The Beginning follows on the heels of 2009’s The E.N.D., BEP’s most popular and most creative album to date _ and the album that reaffirmed their singular status as global music icons. The E.N.D sold more than 11 million copies worldwide; it entered the Billboard Top 200 Chart at #1 outperforming their previous cd, Monkey Business_ an unheard of feat in this day and age. It yielded 5 Top 10 singles (the first album to do so in 20 years), spent an entire year in the Billboard Top 200 Chart, and earned the group 3 new Grammy Awards, for a total of six Grammy Awards they’ve won. In all, they’ve sold 29 million records worldwide (plus over 30-million digital tracks).
It’s how The Black Eyed Peas have achieved that success that is the most rewarding part of their story: through constant innovation. The E.N.D., was a perfect example of that. Now, however, comes The Beginning to up the ante. The Beginning does not signal a new start for the group, it will not provoke talk of a rebirth. The Beginning, rather, is a reference to the world at large, right here at this very moment in time _ new methods of communicating, new methods of broadcasting are connecting the world in ways never before imaginable.
The Black Eyed Peas have always been considered innovators ever since emerging out of the West Coast underground rap scene in the 1990s. In 2002, they welcomed Fergie into the group (for their third album, Elephunk), and it transformed them from beloved backpack rap stalwarts into one of the most popular groups in the world. It was on The E.N.D., though, that the Peas truly made their musical mark, tapping into the infinite energy and communal experience of worldwide club music.
The Beginning is an evolution of that sound, this time harnessing a more seductive electro vibe in addition to big house grooves. The song, ‘The Time (Dirty Bit),’ is the first single from The Beginning, and it features an interpolation of the theme song from the 1987 film, Dirty Dancing. It went straight to #1 on iTunes in 11 countries within the first 24 hours. ‘That song is a celebration of this amazing time in our lives, says vocalist Fergie.
