Originally forming as an alternative hip hop trio, they signed with Interscope Records to release two albums—Behind the Front (1998) and Bridging the Gap (2000)—before rebranding to a more marketable pop-rap act; their third album, Elephunk (2003), yielded the group's mainstream breakthrough.

Their fourth album, Monkey Business (2005), was met with continued commercial success; it received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.

The group's sixth album, The Beginning (2010), released the following year, and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top five singles "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Just Can't Get Enough".

In 1988, while attending two different high schools, William James Adams Jr and Allan Pineda Lindo met at the all-ages dance venue Club What?

Actor David Faustino opened an all-ages club named Balistyx in 1991 inside the old Whisky a Go Go, and Tribal Nation played there.

[8] In 1995, will.i.am and apl.de.ap formed a new group named Black Eyed Pods with Jaime Gomez (Taboo), and Kim Hill, a singer who featured on a selected number of their tracks.

[9] Unlike the "gangsta rap" sounds of Los Angeles–based hip hop acts at the time, the trio performed with a live band and adopted a conscious musical and appearance style.

After being signed to Interscope Records and releasing their debut, Behind the Front (1998) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim.

In a positive review of the Black Eyed Peas' new-found style, Rolling Stone noted that after the group "hired a blond bombshell named Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson and gave up their pursuit of backpack-rapper cred, they have made a kind of spiritual practice of recording futuristic songs – a total aesthetic commitment that extends from their garish wardrobes to their United Colors of Benetton worldview.

"My Humps", another song from the album, immediately achieved commercial success in the U.S. and also garnered fairly substantial radio play despite the sexually suggestive lyrics.

Their next and final commercially released single from the album was "Pump It", which borrows much of its sound from "Misirlou", specifically Dick Dale's version.

[citation needed] In addition to touring, the Black Eyed Peas also headlined the halftime show at the Grey Cup on November 27, 2005.

The Black Eyed Peas starred in a series of web shorts for Snickers, called Instant Def, appearing as a group of hip-hop superheroes.

In March 2006, the Black Eyed Peas hit the road again as the featured headliner for the 6th Annual Honda Civic Tour with supporting bands Flipsyde and the Pussycat Dolls.

[14][15] In 2007, the Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Black Blue & You World Tour, visiting more than 20 countries, including: Macau, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Hungary, South Africa, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Singapore, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Australia, Nigeria, Mexico, Thailand, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Argentina, the Philippines, El Salvador and Brazil.

On December 31, 2006, the Black Eyed Peas's tour concluded at Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for more than 1 million people, being their biggest concert ever.

Heavy airplay in Canada caused "Imma Be" to reach number 5 on the Canadian Hot 100, their fourth consecutive top-five hit from the album.

On July 6, 2011, during a concert at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, the Black Eyed Peas announced they are taking an indefinite hiatus following the completion of their current tour.

[28] On November 23, 2011, the group made their last performance for The Beginning Tour in Miami with opening acts including Cee Lo Green and Queen Latifah.

The song, as well as the accompanying video feature all four members of the group, will.i.am, Fergie, apl.de.ap, and Taboo,[32] and many other popular artists such as Justin Timberlake, DJ Khaled, and Jessie J.

In an interview with Billboard on May 19, 2020, Reynoso talked about an upcoming eighth album, describing it as "very Afrobeat, Latin vibe, dance -- just very uplifting music, which is what we need right now at this time of our life, you know?

[52] On October 27, 2022, across their social media platforms, the group announced their ninth studio album, titled Elevation, which was released on November 11, 2022.

The song was later released on the 2007 John Lennon tribute album, Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.

The Black Eyed Peas dedicated the music video of their 2011 single "Just Can't Get Enough" to Japan as the country had been hit by an earthquake.

[55] In July 2011, the Black Eyed Peas founded a school for New York teenagers where students of 13–19 years can learn video production and music using professional equipment.

The school will have its facilities in a building operated by the Urban Arts Partnership, which provides art-school programs for adolescents studying in areas of very low income.

Young people will be admitted according to the recommendations of their teachers and their expressions of interest in the subjects taught, such as camera work, editing and graphic design.

On September 30, 2011, the group performed a free concert, "Chase Presents The Black Eyed Peas and Friends", for over 50,000 people in New York City's Central Park.

", titled "#WHERESTHELOVE" was released and will.i.am told in an interview that all proceeds raised from the song will go to his "i.am.angel foundation", which funds educational programs and college scholarships in the United States.

[61] In June 2011, Ubisoft announced they were developing The Black Eyed Peas Experience, a dance video game for Kinect and Wii.