Monkey Business (Black Eyed Peas album)

In June 2003, Black Eyed Peas released their third studio album Elephunk. During its production, Fergie joined the group as its female vocalist. Led by a global hit single and the group's first top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 "Where Is the Love?", the album was a sleeper hit and became their breakthrough record. It peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and garnered six Grammy Award nominations, including the group's first win for "Let's Get It Started". The commercial success of Elephunk made a substantial impact on the group's prominence, and its members will.i.am and Fergie planned on recording solo studio albums in 2004. However, the plans were postponed as they "felt it was important to install the next Black Eyed Peas record this year with the momentum that we've had, which will only allow our solo adventures to be successful and continue to keep our franchise going". Fergie stated: "For us, Black Eyed Peas are feeling really good right now, and for me to come out with a solo record, it just doesn't feel right. This is a family, and we're on a certain kind of wave and I wanna keep riding on that wave together. It's my boys." She would later release her debut solo studio album The Dutchess in September 2006, and will.i.am released his third studio album Songs About Girls in September 2007. ==Recording and production==

co-wrote and produced "My Style". Monkey Business was recorded in "two and three-month spurts" throughout 2004 while Black Eyed Peas were on their Elephunk Tour, in support of their third studio album Elephunk (2003). The executive producer will.i.am co-wrote all the tracks, and produced or co-produced all tracks except "My Style" and "Disco Club". Among other producers were apl.de.ap, Timbaland, Danja, Printz Board, Noize Trip, and the executive producer Ron Fair. apl.de.ap co-wrote nine tracks, Fergie co-wrote eight, and Taboo co-wrote two. They recorded six tracks at the Metropolis Studios in London. Other recording locations for Monkey Business included Amerycan Studios, Henson Recording Studios and the Record Plant in Los Angeles; Morning View Studios in Malibu, California; Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin; Daddy's House and Sony Music Studios in New York City; The Brothel in Philadelphia; Osi and Calvin Studios in Washington, D.C.; the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, and the Peas Tour Bus. The album was mastered by Brian Gardner at the Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles. ==Music and lyrics==

Monkey Business is a hip-hop and pop album incorporating an array of genres, such as crunk, funk, reggae, Raï, calypso, soul, jazz and Latin rock. It opens with "Pump It", a hip-hop-funk track heavily sampling Dick Dale's 1962 surf rock version of "Misirlou". The Bollywood-inspired "Don't Phunk with My Heart" was described as a lyrical sequel to the group's single "Shut Up" (2003), with will.i.am explaining: "When you're on bad terms with a significant other, you don't want to break up. You tell her things and at the time you really mean them. But she's saying, stop fucking with me." "My Humps" is a hip-hop and dance track backed by an electro-influenced drum beat, and ends with a piano-driven hidden track "So Real". is featured on the album's closing track "Union", which heavily samples his own "Englishman in New York" (1987). Underground hip-hop track "Like That", featuring Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, CeeLo Green and John Legend, begins with a sample from Astrud Gilberto's 1965 version of "Who Can I Turn To?". Country-influenced "Gone Going" addresses the emptiness of materialism. It's built around a hip-hop beat and a live string-horn arrangement. The album's closing track "Union" heavily samples "Englishman in New York" by Sting, who makes a guest appearance. A jazz-influenced track, it lyrically demands social equality. ==Title and artwork==

Black Eyed Peas gave numerous explanations for the title of Monkey Business. In the "BEP Q&A" portion of the album's booklet, two definitions of the title were written. "DEFINITION 1: With success, people treat you differently. They can go from viewing you like a person to viewing you like a product. And that's one definition of Monkey Business." "DEFINITION 2: Elephants have nothing to do with PHUNK and Monkeys have nothing to do with BUSINESS ...or do they? Our business is PHUNKIN' MUSIC." [sic] In an interview with The Record, the members described an experience in Paris during their Elephunk Tour (2004) which inspired the title. According to will.i.am, they were inside of a van when a large group of fans came and started banging on its windows and looking inside, to which Taboo said he felt as if they were caged monkeys in a zoo. The album cover for Monkey Business was photographed by Albert Watson. It depicts Fergie, Taboo, and apl.de.ap surrounding will.i.am as he's shouting into a megaphone, against a red background. Shepard Fairey and Florencio Zavala designed the artwork and its logo, as directed by Mike Jurkovac. ==Release and promotion==

