Welcome to my third article about vegan heroes. After my blog posts about film producer and vegan environmentalist James Cameron (remember The Terminator, Titanic, Avatar?), and singer, songwriter, producer, and animal hero Moby, today we are going to check out Will.i.am’s vegan journey.
William James Adams Junior, better known as will.i.am has been vegan for several years now. Being a member of The Black Eyed Peas, he is a multi talented rapper, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.
First, Back to the Beginning
Like most of us, I first heard of Will.i.am when he was a member of the Black Eyed Peas. I remember those great songs, “Where is the Love”, “Don’t Funk with my Heart”, “Let’s get it Started”, and many more. I still love to play them once in a while 🙂 , the old and the new ones.
Before joining The Black Eyed Peas, he was also a member of Jawbreakers and A.T.B.A. N Klan.
Jawbreakers was a production of Will.i.am and Justin Timberlake. It might sound like an unlikely pairing, but these two created some great productions such as Floatin, Damn Girl, Pose, and others. Jawbreakers stood for “Justin and Will Breaks”.
When asked about this partnership, Will.i.am said: “I was surprised that I was even going to like Justin Timberlake. Then he turned me into a fan, and I’ve become a fan. That means you are so talented that you are changing people’s vocabulary.”
A.T.B.A. N Klan, which is short for A Tribe Beyond a Nation, was his first band. Before he changed his stage name to Will.i.am, he was called Will 1X and he formed this band with high school friend apl.de.ap (who would later also join The Black Eyed Peas). Other members were Mooky Mook and DJ Motiv8.
They were signed by Easy-E, a rapper who owned Ruthless Records. Their debut album Grass Roots was planned for release in 1995, but it was unfortunately put on hold, due to Easy-E’s tragic death.
Later, the band broke up and they were dropped from Ruthless Records. Will 1X (who now changed his stage name to Will.i.am) and apl.de.ap were left of the original band. They teamed up with rapper Taboo and then Fergie; and The Black Eyed Peas were born.
Achievements in the Music Industry
The Black Eyed Peas became a huge success, releasing one hit after the other and winning several awards. In total, they have been nominated 87 times and have won 55 music awards, such as the Grammy’s; MTV Australia, Europe, Russia, Japan, MTV video awards; Soul Train Music Awards, and so many more …
For more detailed info on awards and which songs have won or were nominated, please feel free to check the list on Wikipedia.
Will.i.am has also produced music for many artists, including Cheryl, Michael Jackson, Kesha, Britney Spears, David Guetta, U2, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Usher, Nicki Minaj, and more. Moreover, he is a judge and mentor on the well-known talent show The Voice UK, The Voice Australia (in 2014), and The Voice Kids.
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When and Why Did Will.i.am Become Vegan?
In December 2010 Will.i.am was diagnosed with tinnitus, a disorder that causes a perception of sound when no sound is nearby. This is often known as ringing, and it can come from one or both ears or even from the head. It can often lead to hearing loss.
Instead of resorting to pills, he decided to turn to a plant-based diet, which he trusts to keep him in excellent health. In addition, he started cycling to work and he lost 15 pounds. As soon as he changed his diet, he dropped his cholesterol in 10 days, blood pressure went down, and his skin cleared up (sources: VegNews and The Standard – UK)
Although Will.i.am became vegan for health reasons, he also identifies as a vegan for environmental and ethical reasons, wanting to stop animal suffering.
“I’m fighting for a healthier me and a healthier planet. I started realizing … urgh, I was eating, like, rotted animal lactate … that came from freaking cow’s tit? That’s disgusting,” he stated.
“We operate on frequencies that are wireless. We launch satellites that orbit the planet. Why are we acting like freaking savage predators still? Haven’t we evolved?”
In September 2018, Will.i.am shared a new Facebook status update, claiming that “Vegan was a big mistake”. It turned out that that wasn’t exactly what he meant 😉 In the video he explains why “vegan was a mistake”, because he “doesn’t miss steak”. Get it? 😉 Watch the video, it’s hilarious.
