Black Eyed Pea

English

Etymology

Back-formation; from black-eyed pea—member will.i.am stated that “Black Eyed Peas are food for the soul” and cited the Red Hot Chili Peppers as an influence for naming the group after a food.^[1]

Noun

Black Eyed Pea (plural Black Eyed Peas)

(uncommon) A member of the American musical group Black Eyed Peas.
- 2002 September 2, Doug Levy, “Dexter’s Laboratory: The Hip-Hop Experiment”, in CMJ New Music Report, number 778, page 9:
  Former Tribe Called Quester Phife Diggy puts himself in Dexter’s shoes on “Love According To Dexter,” while Black Eyed Pea Will.I.Am delivers “Secrets,” a bouncy circus soundtrack of a tune about the mysteries of the hidden lab.
- 2006 August 26, Tamara Conniff, Hillary Crosley, “Making Of A Legend Part 2”, in Billboard, page 26:
  This time around, [John] Legend assembled an A-list crew of producers to work on “Once Again,” including Raphael Saadiq, Black Eyed Pea Will.i.am and Kanye West.
- 2007, Hip Hop Connection, page 22:
  You might think you’ve got Black Eyed Pea Will I Am pegged as, depending on your perspective, the king of pop-rap or a hip-hop sell-out, but the truth is much more complicated.
- 2009, Elizabeth Noble, The Girl Next Door, Touchstone, →ISBN, page 96:
  “I was more of a Posh Spice,” she had said, “and you’re more of a … Fergie.” She meant the duchess, not the Black Eyed Pea, and Cath had rolled her eyes and scowled at Eve.
- 2011, Taboo, Steve Dennis, Fallin’ Up: My Story, Touchstone, →ISBN, page 208:
  I had viewed Fergie as Joan Jett crossed with Madonna; the rock ’n’ roll girl with a pop track record who liked listening to groups like Guns N’ Roses and Led Zeppelin. That she made the transition into a Black Eyed Pea so effortlessly speaks to her versatility as an artist.
- 2016, Daryl Easlea, Michael Jackson: Rewind: The Life & Legacy of Pop Music’s King, Race Point Publishing, →ISBN, page 2:
  Reflecting just how white hot the group was in 2007/2008, fellow Black Eyed Pea Fergie contributes vocals to the mix of “Beat It.”
- 2017, Clare Pooley, The Sober Diaries: How One Woman Stopped Drinking and Started Living, Coronet, →ISBN:
  Willy was a wild and extravagant host. Over the years everyone who was anyone, from (allegedly) Princess Margaret and Marianne Faithfull to Fergie (the ex-royal, not the Black Eyed Pea) had been to stay.
- 2021, Jessa Hastings, Magnolia Parks, Orion Fiction, published 2022, →ISBN:
  My mother could zip off for a girls’ weekend that would last a week with Fergie (the former Royal, not the Black Eyed Pea).

References

^ “Black Eyed Peas”, in The Vogue‎^[1].

[1] “Black Eyed Peas”, in The Vogue‎^[1].

[1]