Background and career
Jaime Luis Gomez (born July 14, 1975), known professionally as Taboo or Taboo Nawasha, is an American rapper, musician and actor. He is best known as a member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
Jaime Luis Gomez was born in Los Angeles. His parents were both from Mexico. He attended Rosemead High School (class of 1993), and was educated at Richard Garvey Intermediate School. He also has Shoshone heritage from his grandmother.
Since 1995: The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas date back to 1988, when eighth-graders William Adams (will.i.am) and Allan Pineda (apl.de.ap) met and began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The pair signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E) in 1992, catching the attention of Eazy-E’s manager, Jerry Heller's nephew. Along with another friend of theirs, Dante Santiago, they called their band Atban Klann (ATBAN: A Tribe Beyond a Nation). Will 1X (aka will.i.am), apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 (aka Monroe Walker) and Dante Santiago formed Atban Klann. Their debut album, Grass Roots, was never released because Ruthless founder Eazy-E had died.
After Eazy-E died in 1995, Atban Klann reformed and changed their name to Black Eyed Pods, and then Black Eyed Peas. Dante Santiago was replaced with Jaime Gomez (Taboo), and Kim Hill became a steady background singer. Unlike many hip hop acts, they chose to perform with a live band and adopted a musical and clothing style that differed wildly from the gangsta rap sounds of Los Angeles–based hip hop acts at the time. Taboo is known primarily for his guttural spoken reprises of the last few words of a sung lyric, as well as emphatic flourishes between vocal parts. After being signed to Interscope Records and releasing their debut, Behind the Front (1998) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim. One of the singles from the album was "Joints & Jam", and was featured on the Bulworth soundtrack. Their second album was Bridging the Gap (2000), which had the single "Request + Line" featuring Macy Gray. In 2003, Fergie became the fourth member of the group.
How Taboo makes money
The pair signed to Ruthless Records (run by Eazy-E) in 1992, catching the attention of Eazy-E’s manager, Jerry Heller's nephew. Unlike many hip hop acts, they chose to perform with a live band and adopted a musical and clothing style that differed wildly from the gangsta rap sounds of Los Angeles–based hip hop acts at the time.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