In May 2004, Black Eyed Peas announced Monkey Business would be released by November. The promotion of the album had already commenced in January, when the Best Buy commercial featuring the group performing "Pump It" was released. They performed "Don't Phunk with My Heart" for the first time during the 2005/2006 MTV Networks UpFront at the Madison Square Garden on May 3, 2005. The group promoted the album in the United Kingdom by performing "Don't Phunk with My Heart" on the May 6 episode of Top of the Pops and the May 13 episode of Later... with Jools Holland. There, they commenced their promotional tour at the Brixton Academy in London on May 6, and performed at various venues and festivals across Europe and North America, including Wango Tango, until June 2. On June 3, Black Eyed Peas embarked on The Monkey Business Tour at The Joint in Las Vegas; the tour was originally set to commence on June 11, but three earlier dates were later added. on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 24, at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia on July 2, and at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards on August 16. Black Eyed Peas promoted "My Humps" on Total Request Live on November 1, and performed it at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 3. At the NRJ Music Awards on January 21, 2006, the group performed a medley of "Don't Phunk with My Heart", "Don't Lie" and "Pump It". On March 21, an extended play (EP) titled Renegotiations: The Remixes was released, including alternative versions of seven non-single tracks from Monkey Business. Simultaneously with The Monkey Business Tour, the group embarked on the 2006 Honda Civic Tour in the US from March 23 until May 21. Live from Sydney to Vegas, a video album documenting The Monkey Business Tour's June 3, 2005 show in Las Vegas and the October 3, 2005 show at the Sydney SuperDome, was released on December 5, 2006. After visiting North America, Asia, Oceania, South America and Europe, The Monkey Business Tour ended on December 29 at the Mandalay Bay in Paradise, Nevada. On September 11, 2007, Black Eyed Peas embarked on the third concert tour in support of Monkey Business, the PepsiCo-sponsored Black Blue & You Tour, visiting select countries across Africa, North America, Europe, South America, Asia and Oceania until October 30. ==Singles==

In December 2004, MTV News reported "They Don't Want Music", featuring James Brown, would be released as the lead single from Monkey Business in February 2005. However, those plans were scrapped in favor of "Don't Phunk with My Heart", which was released on April 5. It became Black Eyed Peas' highest-peaking single on the US Billboard Hot 100 at the time, peaking at number three. The song peaked atop the charts in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland and New Zealand. The digital single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 6, for sales of 500,000 units in the United States. "Don't Lie" was released as the second single from Monkey Business on June 29, 2005. It failed to duplicate the success of "Don't Phunk with My Heart", partly due to the rising success of "My Humps", which had not been released as a single yet. The song peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching the top ten in Australia, Austria, Canada, CIS, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, and on the European Hot 100 Singles. Despite a mixed critical reception, the song was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and atop the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. Its mastertone was certified double platinum by the RIAA on June 14, 2006, for sales of two million units in the US. The song received mixed to negative reviews from music critics, who criticized its lyrical content; some even regarded it one of the worst songs ever written. Despite the negative critical reception, it won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (2007), Its accompanying music video was directed by Fatima Robinson and Malik Sayeed, and shows Fergie dancing with backup dancers as images of expensive items such as Louis Vuitton purses and jewelry, which are supposed to have been bought for her by men, appear on the screen. "Pump It" was released as the fourth and final single from Monkey Business on January 16, 2006. It became the lowest-peaking single from the album, peaking at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Its accompanying music video was directed by Francis Lawrence and features the group competing and fighting with a gang inside a parking garage. "Like That" ended up being released as a promotional single on 12-inch vinyl in late 2005. Its accompanying music video was directed by Syndrome and Nabil Elderkin, and was released on December 13. While it was never released as an official single, it was included on Black Eyed Peas' extended play (EP) Renegotiations: The Remixes (2006), with its music video being an iTunes Store bonus track. "Dum Diddly", whose Noizetrip Remix was a B-side to "Pump It", was released as a promotional single in France in 2006. Grammy Award-nominated "Gone Going" began receiving contemporary hit radio airplay in March 2006, which allowed it to peak at number 37 on the US Mainstream Top 40 despite not being released as a single. In 2006, Patricio Ginelsa directed music videos for two other non-single tracks–"Union" and "Bebot". The latter was filmed in the Philippines in July and was independently funded by the group members. Showcasing the Filipino culture, it features prominent Filipino-American artists and performers, including American Idols third season third-place finalist Jasmine Trias. ==Critical reception==

