Will.i.am (10 page)

Will sets the scene of how he felt at the start of 2008. ‘I was feeling depressed,’ he later told the
Daily Mail
. So he decided that the best way to beat his blues was to
drive out to the freeway and spray some graffiti, or ‘tag’, in Will’s lingo. ‘I stopped under a bridge on Route 101 and wrote “No” in big letters using a can of
black paint,’ he said. ‘I’d almost finished when two cops arrived.’ There then ensued a chase. Will was unsuccessful in his getaway plan and ended up adding physical pain to
the emotional torment he was suffering. ‘I broke out running across the freeway, tripped and broke my fifth metatarsal bone,’ he said. According to the Young Hollywood website,
Will’s representative refused to comment on whether there had been any further repercussions after this incident.

What he really needed was not to spray graffiti, but to find something that would reignite his fire. Such an opportunity was just around the corner.

The election campaign that propelled Barack Obama to the White House in 2008 was one of the slickest and most innovative force fields in political history. Just as John F.
Kennedy had first harnessed the power of television during his campaigning in the 1960s, so did Obama successfully grapple with a new campaigning medium: the internet.

At the centre of his online electioneering was the slogan ‘Yes We Can’, and Will directed a campaign video harnessing this slogan into a musical force. It was inspired by a speech in
which the candidate moved millions of listeners – including Will himself. ‘It made me reflect on the freedoms I have, going to school where I went to school, and the people that came
before Obama like Martin Luther King, presidents like Abraham Lincoln that paved the way for me,’ he told
ABC News
.

The video he made was imaginative and attention-grabbing. It featured Will and a few dozen other stars including Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Scherzinger, Adam Rodriguez, Amber Valetta and Nick
Cannon, speaking and singing along to a video of Obama’s benchmark speech. Will had teamed up with Jesse Dylan, the filmmaker son of Bob Dylan, to direct the ambitious project. Over
forty-eight hours, they invited the galaxy of stars to pass through their studio and film their contributions to the campaigning collage. ‘I’m blown away by how many people wanted to
come and be a part of it in a short amount of time,’ said Will when the project ended. ‘It was all out of love and hope for change and really representing America and looking at the
world.’

The video, clocking in at a little over four minutes long, is shot in basic black-and-white, and its sparse and simple feel adds to the ‘community’ feel of the
work. However, this on-the-surface modesty belies the slickness and thoughtfulness that went into its making. It premiered on ABC News in February 2008. However, as had always been the intention,
the video’s true impact and influence was felt online, after it was uploaded onto the YouTube network and shared on Obama campaign websites. The online onslaught began on the campaign’s
‘Super Tuesday’. It became a truly viral effort and has now been watched over twenty-six million times. In August, Will performed the song live at an Obama campaign convention in
Colorado, where his energetic performance whipped the crowd into quite a frenzy.

By this stage, the overall campaign was gathering such momentum that an Obama victory began to seem inevitable. Will’s part in that campaign was significant: it was to a large degree
thanks to this video that the ‘Yes We Can’ slogan became so well known worldwide. However, the video was not without its critics. A
Wall Street Journal
writer described it as
‘deeply creepy’, dismissing its stars as people who ‘appear to be in some sort of trance’, before concluding ‘the whole thing has the feel of a cult of
personality’. Other critics, including ostensible supporters of Obama, claimed to be ‘weirded out’ by it all.

None of these criticisms stood in the way of the video’s momentum, however. It won an Emmy award for ‘Best New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment’, with
the panel praising its ‘passion and inspiration’. Will’s fellow executive producer of the video, Fred Goldring, said: ‘We are thrilled and honored to have received a
prestigious Emmy Award, particularly in a brand-new category which acknowledges the ever-increasing impact of the convergence of digital content and delivery’.

In the same week as that announcement, Will was crowned ‘Artist of the Year’ at the Webby Awards. His acceptance speech was just five-words long: ‘Now we know we
can’.

So, what did Will hope an Obama victory would bring with it? Another Obama slogan was ‘Change we can believe in’. As for Will, the change that he said he wanted Obama to bring to
America, should he be elected, included: ‘Education, America’s finance, getting our dollar back to where it should be, stopping the war, health and international policies.’ As his
political clout increased, somewhat surreally, Will even appeared as a hologram on CNN News to discuss the election.

