Monkey Business is the fourth studio album by American group the Black Eyed Peas. It was released on May 25, 2005, by A&M Records, Interscope Records and will.i.am Music Group.
Following the global success of their third studio album, Elephunk (2003), the group embarked on the Elephunk Tour. While touring, they began recording Monkey Business in June 2004, continuing for the following six months at various locations worldwide. Executive producers Ron Fair and will.i.am enlisted producers Printz Board, Noize Trip, Timbaland and Danja for the album. Their final product was a hip-hop and pop record incorporating an array of genres, such as crunk, funk, reggae, Raï, calypso, soul, jazz and Latin rock. Similarly to Elephunk, it explores lyrical themes such as relationship complexities, sexual attraction, partying, fame and, to a lesser extent, social issues. Controversy arose over the lyrics of the track "My Humps", which center on a woman using her physical attributes to accomplish her goals.
Monkey Business received mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its production but criticized its lyrical content and Black Eyed Peas' inclination to commercialization with the album. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 291,000 units, becoming the group's first top-ten album on the chart. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over four million copies in the United States. Internationally, it reached number one in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, and Switzerland, and has sold over nine million copies worldwide. Despite its critical response, the album won two Grammy Awards for its singles "Don't Phunk with My Heart" and "My Humps", receiving three additional nominations.
Monkey Business produced four singles. "Don't Phunk with My Heart" became the group's highest-peaking single on the US Billboard Hot 100 at the time, peaking at number three, and reached number one in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, and New Zealand. "Don't Lie" peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, being overshadowed by its successor "My Humps", which began receiving heavy unsolicited airplay. After its official release as a single, "My Humps" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number one in Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. The final single "Pump It" became the album's lowest-peaking single on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 18. The album was further promoted with two global concert tours–The Monkey Business Tour (2005–2006) and the Black Blue & You Tour (2007).
Background and development In June 2003, Black Eyed Peas released their third studio album Elephunk. During its production, Fergie joined the group as its female vocalist. Led by a global hit single and the group's first top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 "Where Is the Love?", the album was a sleeper hit and became their breakthrough record. It peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and garnered six Grammy Award nominations, including the group's first win for "Let's Get It Started". The commercial success of Elephunk made a substantial impact on the group's prominence, and its members will.i.am and Fergie planned on recording solo studio albums in 2004. However, the plans were postponed as they "felt it was important to install the next Black Eyed Peas record this year with the momentum that we've had, which will only allow our solo adventures to be successful and continue to keep our franchise going". Fergie stated: "For us, Black Eyed Peas are feeling really good right now, and for me to come out with a solo record, it just doesn't feel right. This is a family, and we're on a certain kind of wave and I wanna keep riding on that wave together. It's my boys." She would later release her debut solo studio album The Dutchess in September 2006, and will.i.am released his third studio album Songs About Girls in September 2007.
Recording and production
Monkey Business was recorded in "two and three-month spurts" throughout 2004 while Black Eyed Peas were on their Elephunk Tour, in support of their third studio album Elephunk (2003). The executive producer will.i.am co-wrote all the tracks, and produced or co-produced all tracks except "My Style" and "Disco Club". Among other producers were apl.de.ap, Timbaland, Danja, Printz Board, Noize Trip, and the executive producer Ron Fair. apl.de.ap co-wrote nine tracks, Fergie co-wrote eight, and Taboo co-wrote two. The production commenced in June, while the group was touring the United Kingdom. They recorded six tracks at the Metropolis Studios in London. The recording sessions continued in July during the tour's stop in Japan, where "Pump It" was partly recorded in a bullet train. Upon the group's return to the United States, they recorded most of the tracks at the Stewchia in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.
On August 11, a fire caused by unattended candles broke out at the Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California while the group was recording, destroying approximately $50,000 worth of gear and instruments. Other recording locations for Monkey Business included Amerycan Studios, Henson Recording Studios and the Record Plant in Los Angeles; Morning View Studios in Malibu, California; Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin; Daddy's House and Sony Music Studios in New York City; The Brothel in Philadelphia; Osi and Calvin Studios in Washington, D.C.; the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, and the Peas Tour Bus. In December, it was revealed the group had recorded "They Don't Want Music" with James Brown, and that Monkey Business was being mixed and neared completion. The album was mastered by Brian Gardner at the Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles.
