You gotta understand a lot of hip-hop kids are going to have the hip-hop mentality. And it's sad because they're not educated enough to understand what hip-hop culture is really about.
Apl has a lot of songs that are paying homage to his native tongue. He's from the Philippines. He has songs inspired by his culture.
You really need to stop and appreciate what you have, the love you have from your family, your friends, the love that you have for yourself.
I'm building my own brand outside of the Peas. It's not Black Eyed Peas, it's Zumbao. Zumbao is different from the Peas because it's all on me and I can't feed off of anybody other than me.
It takes one person to stand up for what he believes in. I believe there's been an injustice in Arizona. I oppose Bill 1070.
I'm the performer of the group. My thing is like, every time I come on stage, I always bring it 120 percent, 150 percent.
Our show is all about energy and all about the skill, so we never have to alter it for different audiences, although maybe we might get crazier at a punk-rock show. With kids moshing and crowd-surfing, we might have to get crazy as well.
In L.A., we played rock venues because we had a band, which hip-hop venues couldn't accommodate. And within that, we created a show which we could put on in front of anybody.
We want to be able to make our own songs and write our own arrangements. We want to incorporate the live sound so we can be free onstage and in the studio recording. That way we can come up with original and creative stuff.
A lot of people have a misconception about artists, that they're invincible, you know, they're on a different plateau. But I'm just a human being.
They didn't tell me what type of cancer I had. They didn't tell me what stage I was in. They just told me, 'Mr Gomez, you have cancer.' My life flashed before my eyes. I thought about my kids, I thought about my wife. Nothing prepares you for the shock of someone telling you you have that horrible disease.
The Peas is the mothership you always go to. But when you able to bring something new to the table, it makes you stand out as an artist. I am not chasing the same things as Fergie or Will.i.am.
In order to maintain your longevity, you have to know the business. It's not about just rapping and performing.
Before we had Fergie, it was me, will.i.am, and apl, and we were showcasing our dance moves in our videos.
I was in a group called Pablo, while Will.i.am and apl.de.ap were a part of the Atban Klann. They signed to Ruthless Records with Easy-E. When Easy-E passed away in 1995 they changed their name to the Black Eyed Peas and asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. The rest is history.