Vegan Activism
The rapper has now become a big advocate for veganism and he speaks out against animal cruelty, loud and clear. He even added vegan lyrics to Vibrations, pt1, pt2, a single by the Black Eyed Peas.
“You eat the yellowtail, Imma [sic] eat the plant-based. I ain’t chewing on no food, with two eyes and a face. Got a new attitude, gotta stay elevated. If somebody hate, let them hate and kinda motivate.”
He also urges his fans to join his V-Gang, which is – as quoted by him – “a group of people taking a hardcore gangster approach to wellness and conscious living.”
He speaks out against the cruelty of the food industry and he questions the ethics of killing animals for food. He has appeared on many UK t.v. programs talking about his vegan lifestyle.
He says: “I thought about what I was eating — I was gnawing on flesh, dead animal. And if you think about it, it’s kind of sick. Imagine you’re hungry — almost starving. You have a bushel of broccoli, and then a chicken walks by. Are you going to rush the chicken, no utensils, and just eat it? Defeather it — eat the skin and cartilage, no seasoning and salt? No, you’re going to dive into that bushel of fricking broccoli. Turns out gorillas are buff as f***. They have big-ass muscles, they just eat leaves and sh**. Rhinos are tough as gladiators and they aren’t gnawing on people.”
He has a point, the strongest animals on Earth are plant eaters. Gorillas, Rhinos, Elephants …
More Activism
In 2009 he founded the i.am.angel foundation which brings charitable activities to schools in disadvantaged city areas. The foundation has already raised more than US 500,000 dollars. Additionally, in collaboration with the Prince’s Trust (a UK charity that was founded in 1976 by Prince Charles) he gave 500,000 British Pounds to technology for disadvantaged youngsters.
I.am.angel Foundation
This foundation was created to transform lives through education, inspiration, and opportunity. It manages charitable programs and activities, in order to provide scholarships, college preparation, and opportunities in STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math).
Will’s dream is to transform his old neighborhood – Boyle Heights – and the world to help give people pride, direction, and the chance for a future. I.am.angel Foundation gives back to the community and provides opportunity to those who would not always have them.
“We need to rebuild America for those who dream big and have a sense of community. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
When Kanye West announced his bid to run for presidency (I know, that was a shocker, wasn’t it?) Will reacted as follows in a Mirror interview:
“It’s a dangerous thing to be playing with. If you’re not serious, you don’t play with that, especially now.” He added: “Like what the f*** seriously, I don’t even know what like community service you do.”
He said that in order to change the world you don’t have to go run for president but you can make a change right here in your own community, which he is already doing, making a huge difference in children’s lives.
“There’s so many ways to help our communities other than politics and you don’t have to run for office to change people’s lives for the better,” he said. “For the past 11 years I went back to the ghetto where I’m from and started a school. I started with 65 kids – now I have 720 kids and growing.”
Final Thoughts
I couldn’t agree more with him. To make a change, you don’t need to run for presidency or wait for the government to initiate changes. Then you could wait forever, right? To see the change you want to make, start in your immediate surroundings. In my opinion, Will.i.am is a beautiful and kind human being, and a great example for his many followers. He is giving many children an opportunity they may or may not have had without his foundation.
He speaks up for animals, urges his followers to join his V-Gang, raps about veganism, and talks to the media about it.
This is another artist I say “chapeau” to. As I explained in my post about James Cameron, “chapeau” means hat in French and it is an expression we use in Belgium (where I’m from) to indicate that we greatly respect someone. So, chapeau to, Will.i.am 🙂
Vegan was a “miss” steak, good one Will! So glad to hear him becoming a vegan, many people know that it’s healthy to have a major green diet but it’s just that we’re sometimes victims of our carnivorous instincts because nobody’s perfect and not everyone has the will to go through such change.
I’m not a full-fledged vegan yet but I have managed to change my diet to a major green diet with meat consumption only once a week and the rest of the week, full-on vegan dishes. It’s actually quite healthy and I do feel as though my body system has changed for the better.
Hi Riaz,
It’s great that you are changing your diet to a more plant-based one, and I’m glad that you’re feeling positive changes in your body. When I went vegan, I also noticed changes in my body and my health increased. Many people are indeed still victim to habits or afraid of change, but change is usually for the better, isn’t it? 😉
Will.i.am is a wonderful example for his followers, an inspiration for the vegan movement and for young people.
