Are The Black Eyed Peas Officially Done For?
Once famous for getting it started, are The Black Eyed Peas getting it...ended?
The three-piece hip-hop group (will.i.am confirmed earlier this year that previous member Fergie is no longer a part of the operation), who released new single "Street Livin'" in January, are headed in a decidedly new direction seven albums into their career. Will.I.Am told NME that the group will start focusing on their releasing their music through — wait for it — virtual reality, and said the future of music is immersive experience.
“Black Eyed Peas, we’re always working on that,” he said. “We just released a graphic novel called ‘Masters Of The Sun’. It has AR capabilities, which means you go to your Apple phone or your Samsung phone, download the augmented reality app and the book comes to life...We’re trying to push the front on telling stories, creating content and building worlds.”
He added that streaming services have completely changed entertainment consumption, and that BEP are just trying to stay ahead of the curve.
“If you’re going to ask me if the future of telling stories is virtual reality, f--- yeah it is," he said. "That’s the reason the music industry is the way it is right now. A shift is happening; a change. People want deeper stories. That’s the reason why we binge eight hours of Game Of Thrones. That’s why we binge 10 hours of a documentary like The Defiant Ones. Everyone is thirsty for richer engagements, worlds, characters, truths, fantasies and myths. You aren’t getting that from a song, or twelve songs, somebody has the push it.”
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