Music Review: Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.

I was nervous about the new Black Eyed Peas album The E.N.D. Though I enjoy “Boom Boom Pow” and “Imma Bee”—the singles they released as teasers to the album—both fall into the category I discussed in my last article “Is Cockiness Passé?”

They are original and danceable songs, but much of the lyrics fall into that dated, self-aggrandizing category I am so tired of. Like “I’m so 3008 you’re so 2000 and late” from “Boom Boom Pow,” or “Imma' be looking all fly and shit, Imma' be the flyest chick” from…well, the song is obvious.

But after spending the last two weeks listening to it over and over again I am very pleasantly surprised. This is a solid and creatively diverse album. No, it doesn’t have the raw quality of the early Peas. This is clearly a commercial venture, but it is a damn good one. And I was pleased to see that they tapped internal talent rather than relying heavily on outside artists as they had in the past.

And speaking of internal talent, I have to admit, I like Fergie. Though her solo work leaves something to be desired, I always thought she was a smart addition to the group. I know there was an uproar at one point because supposedly someone isolated her singing (as they did with Linda McCartney) and it was awful, and from there it was deduced that she was merely a decorative and token pair of breasts for the group.

There’s SO much I hate about this accusation. First of all, they never accuse men of such things (no one accused Taboo of being a dancing penis, and John Legend he ain’t). Secondly, since when is rap or hip hop about singing? Last I checked it was more spoken than sung and didn’t require the vocal stylings or acrobatics of a Marc Anthony. It is more about personality and story, and I think Fergie is as well-suited as her male counterparts to tell these stories.

In keeping with the BEP’s philosophy, the songs are not about drugs or hos or pimp-slapping. They do however, still have a sophomoric obsession with women’s body parts. Thankfully there are no revisits to the murky depths of “My Humps” here, and the collection is positive to the point of being downright cheery.

Article Author: Ann Hagman Cardinal

Ann Hagman Cardinal is a freelance writer as well as the Marketing Director for Vermont Collge of Fine Arts. Her first novel, Sister Chicas--co-authored with two other Latina writers—was released in 2006 by NAL/Penguin Books. …

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