfway” (#7), “Imma Be” (#1). 

Fergie is also one of the handful of artists who have achieved at-least 5 top 10 singles from a single album with “The Dutchess”.  The latest singers to accomplish this have been Rihanna (Good Girl Gone Bad) and Taylor Swift (Fearless).  

Congratulations to the the Peas!