Monkey Business received mixed reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 48, indicating "mixed or average reviews", based on 20 reviews. Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention, saying: "What all pop might be—so much brighter and kinder than it is". John Bush from AllMusic labeled most of the tracks "the same type of party rap singalong that Black Eyed Peas made their name with on Elephunk", adding: "Monkey Business could easily sell just as well, or better, than Elephunk, but what the group made sound effortless in the past sounds strained and canned here." Nicholas Taylor from PopMatters shared Rabin's sentiments but nevertheless praised the album for being a "great party record". Neil Drumming from Entertainment Weekly declared it "such a bland meringue: a succession of cotton candy raps about chicks, partying, and partying with chicks, broken up by choruses destined to evaporate outside a shindig's perimeter". Betty Clarke from The Guardian commended Black Eyed Peas' use of the "good-guy rap plus pop-profundity multiplied by numerous special guests" formula but dismissed the lyrical themes. She singled out James Brown's appearance on "They Don't Want Music" as the album's highlight. Courtney Ryan Fitzgerald from Paste praised the album's production, calling its songs "danceable" and "catchy". Rolling Stone editor Christian Hoard was positive towards Monkey Business, calling it "just as bright if not quite as fun as Elephunk". Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine condemned the album for being "virtually unlistenable", but classified "Gone Going" as its highlight. Azeem Ahmad from musicOMH felt similarly, saying the album was "impossible to listen to in one sitting because it's too much of a strain on the brain to absorb." Talia Kraines from BBC wrote: "With its witty rhymes and clean lyrics, [Monkey Business] is hip hop for families", but noted the group's downgrade in lyrical themes since their debut studio album, Behind the Front (1998). Jason King from The Village Voice described the album as "zany, antiseptic kitsch, like the soundtrack to the ultimate Old Navy commercial". ==Accolades==

In the United States, Monkey Business debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart dated June 25, 2005, behind Coldplay's X&Y, with first-week sales of 291,000 units. Black Eyed Peas' first top-ten album on the chart, it spent its first 23 weeks within the top ten, later spending additional five non-consecutive weeks there. The album debuted atop both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums, becoming their first number-one album on both charts. It placed within the top 20 on the year-end Billboard 200 in both 2005 and 2006, and has spent a total of 73 weeks on the Billboard 200 as of 2023. blocked the Black Eyed Peas from the top spot of the US Billboard 200 with their album X&Y (2005). Monkey Business debuted at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart dated June 25, 2005. It peaked atop the chart in its fourth week, spending seven weeks at the summit and a total of 34 weeks charting. ==Controversy==

