Apl.de.ap - Take me to the Philippines

I'll take you to the Philippines (Whoa)

I'll take you to the Philippines (Hey)

I'll take you to the Philippines

(Take it back, Take it back, Take it back)

(We can go there... We can go there)

Jump on a plane, pro'ly jump on a train

Just you and me yeah just you and me

I can take you where I come from right

Where the water's so warm with the sunlight

Shine all day, Really shine all night

Ma I like you, Yeah I like you

She shine al day all night too

I could be your boyfriend, I could wife you

Let me take you to the place where I come from

Take you to my hometown cause i wantcha

Where it rains all day no thunda

Let me take to my land Pampanga

I'll take you to the Philippines

I'll take you to the Philippines

I'll take you to the Philippines

(Take it back, Take it back, Take it back)

(We can go there... We can go there)

From the hut to the villa

We can get illa', In Manila

Straight to the island

Water so warm, You can just dive in

Take you all the places I've been

Jeepney roller, You can just ride in

Everybody's workin', They survivin'

They want peace, No more fightin'

Wanna see the world

Don't be surprised when...

I'll take you to the Philippines

I'll take you to the Philippines

I'll take you to the Philippines

(Take it back, Take it back, Take it back)

(We can go there... We can go there)

Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas and founder of Jeepney Music pledges immediate aid and asks people from around the world to assist the thousands affected by typhoon "Ondoy" that swept through Manila.

"My heart is broken to see so many of my Filipino brothers and sisters hurt by this disaster. We must all bond together and move forward to restore the city we hold dear. I'm asking the global community for their support and donations to assist the thousands of Filipinos affected by this tragedy." - Apl.de.Ap

apl.de.ap
Background information
Birth name	Allan Pineda Lindo
Also known as	apl.de.ap
Born	(1974-11-28) November 28, 1974 (age 38) Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, electro, alternative hip hop, hip house, Philippine hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, record producer
Instruments	Rapping, singing, drums
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Ruthless Records
Associated acts	The Black Eyed Peas, Eazy-E, Blood Of Abraham, David Guetta
Website	http://www.apldeap.com/

Early life

Apl.de.ap was born in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines. His African American father, an airman stationed at Clark Air Base, left the family shortly after his birth; his Filipino mother, Cristina Pineda, raised him and his six younger siblings as a single mother. As a child, Pineda would make an hour-long jeepney trip to and from his school, and helped his family subsist by farming sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane and rice.^{[citation needed]} The Pearl S. Buck Foundation, an organization that finds healthier living environments for young abandoned or orphaned American children, matched him with a sponsor named Joe Ben Hudgens through a dollar-a-day program. He initially came to the United States at the age of 14 to treat nystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eyes. During a trip to Disneyland, Pineda expressed his interest in staying in the United States. It would take another three years for Hudgens to officially adopt him, but at fourteen he moved permanently to the United States to live with Hudgens.^[1]

In Los Angeles, apl.de.ap attended John Marshall High School where he befriended William Adams (stage name will.i.am), the nephew of Hudgens' roommate.^[1][2] He went to college at Holy Angel University. apl.de.ap's early musical influences were Stevie Wonder, The Eagles, The Beatles, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Leaders of the New School and the Filipino rock/folk group, Asin. Apl was introduced to hip-hop by break dancing. "I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that's how I got introduced to break dancing," he said. "I would see kids at the corner break-dancing and I'm like, 'I wanna do that.'" Pineda revealed to People Magazine in 2011 that he is legally blind in both of his eyes, suffering from nystagmus and has had this condition his entire career. His vision was corrected in 2012.^[3]

He lost two of his siblings: his younger brother Arnel committed suicide (this is referenced in The Apl Song in the lines "I guess sometimes life's stresses get you down on your knees/Oh brother, wish I could have helped you out"). His youngest brother, Joven Pineda Deala, was murdered at the age of 22 in February 2009 in Porac, Pampanga.^[4]

Musical career

1988-2000 Formations and The Black

Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas date back to 1988, when eighth-graders William Adams (will.i.am) and Allan Pineda (apl.de.ap) met and began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The pair signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E) in 1992, catching the attention of Eazy-E manager, Jerry Heller's, nephew. Along with another friend of theirs, Dante Santiago, they called their trio Atban Klann (ATBAN: A Tribe Beyond a Nation).^[5] Will 1X (aka will.i.am), apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 (aka Monroe Walker) and Dante Santiago formed Atban Klann. Their debut album, Grass Roots, was never released because Ruthless founder Eazy-E had died.

The Black Eyed Peas in Paris during The E.N.D. Tour.

After Eazy-E died in 1995, Atban Klann reformed and changed their name to Black Eyed Pods, and then Black Eyed Peas. Dante Santiago was replaced with Jaime Gomez (Taboo), and Kim Hill became a steady background singer. Unlike many hip-hop acts, they chose to perform with a live band and adopted a musical and clothing style that differed wildly from the "Gangsta Rap" sounds of Los Angeles-based hip-hop acts at the time. After being signed to Interscope Records and releasing their debut, Behind the Front (1998) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim. One of the singles from the album was "Joints & Jam", and was featured on the Bulworth soundtrack. Their second album was Bridging the Gap (2000), which had the single "Request + Line" featuring Macy Gray.

