will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas): Rapper’s net worth
| Million Euros | |
| birth date | March 15, 1975 (48 years old) |
| Born in | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| nationality | USA |
| Profession | Rapper, singer, songwriter, music producer |
| Full name | William James Adams Jr. |
| Nickname | will.i.am |
How rich is will.i.am?
The rapper will.i.am became world famous as a member of the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas and also produces all of their releases. He also writes and produces songs for himself and other artists. In addition to music, he works as an actor and voice actor and is a designer and investor. Will.i.am’s estimated net worth is 65 million euros .
Will.i.am’s net worth
Will.i.am earns the most money from the music of his band Black Eyed Peas and can attribute the majority of his fortune to this. The group sold more than 35 million albums and over 120 million singles worldwide. As a producer, will.i.am also shares in the income. He also releases albums and songs as a solo artist. He also writes and produces for other musicians. will.i.am increased his wealth through his activities as an actor and voice actor. He also works with various companies. He became Chief Creative Officer of 3D Systems in 2014, designed smartwatches for Deutsche Telekom from 2015 and bought the Wink company in 2017.
First appearances as a student
William James Adams Jr., will.i.am’s real name, had the dream of becoming a hip-hop musician as a child . Because he grew up in a poor area of Los Angeles, his mother sent him to schools in wealthier districts to give him a better education. During his school days he met and became friends with Allan Pineda Lindo, alias apl.de.ap. From 1988 onwards, apl.de.ap and will.i.am, who was still called Will 1X at the time, appeared as a rapper duo. They were in eighth grade at the time. In 1992 they signed their first record deal and founded the combo Atban Klann.
The beginning of the Black Eyed Peas
Atban Klann recorded a studio album to be released in late 1993. However, the release was initially put on hold. After the death of label boss Eazy-E in 1995, the contract between Atban Klann and the record company was terminated. The group renamed itself the Black Eyed Pods and then the Black Eyed Peas and was supplemented by the rapper Jaime Gomez alias Taboo and the singer Kim Hill. After the band signed a new record deal, they released their debut album Behind the Front in 1998 . will.i.am also appeared as a producer – as happened with all of its successors. The second long-playing record Bridging the Gap was released in 2000.
The breakthrough with the band
Although both records were well received by many critics, the Black Eyed Peas initially failed to achieve commercial success. In addition to activities with his band, will.i.am also boosted his career as a solo artist and released the album Lost Change in September 2001 . The Black Eyed Peas recorded the album Elephunk in 2003 and were looking for a replacement for the departed singer Kim Hill for a song. They found Fergie and had her contribute female vocals to six songs – including Where is the Love? This song brought the Black Eyed Peas their breakthrough in May 2003 and reached the top of the charts in Germany, Great Britain and Sweden, among others.
Elephunk was released in June 2003 and sold more than nine million copies worldwide. Another number 1 hit for the band, Shut Up, followed in September 2003 . In the same month, will.i.am released his second solo album Must B 21 . In 2005, he continued his previous successes with the Black Eyed Peas and further increased his fortune. The group sold over nine million copies of the album Monkey Business , and the singles Don’t Phunk with My Heart and My Humps landed high on numerous sales lists.
Number 1 in the USA
will.i.am’s third album, Songs About Girls, was released in September 2007. Despite his success with the Black Eyed Peas, the record was only moderately successful. The Black Eyed Peas’ best-selling album to date was released in June 2009. It is titled The END and has recorded over eleven million sales worldwide . This meant that will.i.am was able to further increase his assets significantly. It included, among others, the songs Boom Boom Pow, I Gotta Feeling and Imma Bee , which became the band’s first number 1 hits in their US homeland.
will.i.am celebrates success as a solo artist and actor
will.i.am was finally able to celebrate success as a soloist in 2013. His song This Is Love with singer Eva Simons went to number 1 in Great Britain, Scream & Shout with Britney Spears reached the top in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Will.i.am is not only active as a rapper and producer, but he also earns good salaries as a voice actor and actor. In 2008 he lent his voice to a character in the animated film Madagascar 2 , and in 2009 he starred in X-Men Origins: Wolverine . He also voiced a character in Rio 2011 and Rio 2 in 2014.