The Black Eyed Peas and Vevo premiered a new episode of Footnotes celebrating the global smash “Pump It,” the final single from their Grammy-nominated album Monkey Business, which was released 20 years ago on June 7, 2005. The platinum-selling anthem remains one of the group’s most recognizable hits, charting in the Top 10 in more than a dozen countries.
In the episode, will.i.am, Taboo and Apl.de.Ap look back on the explosive 2006 music video and the cultural influences behind it. will.i.am talks about the group’s roots in LA’s Filipino community and how it ties into the city’s car culture, specifically the Honda Civic featured in the video. They also explain how the song’s unforgettable sample, Dick Dale’s “Misirlou,” was discovered by wil.i.am during a bullet train ride in Japan, sparking the now famous “Pump it louder” hook.
The crew gets into the video’s high-energy shoot, packed with stunts, fight scenes and cinematic references including a scene in Fight Club and John Woo-style martial arts. Ap.de.Ap shares that they did their own stunts, except for Taboo, who had to sit out the action due to a broken tailbone. They wrap by saying “Pump It” captures the hype of their live shows and the track that always cranks up the crowd and takes things to the next level.
Full Transcript Below:
0:00 “Pump It” is the opening track on The Black Eyed Peas ‘Monkey Business’ album, which dropped on June 7, 2005. It features a sample of Dick Dale’s surf-rock hit “Misirlou.”
0:23 will.i.am: Our crew started off in the Filipino community. If you know about Los Angeles culture, Filipinos, and the car scene, you know about Honda Civics. So in the “Pump It” video you see us driving in that Honda Civic, kicking it off. In our minds it was like “yo, Honda Civics are the s***.” Still to this day, Honda Civics are the s***.
0:55 Taboo: Will had bought all these CDs, and we were in Japan, on the bullet train from Tokyo. He’s in the back of the train, headphones on, playing these CDs. One of them had Dick Dale’s “Misirlou” on it. And suddenly, I hear him saying, “Louder… louder…” over and over again. Then he’s like, “Pump it… louder!”
1:20 Apl.de.Ap: This shoot was a fun time because the video was so action-packed and stunt-driven compared to most of our other music videos.
1:40 Taboo: I loved how we incorporated all the action, like that scene where Will is in this ‘Fight Club’ situation. And Apl is running on top of all the people and kicking them in a circle, a big reference to John Woo-style martial arts.
2:10 Taboo: This video really captures the theme of our energy, especially in our live shows. “Pump It” always sends the people into a frenzy. That’s the moment in our show that really elevates and takes us to the next level in live performances.
2:40 Apl.de.Ap: I actually did my own stunts for that scene. I really learned how to run sideways while in midair. Of course, they helped me go in a complete circle, but I kind of just laughed when I saw that initial direction.
3:10 There’s a reason Taboo is the only member who doesn’t perform stunts in the video. “I had broken my tailbone right before the shoot,” he recalled. “I was in so much pain, I had to sit on a donut cushion because I literally couldn’t sit down.”
