BLACK EYED PEAS ARE A SELLOUT, BUT DID THEY SELL OUT?
They found success when they tinkered with their sound
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Black Eyed Peas spent years languishing in hip-hop's underground before they found the formula to vault into the mainstream -- accessible pop melodies, star collaborations, marketing tie-ins and a sexy young thing to belt out catchy choruses.

That mix made their 2003 album "Elephunk" their big breakthrough. Their first two albums failed to sell 500,000 copies combined. But "Elephunk" -- which featured the Grammy-nominated anthems "Where Is the Love" with Justin Timberlake and "Let's Get it Started," which became the National Basketball Association's playoff anthem -- went multiplatinum and made them and their music ubiquitous.

Still, there are plenty of early Peas-heads who remain disgruntled about the group's leap to the pop world.

But go ahead and call them sellouts. Lead lyricist will.i.am doesn't mind.

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