Have you ever been hanging out, and suddenly the dance floor got slightly “excited?” This likely could’ve happened when you heard the sounds of will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas.

From songs like “Let’s Get It Started” to “My Humps,” the eclectic group has music that helps define moments and keeps the party going. However, the group’s musical prowess is not by happenstance. Arguably, much of the group’s success can be credited to its leader.

Born William James Adams, Jr., the Los Angeles, CA native, has early childhood roots in music stemming from his early beginnings in the Estrada Courts housing projects. During these early times, he found inspiration from legendary Hip-Hop acts like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.

In fact, the “I Like To Move It” rapper found so much inspiration from those groups that he doesn’t even have an answer for the age-old rap question: Biggie or Tupac?

In a recent interview with Skillz on the Hip-Hop Confessions podcast, the Black Eyed Peas leader revealed that Biggie and Tupac aren’t at the top of his mind when discussing rap’s best.

“I’m gonna say something… I don’t want to say it in a disrespectful way,” the 47-year-old stated on the show. “When people say Tupac and Biggie, I’m such A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul head that I don’t like Tupac and Biggie.”

He doubled down on this comment, explaining that his success and drive to move out of the housing projects he was raised in can be credited to the inspiring lyrics he heard from other artists outside of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.

“It [De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest’s music] took me out of the projects while I was still in the projects,” said will.i.am, noting their music sparked his imagination and “physically” allowed him to “reach” his “dreams.”

“It kept me safe while I was in the projects,” he continued. “Had I loved Tupac and Biggie while I was in the projects, I probably would’ve been stuck in the projects still.”

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the “Boom Boom Pow” artist has a net worth of $70 million. So, the inspiration from his favorite artists may have been the push to catapult him far beyond his humble beginnings in East LA.

Let’s look at how will.i.am has leveled up his career over the years.

Black Eyed Peas

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