William Adams (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.

His fourth album, #willpower (2013), peaked at number nine on the chart and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top five single, "Scream & Shout" (featuring Britney Spears).

A prolific record producer and songwriter, Adams has amassed credits on singles and albums for American, British and international artists including Michael Jackson, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Jennifer Hudson, U2, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Psy, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, Estelle, Kid Cudi, Nas, Robin Thicke, John Legend, Cheryl, and 2NE1, among others.

will.i.am was born as William James Adams Jr.[4] in Los Angeles, California, on March 15, 1975, the son of an African-American mother Debra (née Cain)[5][6] and Jamaican father William James Adams Sr.[4] He has never met his father,[7] and was raised by his mother in the Estrada Courts housing projects in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles,[8] where they were among the few African-Americans living in a predominantly Hispanic community.

While still in high school, Adams and Pineda performed in East Los Angeles clubs and were soon joined by three others to form the socially conscious Atban Klann rap group.

In 1997, they once again changed their name, this time to the Black Eyed Peas, and began recording their first album, Behind the Front, with the help of soul singer Kim Hill.

"Let's Get It Started" also received universal acclaim in the media section where a cover version of the song appears in the film Hot Tub Time Machine.

[17] In 2002, Will recorded the song "Secrets" for the soundtrack to Dexter's Laboratory: The Hip-Hop Experiment, a musical accompaniment to the Cartoon Network original series.

Upon the success of Monkey Business, which was released in 2005, the album was certified three times Platinum by the RIAA in the U.S. and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

Work began on the Jackson album in 2006, and continued until the singer's death in 2009, at which point will.i.am revealed that none of the material recorded during the period would be released.

[citation needed] In 2007, will.i.am announced that he had co-created an all-female soul band entitled the Paradiso Girls, who he intended to work with on an upcoming solo project.

The album spawned three singles, "I Got It From My Mama", "One More Chance" and "Heartbreaker", and fared slightly better than his previous solo efforts, however, failed to shift more than 75,000 copies.

In January 2008, will.i.am announced plans that he was masterminding a political album, Change is Now: Renewing America's Promise, in support of Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

In honor of the inauguration of Barack Obama as president, will.i.am collaborated with producer David Foster on the album's fourth single, "America's Song", with contributing vocals from Seal, Bono, Mary J. Blige, and Faith Hill.

In response to Obama's reaction following Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, will.i.am penned the album's fifth and final single, "The Jackass Song".

In a YouTube video posted by YGLifeOfficial on March 15, 2010, will.i.am expressed his desire to work with Korean K-pop girl group 2NE1, and help them achieve international success.

[27] Will has recorded a collaboration with Britney Spears, "Big Fat Bass", which features on her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale.

"Hot Wings (I Wanna Party)", "Drop It Low", "Real In Rio" and "Advice For The Young At Heart", featuring an array of artists including Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway and Tears for Fears.

[32] In mid-October, Britney Spears confirmed on her Twitter account that she had filmed the music video for the single she was featuring in called "Scream & Shout".

[citation needed] In March 2020, will.i.am collaborated with a group of artists made up of Bono, Jennifer Hudson, and Yoshiki for the song "Sing For Life".

[48] The musicians felt motivated by the widespread sense of despair surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the attempts by multiple individuals to pursue creative endeavors while facing new social restrictions.

[49] In 2023, he released the singles "The Formula" (with Lil Wayne) and a fourth collaborative song with Britney Spears titled "Mind Your Business", both of which were panned by critics and failed to make an effect on domestic or worldwide charts.

[53] The Black Eyed Peas, including will.i.am, first started acting in the commercial series "Instant Def" to advertise Snickers chocolate bars.

[55] will.i.am's i.am Angel Foundation provided fast internet access to the Estrada Courts housing project in Boyle Heights where he formerly lived.

[58] In March 2012, it was reported that he had turned his "plush" dressing room into a recording studio, and "instead of just listening with his headphones, he has installed some mega bass bins".

In 2001, he began designing his own signature clothing line, i.am, which made its official debut in 2005 at the Magic Apparel Trade Show in Las Vegas.

[61] In 2007, will.i.am teamed up with Blue Holdings to design a premium denim collection, i.am Antik, that was scheduled to debut in August 2007 at the Project Show in Las Vegas.

[63][64] Appearing at the kickoff event for the 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition, Logo Motion held at Southern New Hampshire University,[65] will.i.am stated that he is "a big fan", and that the newly unveiled game was "dope".

He continues to support FIRST, and at the 2013 FIRST World Championship, will.i.am became the first recipient of the Make It Loud award, which is given to the person who has contributed the most in increasing the awareness of FIRST to the general public.

[74][75][71] In 2016, The Verge reported that will.i.am would join actress Gwyneth Paltrow and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk on Apple TV's Planet of the Apps, calling the trio "successful" and "big names" with experience launching companies.