You may find this hard to believe, but there was a time when the Black Eyed Peas were actually a respectable and visibly talented hip-hop group.
No, really, before the days of ‘My Humps’ and that awful ‘Boom Boom Pow’ song, you didn’t have to be ashamed to say you liked the Black Eyed Peas.
Will.I.Am, or Will.Je.Suis as he’s known to the French, and his cohorts apl.de.ap and Taboo were skilled rappers and more importantly, true hip-hop fans who penned conscious-style rhymes about the sorry state of hip-hop, as evidenced in songs like ‘BEP Empire‘.
This was, of course, shortly before the group itself became the embodiment of the sorry state of hip-hop. By the time their third album, the 2003 smash hit Elephunk, rolled around, BEP decided this whole conscious thing wasn’t paying the bills and moved towards a more pop-oriented sound.
Well, it seems the group is tired of riding jet skis made of gold bars or whatever and have decided to recapture some of their roots on their new album, which many are speculating may not contain BEP leading lady Fergie, who joined the group right before their mainstream breakthrough.
The group’s latest single, aptly titled ‘Yesterday’, is an ode to the classic days of hip-hop, featuring numerous references to Black Eyed Peas’ favourite groups and artists and even has them rapping over beats reminiscent of N.W.A., Run DMC, De La Soul, and more.
The music video takes this concept and expands on it, placing Will.I.Am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo inside of a record store as they flip through stacks of vinyl and spontaneously appear on the animated covers of classic releases by the groups referenced in the song.
The song itself, we must say, is actually pretty good, and the music video is inventive and fun to watch. However, one person who’s not so thrilled with it is singer, songwriter, and neo-soul goddess Erykah Badu, who thinks the clip looks just a tad too familiar.
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“I think THE BLACK EYED PEAS borrowed my idea a lil,” Badu wrote on Facebook. “I’m gone beat up Will I AM.” It’s pretty clear to anybody, the ‘Yesterday’ video shares a lot of similarities with Badu’s video for 2007’s ‘Honey’.
Like ‘Yesterday’, ‘Honey’ is a walk through a record store, with Badu appearing on numerous iconic album cover. At one point, she appears on the cover of Minnie Riperton’s Perfect Angel and the refrain from her hit ‘Lovin’ You’ plays, a la ‘Yesterday’, and both appear on a De La Soul LP cover.
However, it appears Badu’s threat towards the BEP frontman was all in good fun. “I wrote and directed this joint. Won best director [at the] VMA’s… so I understand,” she continues, adding that she’s “flattered” by the apparent homage. “Cute video non [sic] the less.”
Readers can check out both videos below. What do you think? Reckon BEP took more than a little inspiration from the ‘Honey’ video?
