It was always about the money, but when you want to be successful and all you think about is the money, all you work for is the money… You will never be successful. You will be blinded and make mistakes especially when you are disparate, so I guess it never really was about the money. James JeanPierre
About This Quote

In the late 1990s, The Black Eyed Peas found themselves in a bind. They were a part of a new trend called "raggaeton", a blend of Caribbean music and hip-hop. They wanted to make it big, but they needed a hit record. In any business, money talks.

The group had squandered their initial success by hiring the wrong producers and providing lyrics that were not up to par. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Fergie explains how all this went down: "I was coming from a Christian background, and I didn't really understand all that hip-hop stuff back then," she told Rolling Stone. "So I was like, 'This is my chance to be me – to be pure energy – and allow people to see me as a human being.' That's what people connected with." But as the group entered the recording studio for their second album, they received bad news: their record label was delaying its release date because it couldn't afford to pay for the production costs. "We didn't realize it at the time, but we were receiving $150,000 advance checks and we were paying $200,000 recording costs," she said. "It just became about the money." Fergie used her millions to purchase millions of dollars worth of cars and jewelry - including a $1 million diamond ring - and spent much of her paycheck on lavish trips to Paris and Las Vegas (she estimates she spent $12 million).

But she claims she paid for it all out of her own pocket because she didn't want to jeopardize their career. "I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I wasn't spending all this money on things I didn't need," Fergie said. "I've never been one to spend my money on myself – I always spend it on other people." Eventually however, all that changed: The Black Eyed Peas' third album – "Elephunk" – went platinum and earned them two Grammy Awards; Fergie won three Grammys in 2006 alone. Today the group has sold over 80 million records worldwide.

Their latest album - "The Beginning" - is expected to debut at #1 on Billboard 's Top 200 chart.

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More Quotes By James JeanPierre
  1. Ignorance is toxic. If a man hands you a cup of coffee and pours in what he calls liquid sugar when the container clearly says poison, how bliss is your ignorance?
  2. It pains me to have all this knowledge and no one to share it with, I’d have to say its number 3 on my list. — Of what causes me the most pain.
  3. If my brain was examined, they'd call me crazy… and for a long time I thought I was. Articles, doctors and psychiatrist and a whole bunch of other people constantly tell me there’s something wrong with me, so how could I not believe it. I...
  4. Life is nothing more than a contradiction.
  5. It was always about the money, but when you want to be successful and all you think about is the money, all you work for is the money… You will never be successful. You will be blinded and make mistakes especially when you are disparate,...
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