Behind the Front

• Artist: Black Eyed Peas
• Rating:
• Release Date: June 30, 1998
• Type: Contains explicit content
• Genre: Rap

Review

Black Eyed Peas bring some positivity and fun back into hip-hop. Musically there is almost no realm this group does not touch -- right from the jump, the stylistic innocence of "Fallen Up," complete with striking guitar licks, sums up what BEP is all about. They attack the so-called hardcore MCs playing the role of dress-up: "I see you try to dis our function by stating that we can't rap/Is it cuz we don't wear Tommy Hilfiger or baseball caps?/We don't use dollars to represent/We just use our innocence and talent." The wonderfully crafted, old-school-influenced first single, "Joints and Jam," is perfect for the summertime frame of mind. With "Karma" they explore the notion of reaping what you sow. "Love Won't Wait" is a simultaneous infusion of R&B and hip-hop, as the group deals with a deteriorating romance. But the undisputed champ of this recording is "Positivity" -- you can't help but reminisce about yesteryear's MCs kicking conscious lyrics to educate the hip-hop masses. "Nowadays it's hard to make a living/But easy to make a killing/Cuz people walk around with just one inch of feeling/I feeling nauseated from your evil drug dealing/Blood spilling, the definition of top billing." In all honesty, the MCs who make up BEP -- Taboo, Will, and A8 -- are not going to be confused as being super-lyrical by any means. But their chemistry and insightful, original topic matter is used with enough efficiency to mask that slight blemish. ~ Matt Conaway, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Fallin' Up (Lyrics)	Brian Lapin, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen, Jaime A. Dávila "Tame" Gómez	Black Eyed Peas	(5:08)
Clap Your Hands	Aaron Neville, Ziggy Modeliste, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter, Jr., Will Adams	Black Eyed Peas	(4:57)
Joints & Jam (Lyrics)	Barry Gibb, Greg Phillinganes, T. Smith, Paul Poli, Will Adams	Black Eyed Peas	(3:35)
The Way U Make Me Feel	Kim Hill, Will Adams	Black Eyed Peas	(4:19)
Movement (Lyrics)	Terence Yoshiaka, Brian Lapin, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen, Mike Fratantuno	Black Eyed Peas	(4:42)
Karma (Lyrics)	Nigel Harrison, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen	Black Eyed Peas	(4:28)
Be Free (Lyrics)	Angel Pineda, Will Adams, Tad Stahl	Black Eyed Peas	(4:06)
Say Goodbye (Lyrics)	Brian Lapin, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen	Black Eyed Peas	(4:01)
Duet (Lyrics)	Stefan Kendal Gordy, Angel Pineda, Brian Lapin, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen	Black Eyed Peas	(4:21)
Communication (Lyrics)	Terence Yoshiaka, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen, Mike Fratantuno	Black Eyed Peas	(5:41)
What It Is (Lyrics)	Tony Smith, Will Adams, Mike Fratantuno, T. Browne	Black Eyed Peas	(4:45)
¿Que Dices?	Brian Lapin, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen	Black Eyed Peas	(4:01)
A8 (Lyrics)	Will Adams, Kevin Feyen, Mike Frantantuno	Black Eyed Peas	(3:52)
Love Won't Wait (Lyrics)	Angel Pineda, Brian Lapin, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen	Black Eyed Peas	(3:35)
Head Bobs (Lyrics)	Brian Lapin, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen	Black Eyed Peas	(4:14)
Positivity (Lyrics)	Brian Lapin, Will Adams, Kevin Feyen, Mike Fratantuno	Black Eyed Peas	(8:06)

Credits

Will Adams (Moog Synthesizer), Paul Poli (Turntables), Brian Lapin (Moog Synthesizer), Miles Om Tackett (Cello), Carlos Guaico (Bass), Miles Om Tackett (Bass), Suren Galadjian (Illustrations), Will Adams (Producer), Gretchen Anderson (Project Coordinator), will.i.am (Producer), Dawn Beckman (Vocals), Storm Hale (Photography), Mark Leroy (Art Direction), Brian Lapin (Producer), Kevin Feyen (Guitar), Paul Chan (Design), Kim Hill (Vocals), Terence Yoshiaka (Percussion), Mark Leroy (Design), Will Adams (Organ (Hammond)), Eddy Schreyer (Mastering), Sierra Swan (Vocals), Will Adams (Fender Rhodes), Darell Cross (Drums), Terence Yoshiaka (Drums), Ramy Antoun (Conga), Ingrid Dupree (Vocals), J. Curtis (Guitar), Planet Swan (Vocals), Mike Fratantuno (Bass), Mike Fratantuno (Guitar), Brian Lapin (Engineer), Will Adams (Marimba), Macy Gray (Vocals), Will Adams (Mixing), Carlos Guaico (Fender Rhodes), Lou Michaels (Engineer), Paul Poli (Producer), David Haines (Engineer), Einstein Brown (Vocals), Brian Lapin (Organ (Hammond)), Brian Lapin (Bass), Tim Latham (Mixing), Tommy O. (Flute), The Motives (Turntables), Brian Lapin (Fender Rhodes), Peter Kim (Bass), Brian Lapin (Mixing), Matt Nabours (Violin), Dave Pensado (Mixing), Will Adams (Theremin)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)