Music and lyrics Monkey Business is a hip-hop and pop album incorporating an array of genres, such as crunk, funk, reggae, Raï, calypso, soul, jazz and Latin rock. It opens with "Pump It", a hip-hop-funk track heavily sampling Dick Dale's 1962 surf rock version of "Misirlou". The Bollywood-inspired "Don't Phunk with My Heart" was described as a lyrical sequel to the group's single "Shut Up" (2003), with will.i.am explaining: "When you're on bad terms with a significant other, you don't want to break up. You tell her things and at the time you really mean them. But she's saying, stop fucking with me." "My Style"–the group's second collaboration with Justin Timberlake–features "an ingenious mix of creative beats, subtle full-band backing, and multi-layered vocals". "Don't Lie" is a "breezy, grooving romantic apology". will.i.am claimed the song was written from an experience in which he deceptively bended the truth to an ex-girlfriend: "It's a song about owning up and apologizing and realizing your faults. It's about being a man or a woman – an adult – and confronting situations honestly." "My Humps" is a hip-hop and dance track backed by an electro-influenced drum beat, and ends with a piano-driven hidden track "So Real". The song sparked controversy because of its title and lyrics, which center on a woman who uses her breasts and buttocks to accomplish her goals.
Underground hip-hop track "Like That", featuring Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, CeeLo Green and John Legend, begins with a sample from Astrud Gilberto's 1965 version of "Who Can I Turn To?". The seventh track "Dum Diddly" was described by Neil Drumming from Entertainment Weekly as a "glossy, faux-reggae" track. "Feel It" lyrically encourages its listeners to dance. Country-influenced "Gone Going" addresses the emptiness of materialism. It's built around a hip-hop beat and a live string-horn arrangement. "They Don't Want Music", featuring James Brown, is a horn-driven jazz, lounge and funk track. "Disco Club" is about men "cruising clubs for casual hookups". The "funky" dance track "Bebot", whose title means "hot chick", is rapped entirely in Tagalog, much like "The Apl Song" from Elephunk (2003). "Ba Bump" features its male protagonist getting a woman drunk and having sex with her afterwards. "Audio Delite at Low Fidelity" lyrically details the group's history up until the release of Monkey Business, referencing their rise to prominence; it ends with the hidden track "Change". The album's closing track "Union" heavily samples "Englishman in New York" by Sting, who makes a guest appearance. A jazz-influenced track, it lyrically demands social equality.
Title and artwork Black Eyed Peas gave numerous explanations for the title of Monkey Business. In the "BEP Q&A" portion of the album's booklet, two definitions of the title were written.
"DEFINITION 1: With success, people treat you differently. They can go from viewing you like a person to viewing you like a product. And that's one definition of Monkey Business."
"DEFINITION 2: Elephants have nothing to do with PHUNK and Monkeys have nothing to do with BUSINESS ...or do they? Our business is PHUNKIN' MUSIC." [sic]
In an interview with The Record, the members described an experience in Paris during their Elephunk Tour (2004) which inspired the title. According to will.i.am, they were inside of a van when a large group of fans came and started banging on its windows and looking inside, to which Taboo said he felt as if they were caged monkeys in a zoo.
The album cover for Monkey Business was photographed by Albert Watson. It depicts Fergie, Taboo, and apl.de.ap surrounding will.i.am as he's shouting into a megaphone, against a red background. Shepard Fairey and Florencio Zavala designed the artwork and its logo, as directed by Mike Jurkovac.
Release and promotion In May 2004, Black Eyed Peas announced Monkey Business would be released by November. Its release was then postponed to early 2005, before ultimately being set for June 7 in the United States. The promotion of the album had already commenced in January, when the Best Buy commercial featuring the group performing "Pump It" was released. They performed "Don't Phunk with My Heart" for the first time during the 2005/2006 MTV Networks UpFront at the Madison Square Garden on May 3, 2005. The group promoted the album in the United Kingdom by performing "Don't Phunk with My Heart" on the May 6 episode of Top of the Pops and the May 13 episode of Later... with Jools Holland. There, they commenced their promotional tour at the Brixton Academy in London on May 6, and performed at various venues and festivals across Europe and North America, including Wango Tango, until June 2. On June 3, Black Eyed Peas embarked on The Monkey Business Tour at The Joint in Las Vegas; the tour was originally set to commence on June 11, but three earlier dates were later added. "Don't Phunk with My Heart" was subsequently performed at the 2005 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 19, on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 24, at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia on July 2, and at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards on August 16.