My friend is vegan and I never know what to have for if she comes over to my place. this is certainly something I could come back to in the future to read more about within your entire website as I can see that you specialize in this. Next time I will have some options for my friend when she comes over to my place because I can never give her food because none of it is vegan 🙁
Hi Misael,
Great, you’re welcome to check out the recipes I have shared here on my website 🙂
Thanks for your comment!
This is a very in depth article on Will. i. am and his reasons for going Vegan. Most people have a choice about what they eat but not all, as a Coeliac (A gluten free person) so many of my choices were taken away when I was diagnosed. I’m not a vegan or a vegetarian, I like to eat meat so that’s what I eat.
Wow, this is such an interesting post! I love BEP and Will.i.am but I wouldn’t consider myself a “superfan” by any means so just about all of this was new info for me. I also had no idea he was vegan! Very interesting post that has given me lots to think about in regards to switching to a vegan lifestyle.
That’s awesome, Dev!
Thanks for your comment!
Whilst I don’t think I could stop eating meat 100%, in recent times I have changed my outlook on meat and cut back on the amount that we eat.
However for me, Vegan is a step too far, which would mean me stopping meat as well as seafood which I love.
I have a friend who is totally vegan and I just don’t know how he does it.
Thank you for sharing
Hi Mick.
The thing about vegan food is that it’s just fingerlicking good and delicious, and many people don’t expect that when they decide to go vegan. I love food, and honestly, vegan food is the best food I have ever had in my life.
Hey Christine, loved this article! Specifically reading that Will.i.am is instigating a good cause in his old neighborhood instead of a school at the other side of the world. Mind you, schools at the other side of the world should be there as well, but I love it if somebody doesn’t forget where he came from.
When I was attending a row of business seminars some time ago, one of the songs always played when we entered the room was “I got a feeling”. That was the first time I heard a song by The Black Eyed Peas. Usually it wasn’t my type of music, but this was loaded with memories of the seminars, so I still play it.
You mentioned a connection with Will.i.am’s tinnitus and becoming vegan, but you don’t mention if it helped him? My tinnitus seems to be growing by the day, but being mostly vegetarian/vegan (I don’t know anymore how to call my diet anymore, LOL) doesn’t seem to influence it. Unfortunately.
Hi Hannie,
Will.i.am hasn’t healed from tinnitus, it doesn’t seem possible to heal from it, but it can improve with treatment. He says, though, that he knows how to control it.
I also love that he returned to his old neighborhood to make a difference there. I think he is very inspiring.
Thanks for your comment!
Thank you so much for this incredibly insightful article, Christine! As a baby vegan (I officially became a vegan as of this past Tuesday night. Haha), I love to see public figures using thelr platforms for good-fighting the good fight, promoting worthy causes, and encouraging others to love themselves and their environment. I am now convinced that veganism is the way to go: I no longer want to contribute to animal cruelty or potentially giving myself heart disease by age 40 (I’m in my 20s). Our bodies are our temples, and as such, we must be careful what we put into them. I’m here to fight the good fight! Great read! God bless you!
It warms my heart that you have now chosen to be vegan. I also love to see public figures using their platforms for the good. I am already working on an article about my next vegan hero 🙂
Hi Christine,
I like William when he produced songs as a member of The Black Eyed Peas, but I never knew he is also a vegan. He started this lifestyle when he got diagnosed with tinnitus, and it was quite a surprise that he chose to change his daily habits without taking the medications. And, this works well for him!
I also agree that we don’t need to run for president if there are things that we want to change, just like what William did to his community. People can start doing things differently if they want to be vegans. Maybe we can all start from being vegan a day per week to see whether anything healthier happens to our bodies. If yes, we can go one step further for more days, right?
Thanks for sharing. Love it.
Matt
Hi Matt,
Yes, you can start by having vegan meals once a week and then go gradually. It will work just fine 🙂 Some people drop all meat and meat products at once and others go in stages. Whatever works for you will be good.