As a result of the frenzy of expectation that had been built around him, Barack Obama entered the White House with considerable pressure on his relatively young shoulders.
A
significant number of his most vocal supporters would subsequently feel disappointment during the President’s first term. Will would have some issues with President Obama, too, but his pride
at having played such an influential part in the election of the President of what many still consider the planet’s most powerful country was, rightly, undiminished. Will received generous
thanks from Obama, who told him his video had made a significant difference to the campaign. ‘The President has thanked me tons of times since,’ Will said. ‘He told me I reached a
demographic that had been, up to that point, invisible.’

In his journey on the political carousel, Will has striven to remain sincere. Mindful of how empty and insincere are the political or social gestures of many stars, he has tried to eschew such
vanity. ‘If I go out and say, “Yes We Can! We can, Obama! I support Obama!” And then I’m out, going, “Woohoo, I’m not even living in America, I’m in
Spain!” How is that supporting? Because I go to a freaking fundraiser and give him some money sometimes?’

Will has stated that he wishes more people would notice how little control we have over what happens in the world. ‘We’re not in control,’ he told the
Independent
.
‘We have no control over the outcome of anything. Like the planet and global warming, we don’t control that. If politicians want a war, we don’t control that. Acts of terrorism,
we can’t control
them.’ In another moment of cynicism, he said: ‘Politics are about preserving relationships at the end of the day, and it has nothing to do
with the greater good for humanity. It’s just all about business.’

The final word on his association with Obama to date can only be a brief recounting of a highly embarrassing moment Will had while performing at the President’s inauguration. Of all the
memories of the experience that Will expected to take away with him on the day, the one he had not bargained for was that he would break wind in front of the President. ‘I’d been eating
all sorts of rubbish and my insides were in a mess,’ he explained to the
Daily Mail
. ‘I wasn’t healthy like I am now. I was playing on stage and I just couldn’t
help myself.’ The audacity of wind, indeed. Nowadays, he does indeed eat carefully and healthily, including the hellish-tasting yet supremely effective ‘superfood’ of kale juice.
(He might not be entirely out of the woods, though, as kale is notorious for producing supremely blustery conditions down south.)

Meanwhile, his stature as a producer for other artists was soaring. Having taken production duties on releases from The Black Eyed Peas and his own solo ventures, Will had
learned a great deal about the craft. His technical knowledge
and ability, together with his mesmeric persona, combined to make him quite a prospect. Over the years, Will has
worked with several of the music industry’s biggest names, including some he personally has admired for several years. His talent, stature and energy have combined to make him an attractive
prospect for other artists. From 2004, his name appeared on the production credits of material by a wide variety of artists, including Carlos Santana, the Pussycat Dolls, Ricky Martin and Earth,
Wind & Fire. He also worked for Diddy, Nas and Justin Timberlake during these restless years.

To date, the pinnacle of such experiences came in 2006, when he was invited to work with Michael Jackson. He spent a large part of the year working with Jackson in Ireland. For Will, to work
with ‘the biggest inspiration’ of his life, the man who ‘defined me, and my dreams’ was a blissful honour. It hardly felt like work at all.

This was not the first time his career had crossed paths with Jackson’s, but never before had it done so on such a scale. He could have looked back to when he first walked into the offices
of Epic Records in the 1990s. At that time, even to be in the same building as the label that owned Jackson’s music seemed to be honour enough. So, when he was first told that Michael Jackson
was on the phone, wanting to speak about their working together, Will
assumed it was somebody playing a practical joke. Now, working alongside Jackson in the studio day after
day, ‘felt like a dream’ to Will. For Jackson said he chose Will to work with because he felt he was making ‘wonderful, innovative, positive, great music’ and therefore was
curious to see ‘how the chemistry would work’.

It made for a surreal experience for Will at times: ‘You’re there in Ireland. It’s green hills. It’s Michael Jackson. You’re in the cottage making beats, dance
beats. He’s like dancing and sh*t.’ His nerves could be forgiven. Naturally, there were many such moments of eccentricity. One morning, Jackson suggested Will ride a horse out to the
fields. ‘Why don’t you go pick some apples?’ Jackson asked him. ‘Take the horses, they’re lovely, they’re wonderful. They know exactly where the juicy apples
are!’

