Mind, we’re not talking about a record 10 years in the making. But it has been about a decade since nelo (rhymes with “hello”) founder and principal songwriter Matt Ragland first picked up an acoustic guitar in high school and started writing songs and occasionally jamming with school friends and fellow Dallas natives Stephen Goodson (electric guitar), Chris Hill (drums) and David Long (saxophone). A couple of years later, while in college, Ragland was refining his songwriting and performing around Austin with singer Reid Umstattd while Goodson, Hill and Long were perfecting their own chops studying jazz at the University of North Texas in Denton. By 2002, they all reconvened — along with another UNT alum, bassist Mike St. Clair — and nelo was born.

Well, unofficially, at least. According to Ragland, nelo didn’t officially take off until August of ’05 — the month he and the rest of the band left Texas for Athens, Ga. “That was really the defining moment,” he says, “when I called everyone and said, ‘OK, I’m ready to really do this. If you want to do it, too, come and join me.’

“I’d been to Athens a number of times already, and I just felt like it was a great place to start a band,” he continues. “It’s a relatively small town, but there’s so much respect in that part of the country for the music that goes on there. I’d heard the music there and thought we would really fit in. And, I really wanted to get out of Austin at the time, because I’d been playing with these guys for so long that I wanted there to be that unifying moment where we all packed our bags and moved somewhere with one goal in mind. It was time to get serious.”

The fact that it was Ragland, who opted to major in philosophy and psychology while most of his band mates went to a music school, who issued that fateful “time to get serious” call to arms underscores just how much nelo owes its existence to his own clear vision. But Ragland is quick to credit everyone else in the band for helping him bring that vision to life, and one other musician of note for awakening his vision in the first place: Dave Matthews.

“Without going too long on it, it’s just one of those situations where I feel like I owe the guy something, because without Dave Matthews, I don’t think I would have this inspiration to write like I do now and put a band together” he explains. “I was just a kid in high school when I first heard his music, but there was something about it that really helped me understand me a little bit. I know that sounds kind of clichéd, but it’s true. That was the first time I was exposed to the idea that music and lyrics and songs can really help you figure out what you’re about … and what you want out of life.”

Along with Matthews, Ragland also cites Stevie Wonder and Sting as major songwriting heroes. Clearly, in order to do those influences — and his own melodic instincts — justice, Ragland knew his songs were going to require a degree of musicianship beyond both his own self-taught chops and your everyday garage band. Luckily, the first guys he started playing with (Goodson, Long and Hill) all came with similarly demanding influences, ranging from John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Steve Jordan to Bill Frisell, Jimmy Page and Duane Allman. Bassist St. Clair, the last of the instrumentalists to join the fold, came with a Master’s degree in jazz studies and formidable real world experience: prior to joining nelo, he toured with the Glen Miller Orchestra and played trombone in Dallas’ acclaimed The Polyphonic Spree.

Even before St. Clair joined the band, Ragland knew he had the makings of the perfect ensemble in place. All he lacked was a proper singer. Enter Umstattd — the proverbial “X” factor. The funny thing is, Ragland had known him longer than anyone else in the band. He just didn’t know that Reid — soon to become his best friend — could sing. “Reid and I had been going to camp together for many, many years — from third grade all the way up to college,” he says. The summer before their senior year of high school, they were back at the same camp in Colorado, training to be counselors, when somebody pulled out a guitar and started to strum the opening chords to Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles.”

“I open my mouth to sing the first verse to myself,” recalls Ragland, “and I am literally frozen by another voice coming from directly behind me.” He spun around and saw it was Umstattd. “There was something about Reid’s voice that completely blew me away. I knew this was the real thing immediately. There was some kind of organic or spiritual connection between Reid’s voice and my dream. Only it wasn’t just a dream anymore — I knew I had what I needed.”

Fast forward a few years, and nelo was well on its way toward firmly establishing itself on the Athens music scene. But an early, homemade demo was stirring up quite a buzz back home in Texas, too — so much so that nelo was soon playing shows to crowds of up to 400 fans in both states. Among those drawn to the buzz on the Texas side was producer and studio owner Freddy Fletcher, who took in a nelo show at Austin’s Momo’s last December and became an instant convert.

“That was the first time I ever saw them live,” says Fletcher. “I kept hearing, ‘You really need to hear this band!’ And when I got down to Momo’s, there were people lined up around the door to get in and see them. I thought, ‘Hmm, this is interesting.’ So I just started watching them, and I really liked what I heard.” Fletcher and nelo hit it off right off the bat, striking the deal that quickly led to Ragland and Co. moving back to Austin and heading straight into the studio to begin work on their Fletcher-produced debut. The album will be released on Pedernales Records, the label owned by Fletcher and his uncle — none other than the legendary Willie Nelson.