Following the release of Elephunk (2003), Black Eyed Peas were criticized and alleged by critics and media outlets to have sold out. The group had previously criticized other artists for selling out, and the group was further scrutinzed throughout the promotional campaign for Monkey Business. Some critics claimed their endorsements of various companies caused them to suffer from overexposure; Nathan Rabin from The A.V. Club stated: "With Elephunk, Black Eyed Peas made the rare leap from underrated and overlooked to obnoxiously (and undeservedly) overexposed." Further controversy arose over the lyrical content of "My Humps", the third single from Monkey Business. The song centers on a female protagonist using her breasts and buttocks in order to accomplish her goals, namely expensive material goods. Multiple publications labeled the song sexist and misogynistic. Some critics even regarded it as the worst song ever written. == Track listing ==

All tracks are produced by will.i.am, except where noted. • Adams • Ferguson • Printz Board • George Pajon, Jr. • Full Force • Kalyanji Anandiji • Indeewar }} • Adams • Pineda • Ferguson • van Musser • Timberlake • Timothy Mosley • Nate Hills }} • Timbaland • Danja }} • Adams • Pineda • Jaime Gomez • Ferguson • Chris Peters • Drew Peters • Ricky Walters }} • will.i.am • Ron Fair }} • Adams • David Payton }} • Adams • Pineda • Gomez • Kamaal Fareed • Talib Kweli Greene • Anthony Newley • Leslie Bricusse }} • Adams • Pineda • Ray Brady • Board • Jackie Mittoo • Lloyd Ferguson • Fitzroy Simpson • Robbie Lyn • Leroy Sibbles • Huford Brown • Felix Headley Bennett }} • Adams • Pineda • Ferguson }} • apl.de.ap • Printz Board • will.i.am }} • Adams • Jack Johnson }} • Adams • Ferguson • J. Brown • Board • Timothy Orindgreff • Greg Mays • Darryl Barnes }} • Adams • Pineda • Jean Baptiste • Anthony Tidd • Michael Matthews • Melvin Lewis }} • Adams • Pineda }} • Adams • Board • Larry Blackmon • Thomas Jenkins }} • Board • will.i.am }} • Adams • Pineda • Keith Harris • Rick James }} • Adams • Ferguson • Sting • Pajon }} }} ;Notes • signifies a co-producer • signifies an additional producer • signifies a remix producer ;Sample credits • "Pump It" contains samples from "Misirlou" by Dick Dale. • "Don't Phunk with My Heart" contains an interpolation from "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force, a sample from "Ae Naujawan Hai Sab Kuchch Yahan" by Asha Bhosle, and a sample from "Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Diwana" by Bhosle. • "Don't Lie" contains a sample from "The Ruler's Back" by Slick Rick. • "My Humps" contains an interpolation from "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment. • "Like That" contains a sample from "Who Can I Turn To?" by Astrud Gilberto. • "Dum Diddly" contains an interpolation from "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth. • "Gone Going" contains an interpolation from "Gone" by Jack Johnson. • "They Don't Want Music" contains an interpolation from "Let's Make It Funky" by Nice & Smooth. • "Ba Bump" contains samples from "Candy" by Cameo. • "Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" contains samples from "All Night Long" by Mary Jane Girls. • "Union" contains an interpolation from "Englishman in New York" by Sting. ==Personnel==