Will took up the challenge and, for the first time in his life, got on a horse. Jackson had advised Will that if he noticed the horse trying to grab an apple that he should ‘grab it before
he does – because that will be the juiciest apple’. Will decided that the best policy would be to share the juicy apples with the horse: each time the horse went to grab one with its
mouth, Will would let it have that one, and take a neighbouring apple himself. This seemed the best compromise with a beast that had the potential to throw him off.

Work continued on the album in surroundings that Jackson had become very fond of. He had found Ireland a haven from the media frenzy that perpetually surrounded him and he
had worked at the studio in County Westmeath before. And it certainly suited Will to work with Jackson in serene surroundings.

The tracks they were working on were supposed to form a comeback album for Jackson. It was to be a dance album, full of the life that was, unbeknown to them both, soon to leave Jackson for good.
The material they were working on was, said Will later, of a high standard. ‘It was going to be out of this world,’ he told the
Mirror
. ‘It’s something Michael has
never done before – a dance music album. I was very proud of it.’ Will noted, with somewhat amused approval, how serious Jackson was about his work. ‘But he was very protective
and kept it under lock and key. After we made it I had to hand back every demo. He was a perfectionist and didn’t want anyone to hear it until it was ready.’

Will also noticed Jackson’s perfectionism when the singer visited him at his house. There, he watched as Jackson spent three hours fine-tuning his voice, just in order to sing for five
minutes. Will was impressed. ‘He’s laying and his feet are up on the chair, he’s kicking his feet,’ he said. ‘I’m like, dude, Michael Jackson’s laying on
my floor. Michael Jackson’s laying on my floor. He’s testing his voice and
three hours has passed.’ Will was astonished but approving. Jackson told him:
‘I just love, you know, this is all we have is flesh and bones. That’s it. It’s just flesh. That’s all we got. I want to protect it and take care of it, because this is my
voice. This is my thing.’

Will emerged from his association with Jackson replete with several cracking anecdotes, which he has related with aplomb. One involved some contact he had with the King of Pop while they were
both staying in Las Vegas. Jackson phoned Will to let him know he was in town. Will mentioned that The Black Eyed Peas were playing a concert that evening, and invited Jackson along. Initially,
Jackson was excited, but when Will told him the band’s stage time was 9 p.m., Jackson said: ‘Oh, rats, I can’t. I’ve got to put the kids to sleep.’ Will was charmed
and amused by Jackson’s use of the word ‘rats’.

He issued Jackson with another invitation, telling him he was also due to appear onstage with Prince later in the evening, and asking if he would like to watch. ‘Oh really? I’d love
to. Call Prince and see if it’s cool,’ replied Jackson. Will could hardly believe what was happening, as he phoned Prince’s team to ask them whether it was OK if Michael Jackson
watched him perform alongside Prince. Naturally, the answer was affirmative.

He ended up running late for the performance, and
worried he might miss it all together. He could hardly believe the day he was having. ‘So, I’m late, I’m
late,’ he told CraveOnline. ‘I’m in the cab, like aw, man, what a time to be f*ckin’ late. I’m always late and I’m late for Michael Jackson to see me perform
with Prince. So I hop off the cab and I’m running in Las Vegas.’ As he ran down the road, towards the Palms venue, people recognized him – almost. ‘I’m running and
people are like, “Wyclef!” I’m like, “F*ck you”, right? Then I run and I get to the place and I perform for Prince and I walk off stage and Michael’s there.
He’s like, “That was awesome!”’ A proud, and bizarre, moment for sure. ‘Yeah, but that was a great experience to have Mike see me perform with Prince. It was nuts.
That’s great, cool.’

On 25 June 2009, Michael Jackson died. Will was shocked and devastated when he learned the news while in Paris. The band had just performed and were letting their hair down at the VIP Room
nightclub, a short distance from the Champs-Elysées. Will was DJing and, in a less busy moment, picked up his phone to check for messages. To his horror, one of the messages he found told
him that Jackson had died. Given that there had been rumours in the past of Jackson dying, he hoped this would turn out to be another hoax. Sadly, after checking with Quincy Jones, he discovered
that this time the superstar really had passed away.