“It may be their first record,” says Fletcher, “but these guys in the studio — they’re so damn good. They’re all accomplished musicians, the songs are really well written and I love the arrangements. And Reid, the singer, is just phenomenal. Their style is definitely not something you hear every day — it’s new to me. But I like what they’re doing, and I like everyone in the band, too.”

Ragland makes it clear that the feeling of admiration is mutual. “Freddy, for whatever reason, seems to really understand the music as I was hoping that it would be received,” he says. “The thing I love about a good album is when you get a general vibe from the entire record — almost like the whole album is one tone, one feeling. And listening to the roughs we have so far, I think that’s starting to develop. I can’t describe it or give it an adjective yet, but I will say that we’re getting there.”

Come February, nelo will have fully arrived.

www.nelomusic.com www.myspace.com/nelomusic

Pictured (l-r): Monk Institute Executive Director Tom Carter, Chairman Herbie Hancock and BMI's Robbin Ahrold

The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition is the most prestigious jazz competition in the world, attracting the brightest young jazz talent in the world to compete for a series of scholarships. 2007 marks BMI’s 15-year anniversary of collaboration with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, lauding young composers who best demonstrate originality, creativity and excellence in jazz composition. The composer award is in direct association with the jazz institute’s annual competition of highlighting a featured instrument.

BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross and Institute Board Chairman T.S. Monk

This year’s competition was followed by a gala tribute to legendary ten-time Grammy winning BMI jazz composer Herbie Hancock for his incomparable contribution to the music industry. Hancock was treated to an all-star homage with performances by Joni Mitchell, Sting, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, and Nancy Wilson, among others.

Recording Academy Chairman Jimmy Jam, BMI Monk Composer's Competition winner Petros Sakelliou, Academy Chief Executive Neil Portnow and BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross.

2007 BMI London Awards Song List

Gabriel’s achievements, whether musical, visual or humanitarian, are the work of a true visionary. The co-founder of rock band Genesis, Gabriel left the group in 1975 to begin a critically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning solo career. Thus far, he has released 11 albums featuring self-penned gems and BMI million-performance songs, including “Big Time,” “Solsbury Hill,” “Sledgehammer” and “In Your Eyes,” and composed soundtracks for numerous films, including Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. Amongst other bold endeavors, Gabriel founded Real World companies in 1987, housing his recording, publishing, film and multi-media ventures under one progressive roof. An early participant in Human Rights Now! and recipient of the Nobel Peace Laureates’ “Man of Peace” Award, Peter Gabriel founded world human rights advocacy supergroup TheElders.org in July 2007, with Richard Branson and Nelson Mandela.

“Unwritten,” co-penned by Danielle Brisebois and Natasha Bedingfield (PRS), received one of the organization’s highest accolades, the Robert S. Musel Award for Song of the Year. The award, named after the U.S. performing right organization’s longtime consultant to the U.K., annually honors the most-performed song of the year written by a member or members of BMI’s European sister organizations. Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS) and recorded by Bedingfield, “Unwritten” was the title track to Bedingfield’s platinum-selling debut album.

International phenomenon “Crazy,” co-written by GianFranco Reverberi and GianPiero Reverberi (both SIAE), along with Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo Green, earned BMI’s College Song of the Year crown for tallying the most performances on American college radio. Published by Universal Music Publishing Ricordi srl (SIAE) and Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS), the award-winning song first leapt to the top of the British charts solely thanks to digital downloads.

Bestowed on the song with the most hits on BMI-licensed websites, the Internet Award went to James Blunt’s infectious “You’re Beautiful,” co-authored by Blunt, Amanda Ghost and Sacha Skarbek (all PRS), and published by Bucks Music Group Ltd. and EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (both PRS).

The Gorillaz’s “Dare,” co-written by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett (both PRS), took home BMI’s Dance Award. Also published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS) and featuring the vocal stylings of Shaun Ryder, “Dare” debuted atop the UK singles chart, officially making it the Gorillaz’s first No. 1 hit in Britain.

Prestigious “Million-Air” certificates were also presented throughout the evening in recognition of those songs that have achieved over three million U.S. radio and television performances — the equivalent of more than 17 years of continuous airplay. The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” topped the list, with a staggering nine-million performance award for songwriter Sting (PRS). Sting was also honored for five-million performance song “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” Living legend Van Morrison (PRS) penned two hits on the list: his classic “Brown Eyed Girl,” which has amassed eight million performances, and four million performance song “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You.” Additional “Million-Air” recipients included Sir Elton John, John Lennon, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Sir Trevor Nunn, Lord Lloyd Webber, Shania Twain and Steve Winwood (all PRS).

