Will.i.am

Will.I.Am is like Wyclef Jean with a tight leash, and the (annoying) buoyant hip pop of the Black Eyed Peas permeates his solo offering. The apologetic arrogance and airy pop bounce of "Heartbreaker" is like "Caribbean Queen" for lumpy ladies, while "I Got It from My Momma" is rap's version of MILF porn. Whether you view the producer/rapper's previous work with the Peas as fun and accessible or the apex of banality will prove decisive.

If your only encounters with rapper-producer Will.i.am come care of JumboTrons or
drunk girls screeching "My Humps," it's easy to forget that beneath the cotton-candy
hip-hop of the Black Eyed Peas lies one of the most meticulous minds in the production
game. Will's third solo album is devoted to women, but he stretches the conceit in
imaginative directions: For every ode to ass (the singsongy bumper "The Donque... More >