2000–03: Elephunk and Must B

In 2003 Fergie became the fourth member of the group. They released their third album "Elephunk", with the hit singles "Where Is the Love?" and "Shut Up". Their next album Monkey Business, was a worldwide success, certified 4�� Platinum in the U.S., and spawning two singles, "My Humps" and "Don't Phunk with My Heart".

In November 2001, work began on a third Black Eyed Peas album, Elephunk. Development of the album began on November 2, 2001 and was released just under two years later in 2003. At the time of development, only will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo were to feature on the album. During the production of "Shut Up" (the second single released from the album), they realized that a female vocal would work well with the song. Originally, Nicole Scherzinger (lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls) was approached to make a guest appearance on the record. She was forced to decline because she already was signed to a contract with Eden's Crush. Danté Santiago then introduced Fergie to Will who was impressed with her vocal talents. She immediately formed a bond with the band and became a permanent member of the Peas and her photo was printed onto the album cover. Nine out of the fourteen tracks were composed by lyricist Robbie Fisher, who has been working closely with the band since the beginning stages of the album. In the United States, Elephunk reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and is their first album to chart in the top 15. It gained even more commercial success in the UK Album Charts where it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and 8.5 million copies worldwide.^[6] The singles "Where Is The Love?" and "Shut Up" reached number 1. "Hey Mama" has been used for several advertisements including advertisements for Apple and iTunes. "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.^[7] After the success of Elephunk, the Peas were approached by EA games to feature some of their music on the 2004 game The Urbz. They remixed some of the tracks on Elephunk and translated it into Simlish and created new tracks for the game. They also feature in the game as playable characters.^[8]

The group released their breakthrough single, "Where Is The Love", in November 2002 (featuring Justin Timberlake, although he did not appear in the video). On the strength of that single and follow-up singles like "Shut Up", Elephunk went on to sell 8.5 million copies worldwide.

2003–06: Monkey Business

In November 2003, work began on a fourth Black Eyed Peas album, entitled Monkey Business, the second album with new band member Fergie. 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. The Canadian Recording Industry Association (or CRIA) has certified Monkey Business 6x Platinum, with sales of over 600,000 copies. The Australian Recording Industry Association (or ARIA) has also certified Monkey Business 6x Platinum, denoting sales of over 420,000 copies. The album's tracks earned the group four 2006 Grammy Award nominations and they also won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Don't Phunk with My Heart". According to IFPI, over 2 million copies have been sold in Europe.^[9] In the UK alone, it has sold over 1 million copies, although this is significantly lower than their sales of Elephunk, which stand at over 1.6 million copies^[10] and 10 million worldwide. The band announced they were going to take a break to focus on their own personal projects.

2009-2011: The E.N.D, band hiatus and We Can Be Anything

The Black Eyed Peas performing on October 7, 2009

In early 2009, both Fergie and the group left A&M Records for unknown reasons, both Fergie and the group are still with Interscope Records.^[11][12]

The group's fifth studio album, The E.N.D. ("The Energy Never Dies"), was released on June 9, 2009. The overall sound of the album has a more electro hop beat rather than the usual hip pop/R&B feeling of their previous albums. Following its release, will.i.am remarked that the album had been inspired by a trip to Australia, specifically the sound of The Presets' "My People". "The energy on the Presets' small little stage was crazy energy. That song My People – that shit is wild," will.i.am said, "That's the reason why this record sounds the way it does – my three months in Australia."^[13] In its first week, the album sold 304,000 copies and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. In the United States, the album became the ninth album to top the one million mark in sales in 2009. The album spent 38 weeks within the top 10 of the Billboard 200. The E.N.D. was the 7th best-selling album of 2009 in the U.S. It also debuted at number one in Australia, number two in New Zealand and three in the United Kingdom. Three additional singles, "Imma Be", "Alive", and "Meet Me Halfway", were released through the iTunes Store in the three weeks running up to the album's release.

In 2009, the group became one of only 11 artists to have simultaneously held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, with their singles "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling", with the next single "Meet Me Halfway" achieving similar success, from the album The E.N.D.. These three singles topped the chart for an unprecedented 30 consecutive weeks in 2009. The album later produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with "Imma Be", making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album before being followed with "Rock That Body" which managed to peak in the Top 10 of Hot 100. "I Gotta Feeling" became the first single to sell more than 1 million downloads in the United Kingdom.^[14]

The Black Eyed Peas in 2011

The Black Eyed Peas were ranked 12th on the Billboard's Decade-End Chart Artist of the Decade, and 7th in the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade. In November 2010, they released the album The Beginning. The first single of the album was "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and topped the charts in many countries. In February 2011, the group performed at the Super Bowl XLVhalftime show