One of the most difficult aspects of the music industry for an artist to overcome is change.  Change in trends, change in technology, and change in target audiences make staying current difficult for many artists. The Black Eyed Peas, however, make staying current look easy.  For a solid decade, the Black Eyed Peas have done an impressive job of keeping up with their mainstream audience, and remaining at the top of the charts.  Most artists in the industry may have one hit record, if any, but throughout the Black Eyed Peas’ career, they have had multiple number one singles as well as three consecutive platinum albums since the early 2000’s.  One of the reasons the Black Eyed Peas have remained one of the best selling, most popular, and groundbreaking artists of the decade is their ability to adapt to change. The Peas have transformed their sound from rap/hip-hop to electronic-pop, which has made their career sky-rocket to massive super stardom.  Each of the albums the Peas have released—“Elephunk” 2003, “Monkey Business” 2005, and “The E.N.D.” 2009—has been more popular than the last.  Their new record “The Beginning,” released November 30, will undoubtedly, be no exception.

The album kicks off with the hit single, “The Time (Dirty Bit).”  Released in early November, the single has quickly become a hit among audiences.  The song echoes the energy of the club scene, and mixes hip-hop with electro and techno beats with the song “(I’ve Had the) Time of My Life,” from the 1987 classic movie “Dirty Dancing.”  Combining current music with classic, the Black Eyed Peas show off their diversity perfectly.  Many of the songs on the album, especially “The Best One Yet (The Boy)” and “Play It Loud,” keep the upbeat sound from their previous album “The E.N.D.,” and quickly put you in a dancing mood. The beats and the hooks are memorable, and will easily etch themselves into your brain for you to sing along with for days.  “The Situation” and “Just Can’t Get Enough” introduce the Black Eyed Peas in a new light.  The electronic beats, as well as the auto-tuned singing, is very modern.  The Black Eyed Peas’ music is manipulated in a new way that could be a hit or miss to fans.  Other songs, such as “XOXOXO” and “Whenever” will appeal to the original Black Eyed Peas fans, who fell for their music back in 2003 when “Elephunk” was released, or in 2005 when “Monkey Business” was released.  Under the songs’ modern electro-pop beats, an element of Black Eyed Peas originality is layered in to show the fans they are still the same band who made their name as an underground hip-hop band.

Though praised by many for their originality in an industry that has been labeled as repetitive, the Black Eyed Peas’ new album is being criticized more than any other, and not all of the criticism is unjust.  Even though the new album shows off the Black Eyed Peas’ knack for creating groundbreaking music, the sound is drastically different from the music they created in the early 2000’s.  The Hip-Hop/Rap group that won over millions of fans is quickly changing into a mainstream pop band, and “The Beginning” really demonstrates that.  It is arguable that it is a necessary career move in order for the Black Eyed Peas to remain current and at the top of the charts, but many fans are beginning to turn their backs on the band in hopes that they will start re-producing their original rap music in the near future.

Despite the criticism on their new album, the Black Eyed Peas have created a name for themselves in the music industry that will not be forgotten in the near future. “The Beginning” has proven the Black Eyed Peas’ ability to change up their music instantly has benefit their career.  Changing musical genres from hip-hop/rap to electronic techno pop may be difficult for many artists today, but the Black Eyed Peas make it look incredibly as they keep releasing chart-topping albums. Even if the album does not contain the classic rap sound from the early days of the Black Eyed Peas, the songs are catchy enough to be constantly playing in your head enough that you will learn to love them. Be sure to turn your radio on in the next few months because hit singles from the album will sure to be playing periodically.