Will.i.am had a lot on his mind when he stopped by The Daily Show on Monday night (Nov. 26) to chat about his band’s newest album, writing relevant lyrics and touring technology. The Black Eyed Peas released their first album in eight years, Masters of the Sun Vol. 1, in October and the rapper told host Trevor Noah that the album was inspired by their past.
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“We wanted to reflect on the stage we were at when we were just dreaming and finally got that record deal,” he said. “And so that’s like organic sounds — trying to make our 22-year-old proud… They need to know that like lyrically, you can’t mess with us.”
Will also shared that the pro gun-control messages on the new album continue the political and social commentary started with the BEP’s early 2000s hit “Where Is the Love?,” which reflected on humanity after the 9/11 terror attacks. “We wanted to address like today’s problems. Like how is it that we can, you know, support the right to have military weapons but put our kids in harms way?” he asked.
In a nod to the future, the rapper/entrepreneur also expanded on the way the BEP’s will be incorporating fans’ phones into their performances. “Instead of saying, ‘everybody put down your phones while I rock these lyrics right now,’” he said, “We’re going to have a layer of augmented reality… So you can interact, you can throw hearts at us, you can see a spaceship coming — like take us away to another land.”
Watch will.i.am.’s interview with Trevor Noah below.