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Monkey Business. • apl.de.ap – vocals (tracks 1–4, 6–8, 10–12, 14–15), Clavinet (track 8), drum machine (track 8), strings (track 8), production (track 8) • Marcella Araica – recording engineering assistance (track 3), Pro-Tools editing (track 3) • Charlie Baccarat – electric violin (track 2) • Printz Board – Mellotron strings (tracks 2, 7–8), Mellotron keyboards (track 13), Moog synthesizer (tracks 7 and 10), synthesizer (tracks 8 and 13), bass (tracks 8 and 10), drums (track 8), drum machine (track 13), trumpet (tracks 9–11 and 13), keyboards (track 10), Rhodes piano (track 10), production (tracks 8 and 13) • Ray Brady – guitar (tracks 4 and 7) • James Brown – vocals (track 10) • Venus Brown – backing vocals (track 10), A&R management • Demo Castelleon – recording engineering (track 3) • Mino Cinelu – percussion (track 15) • Fred Davis – legal representation • Dylan "3-D" Dresdow – vocal recording engineering (track 8) • Ron Fair – executive production, additional production (track 4), string arrangements (tracks 2 and 9), string conducting (track 9), harmonica (track 4) • Shepard Fairey – album cover design, logo design • Fergie – vocals (tracks 1–8, 10–11, 13, 15) • Mike Fratantuno – bass (track 13) • Seth Friedman – A&R management, cover art direction, management • Brian Gardner – mastering • Şerban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 5, 10–12 and 15) • Dennis Gomez – booklet design • Cee-Lo Green – vocals (track 6) • Keith Harris – live drums (track 7), drums (tracks 2, 7, 13 and 14), keyboards (track 7), Mellotron strings (track 7), percussion (track 8) • Tal Herzberg – recording engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4 and 9), Pro-Tools programming (tracks 2 and 4) • Julie Hovsepian – product management • Ted Howard – recording engineering (track 6) • Tippa Irie – backing vocals (track 7) • Jack Johnson – guitar (track 9), vocals (track 9) • Mike Jurkovac – cover art direction • Manu Katche – drums (track 15) • Kenny Kirkland – keyboards (track 15) • Talib Kweli – vocals (track 6) • Sarah Larkin – business management • John Legend – vocals (track 6) • Melvin "Chaos" Lewis – recording engineering (track 11), bass (track 11), drum machine (track 11) • Jimmy Limon – bass (track 12), Clavinet (track 12), organ (track 12), drum machine (track 12), percussion (track 12), guitar (track 12) • Lor-e – styling • Branford Marsalis – soprano saxophone (track 15) • Edward Martinez – booklet art direction, photography • Tony Maserati – mixing (tracks 3, 7, 8 and 13) • Michael Matthews – guitar (track 11) • Polo Molina – management • Osinachi Nwaneri – recording engineering (track 6) • Tim "Izo" Orindgreff – saxophone (tracks 9–11 and 13), flute (track 13) • George Pajon Jr. – guitar (tracks 1–4, 8, 10 and 13) • Jack Joseph Puig – mixing (track 9) • Q-Tip – vocals (track 6) • Kevin Rudolf – guitar (track 3) • Dante Santiago – backing vocals (tracks 8, 10, 11, 13 and 16–18), vocals (track 7), A&R management coordination • Justin Siegel – A&R management coordination • Madeleine Smith – music clearance • David Sonenberg – management • Mike "Spike" Stent – mixing (tracks 1, 2 and 4) • Sting – vocals (track 15), bass (track 15) • Taboo – vocals (tracks 1–4, 6–8, 11, 13 and 15) • Robert "Mousey" Thompson – bass (track 10), Clavinet (track 10), drums (track 10), drum machine (track 10), organ (track 10) • Justin Timberlake – vocals (track 3) • Timbaland – vocals (track 3), all other instruments (track 3) • Neil Tucker – recording engineering (tracks 2, 8, 10, 11 and 13) • Andrew Van Meter – production management • Jason Villaroman – recording engineering (tracks 1, 3–5, 7, 12, 14 and 15) • Jeff Watkins – saxophone (track 10) • Albert Watson – photography • will.i.am – executive production, conceptual design, production (tracks 1, 2, 4–10 and 12–15), mixing (track 14), vocals (all tracks), bass (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 14), drum machine (1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12 and 15), drums (track 15), synthesizer (tracks 1, 7, 12 and 14), Clavinet (tracks 5 and 11), organ (tracks 5 and 9), Rhodes piano (tracks 8 and 11), additional instruments (track 6) • Ethan Willoughby – recording engineering (track 6), mixing (track 6) • Damon Woods – guitar (track 10) • Florencio Zavala – album cover design, logo design ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts ==Certifications==