Elephunk

iTunes Review

Black Eyes Peas took a quantum leap forward with Elephunk, the album on which the group traded in its purist hip-hop style for an amalgamation of global pop sounds. Newly minted member Fergie provides the group with new energy, applying an R&B hook where needed, but equally able to play the bodacious frontwoman. “Let’s Get Retarded” is a textbook example of a song designed to hook a mass audience, and it’s no surprise that it found a second life when it was reworked as “Let’s Get It Started” and used as the theme song for the 2004 NBA playoffs, and the 2004 Democratic National Convention. In the same vein, “Where Is the Love?” is a perfect fusion of pop and hip-hop, the kind of song that once won a worldwide audience for Will Smith. Despite its corny sentiment, its overtly positive attitude struck a chord when it was released in June of 2003, just a few months after the start of the Iraq war. The Peas continue to specialize in uptempo, danceable hip-hop and club music (“Hey Mama,” “Shut Up,” “The Boogie That Be”) but it's “Sexy” and “Smells Like Funk” that show will.i.am developing a musical vision on par with Wyclef Jean and Kanye West.