Maps of Music

Monkey Business (2005)

Where the lyrics of Monkey Business take you, and where it was really made.

A candle left unattended started a fire during the sessions, destroying about $50,000 worth of gear at a Burbank studio while the group was recording.

Key places

Six tracks recorded at Metropolis Studios in London (2005)

Recording site Metropolis Studios — The group recorded six tracks at Metropolis Studios in London while touring the UK in June 2004. The point marks the studio, not a single exact session date. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Daddy's House Recording Studio in New York City (2005)

Recording site Daddy's House Recording Studio — Daddy's House Recording Studio in New York City was one of the other locations where the album was recorded. The point marks the studio, not a specific session date. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Monkey Business: fourth studio album by American group the Black Eyed Peas
• Released May 25, 2005 by A&M Records, Interscope Records and will.i.am Music Group
• Followed the global success of the third studio album Elephunk (2003)
• Hip-hop and pop record mixing crunk, funk, reggae, raï, calypso, soul, jazz and Latin rock
• Lyrical themes include relationship complexities, sexual attraction, partying and fame, with social issues to a lesser extent

Background

• Recorded during the Elephunk Tour, beginning June 2004
• Sessions continued for about six months at various locations worldwide
• Executive producers Ron Fair and will.i.am enlisted producers Printz Board, Noize Trip, Timbaland and Danja
• Fergie joined the group as female vocalist during the production of Elephunk
• Members had planned solo albums for 2004 but postponed them to make the next group record

Recording

• Six tracks recorded at Metropolis Studios in London while the group toured the UK
• Most tracks recorded at the Stewchia in Los Feliz, Los Angeles after returning to the United States
• Fire caused by unattended candles at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California, on August 11
• Other sessions held in Los Angeles, Malibu, Madison, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
• Album mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles

Cover

• Album cover photographed by Albert Watson
• Shows Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap surrounding will.i.am as he shouts into a megaphone, against a red background
• Artwork and logo designed by Shepard Fairey and Florencio Zavala, as directed by Mike Jurkovac

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Los Angeles in 1992 by rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo.
• Started as an alternative hip hop trio; early albums Behind the Front (1998) and Bridging the Gap (2000) were released through Interscope Records.
• Rebranded toward a more marketable pop-rap sound after the early albums.

Members

• Current core members: will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo.
• Fergie was the lead singer from 2002 until her departure in 2018.
• J. Rey Soul joined in 2018 as a touring member and later appeared as a featured artist on recordings.

Career

• Breakthrough with Elephunk (2003) and the single "Where Is the Love?", which topped the UK chart for seven weeks.
• Monkey Business (2005) debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
• The E.N.D. (2009) topped the Billboard 200 and produced three Hot 100 number-one singles, including "I Gotta Feeling".
• Performed at the Super Bowl XLV halftime show in February 2011.
• Went on indefinite hiatus in 2011, briefly reunited in 2015, and released Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 (2018), Translation (2020) and Elevation (2022).
• Estimated to have sold around 80 million records.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Monkey Business received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its production but criticized its lyrics and the group's move toward commercialization
• Metacritic average of 48 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews
• Robert Christgau gave a three-star honorable mention
• AllMusic (John Bush): most tracks seen as the same party rap singalong style as Elephunk, with the effortless sound of the past now strained and canned; picked Feel It and Disco Club as highlights
• The A.V. Club (Nathan Rabin): unfavorable review; said the lyrics devolved further than Elephunk and that excessive sampling reduced originality
• PopMatters (Nicholas Taylor): shared Rabin's view but praised the album as a great party record
• Entertainment Weekly (Neil Drumming): called it a bland meringue of candy-like raps about partying
• The Guardian (Betty Clarke): praised the mix of guest appearances but dismissed the lyrical themes; singled out James Brown's appearance on They Don't Want Music
• Paste (Courtney Ryan Fitzgerald): praised the production and called the songs danceable and catchy
• Rolling Stone (Christian Hoard): positive, calling it as bright as Elephunk if not as fun
• Slant Magazine (Sal Cinquemani): called it virtually unlistenable, but picked Gone Going as its highlight
• musicOMH (Azeem Ahmad): hard to listen to in one sitting
• BBC (Talia Kraines): clean, witty hip hop for families, but noted a drop in lyrical themes since the 1998 debut Behind the Front
• The Village Voice (Jason King): described it as zany, antiseptic kitsch

Records

• US Billboard 200: debuted at number two with 291,000 first-week units, behind Coldplay's X&Y; the group's first top-ten album on the chart
• Debuted at number one on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums, the group's first number one on both
• US: RIAA triple platinum, certified December 21, 2005 for three million shipments; over four million sold by 2011
• Canada: debuted at number two, peaked at number one in its fourth week and spent seven weeks at the top; sextuple platinum in 2006
• Australia and New Zealand: debuted at number one; sextuple platinum in Australia and quadruple platinum in New Zealand
• France, Germany and Switzerland: debuted at number one; Mexico: peaked at number one
• Japan: peaked at number three on the Oricon Albums Chart
• UK: debuted at number four; BPI triple platinum, selling over a million copies by June 2009
• Two Grammy Awards for Don't Phunk with My Heart and My Humps, with three more nominations
• Fourth best-selling album of 2005 worldwide, with sales over nine million copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• On August 11 a fire caused by unattended candles destroyed about $50,000 worth of gear and instruments at Glenwood Studios in Burbank while the group was recording.
• The title came from an experience in Paris during the Elephunk Tour, when fans banged on the group's van and looked inside; Taboo said they felt like caged monkeys in a zoo.
• The planned lead single They Don't Want Music, featuring James Brown, was dropped in favor of Don't Phunk with My Heart, released April 5, 2005.
• Pump It was partly recorded on a bullet train during the group's stop in Japan.
• Monkey Business was the world's fourth best-selling album of 2005.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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