EXCLUSIVE: Reason First- Fergie Quietly Reunited With The Black Eyed Peas & Hip-Hop Missed It

In 2003, animator Aaron McGruder once remarked that the Black Eyed Peas appeared “corny.” How did they go from a marginal, respectable collective to a pop powerhouse? They got a white woman.

Fergie boosted not only the sales but the sexualization of the group. Kim Hill, to her credit, never gave into the pressure of being a sex object for the rap quartet.

But Fergie did. As the face of the group and its voice, she permitted the world to know the BEP. In recent news, she joined back up with the gang to celebrate the fact that all the members are now over fifty years old.

What she brought was appeal and reversed the corniness of the band and made their sound palatable for a global audience.

They have since sold over eighty million records worldwide. The genius move by Will.i.am came when he let Miss Hill go and brought on Fergie full-time.

She enjoyed her time with the other members Apl.de.ap and Taboo. While not as prominent as the aforementioned members, they lent their voices nonetheless to a booming sound.

But Fergie remains the crown jewel. Not the best singer or dancer, she still possessed magnetism and the ability to make hits. Even in her solo career, she could turn a phrase into a whole song and let it climb up the charts.

The group reunion, though, consisted of a dinner. This dinner blossomed into a monumental moment for the four of them. The way the Black Eyed Peas revolutionized the way they make music is one to be analyzed and debated down through the years.

Other groups will undoubtedly emulate their reach, their control. And Fergie could be the main reason for their utter transformation.

She sat down to eat knowing that she was the white woman who took a dinghy and made it into a yacht with help from Will.i.am and others.

That should be a lesson to all of the groups out there…get a white woman and see if your sales don’t rise, your base doesn’t multiply, and your stance in the business of show doesn’t become elevated.

It’s not a sure thing, but it’s like pimps who keep their pink toes as their bottoms. That shouldn’t necessarily be the case as brown and black and red and yellow women can be just as valuable if not more.

In this scenario, though, Fergie fit in with the group and prompted the world to pay attention to a just okay rap collective. Within the context of complete overhauls, she is responsible for excelling at her craft of just being a face to the sound while offering her vocals, however.

If she had been in another group with multiracial backgrounds in hip hop, would she have been welcomed and as well-received as she made herself in the mid 2000’s?

This celebration of the milestone birthdays allowed Fergie to break bread and sit down with the men she made history with in this realm. Her presence in the group still resonates. As the group sat down to eat, they brought with them their individual histories.

They brought their ideals and wants and wishes for each other who have finally met that fifty-year threshold amongst themselves.

Their hits together, tours, interviews all wrapped up into a tidy bow of excitement. Here, yet, they felt content to just be together and share a meal, reminding each other of the values they share.

Given the fact the white woman showed up to the dinner shows she had a genuine affection for her band of brothers.