Background and career
William Adams (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am" and stylized in all lowercase), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he formed in 1995 alongside fellow rappers apl.de.ap and Taboo. The group has released nine studio albums, and saw their highest success with the pop rap albums Elephunk (2003), Monkey Business (2005), The E.N.D. (2009), and The Beginning (2010), during which time he shared lead vocals with fellow singer Fergie. As a solo artist, Adams signed with Atlantic Records to release his debut album Lost Change (2001). He later signed to Barely Breaking Even to release his second album Must B 21 (2003). Both albums failed to chart. After gaining success with the Black Eyed Peas, he signed with Interscope Records to release his third album, Songs About Girls (2007). His third effort moderately entered the US Billboard 200 — becoming his first solo project to do so — and spawned the US Billboard Hot 100-top 40 single "I Got It From My Mama".
His fourth album, #willpower (2013), peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200, and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top five hit, "Scream & Shout" (with Britney Spears). In addition, he guest appeared on Fergie's 2006 single "Fergalicious" and Usher's 2010 single "OMG", which peaked at numbers two and one on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. From both his solo career and groupwork with the Black Eyed Peas, he has had 41 UK singles chart-top 40 entries since 1998, and has sold 9.4 million singles in the country. He founded a self-titled record label in 1998, which has signed artists including LMFAO, Kelis, and Macy Gray. Outside of music, Adams founded the technology company i.am+ in 2013; he has also served as a panelist and mentor on the reality competition series The Voice UK (2012–present), The Voice Australia (2014), and The Voice Kids (2017–2023). He is the recipient of seven Grammy Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, and a Daytime Emmy Award.
William James Adams Jr. was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 15, 1975, the son of an African-American mother Debra (née Cain) and Jamaican father William James Adams Sr. He has never met his father; he was raised by his mother in the Estrada Courts housing projects in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they were among the few African-Americans living in a predominantly Hispanic community. He did not discover his full birth name until he was 25. His mother encouraged him to be unique and to avoid conforming to the tendencies of the other youths in the neighborhood. To guide his musical career, she sent him to public schools in the more affluent West Los Angeles area such as Paul Revere Charter Middle School, which was one hour-long bus trip away. He attended Palisades Charter High School. During high school, he started going to raves with classmate Pasquale Rotella. In a later interview with Los Angeles Times, Adams mentioned that the secrecy surrounding the whereabouts of raves was what made raving special and different from the mainstream.
Adams' maternal uncle is former National Football League (NFL) player Lynn Cain.
How will.i.am makes money
The group has released nine studio albums, and saw their highest success with the pop rap albums Elephunk (2003), Monkey Business (2005), The E.N.D. (2009), and The Beginning (2010), during which time he shared lead vocals with fellow singer Fergie. As a solo artist, Adams signed with Atlantic Records to release his debut album Lost Change (2001).
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.