KT Tunstall (BMI), Harry Gregson-Williams, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Natasha Bedingfield, James Blunt, Pete Townshend, Snow Patrol members Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly, Paul Wilson, Tom Simpson and Jonny Quinn (all PRS), along with Alexandre Desplat (SACEM) and Karl Bartos (GEMA), garnered multiple awards in recognition of their songwriting skills: each composed two or more songs on the most-performed Pop, Film, Television, Cable, Emmy, Golden Globe or Urban Award lists. Reflecting music’s increasingly global reach, BMI also honored two Jamaican hitmakers alongside the European songwriters and publishers. Don Corleon, writer of "Break It Off" and "When you Gonna (Give it Up to Me),” and “Break It Off” co-writer Kirk Ford both received their first London Awards.

High-resolution photos from the event will be available to registered users only at bmi.com/press. To request access, please contact mediarelations@bmi.com.

Beneath Calle’s street-driven grooves beats a strong political consciousness. Their first single, "Querido FBI" ("Dear FBI"), was a reaction to the alleged FBI ambush of Puerto Rican revolutionary leader Filiberto Ojeda Ríos. The song served as an instant introduction to a Puerto Rican audience hungry for homegrown stars.

In 2005, two back-to-back hits on local radio stations, "Se Vale Tó-Tó" and "Atrevete-te-te!,” propelled the pair further into the public consciousness, as did collaborations with other artists, notably Voltio for the song "Ojalai" (also known as "Chulin Culin Chunfly") and remixes with Three 6 Mafia. At the end of 2005, they finally released their self-titled album, which was lauded as a benchmark in Puerto Rico's rich musical history. In 2006, the band won three Latin Grammys (Best New Artist, Best Urban Album, and Best Short Version Video, for the song “Atrevete-te-Te!”) and in 2006 and 2007, Calle 13 continued collaborating with a diverse slate of international artists, including Nelly Furtado (Canada) and superstar Alejandro Sanz (Spain.)

These imaginative pairings continue on their just-released second album, Residente o Visitante, as they are joined by such diverse guests as the Cuban group Orishas, Argentinean Vicentico (from Los Fabulosos Cadillacs), and La Mala Rodríguez from Spain in the mix.

Although originally grouped under the reggaetón banner, Calle 13 has far exceeded the definitions of that genre with cumbia, salsa, and even bossa nova. Their lyrics are alternately funny and acerbic, greased with the oil of pure shock value. When they exhort their fans to "turn up the volume on satanic music," in the chorus for the new single "El Tango del Pecado” (The Tango of Sins), they may be kidding, but it’s proof that the duo doesn’t intend to veer away from the serrated edges. The song, a collaboration with Oscar-winning Argentinean producer Gustavo Santaolalla, is a pointed reference to René (Residente) Pérez’s controversial relationship with the wholesome former Miss Universe Denise Quiñone. “"I want people to think, to question things," Residente says. "The reality is that we have to record commercial songs, but we put a little sting into them."

More information about Jazz Appreciation Month is available in the press release below.

John Hasse, Director of Music at the Smithsonian, BMI Corporate Relations Vice President Robbin Ahrold, Rona Sebastian (President, Herb Alpert Foundation),legendary jazz photographer and donor William Claxton, Stanton Davis (American Federation of Musicians), Sandra Gibson (CEO, Association of Performing Arts Presenters), Charles Fishman (Dizzy Gillespie's last manager; President of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival), renowned jazz portrait artist LeRoy Neiman, and Angela Martinez (Program Director, Association of Performing Arts Presenters).

At a special ceremony today, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History kicked off Jazz Appreciation Month with a tribute to three prominent trumpeters: Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and Herb Alpert, as well as donations from photographer Bill Claxton and artist LeRoy Neiman.

Now in its sixth year, JAM is an annual event that pays tribute to jazz both as a historic and living American art form. Throughout the month, the Smithsonian will present numerous events, including performances, film and displays in venues around Washington, D.C.

“Jazz is a truly American style of music that has played an important role in our heritage,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. “Through the Smithsonian’s Jazz Appreciation Month activities, we will highlight jazz and its history and expose audiences to this significant piece of American culture.”

Four donations were recognized at today’s JAM kick off event:

• Business records and personal ephemera belonging to John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie, one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of the 20th century. The collection was donated by Charles Fishman, Gillespie’s manager from 1985 to 1993, who won a Grammy for producing “Dizzy Gillespie and United Nations Orchestra” and founded the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C.

• Twenty-two photographs by acclaimed fashion and jazz photographer Bill Claxton of jazz greats, including Ray Charles, Miles Davis and Chet Baker.

• Support for JAM from the Herb Alpert Foundation as the lead sponsor of Jazz Appreciation Month, with a donation of $300,000 to be used during the next three years.

• Use of celebrated American artist LeRoy Neiman’s conté-crayon drawing of Louis Armstrong, which is featured on the official 2007 JAM poster. This is the second year Neiman has donated image for this purpose. The museum and its JAM partners will distribute 250,000 posters around the country to promote local JAM activities.

This year, Carlos Santana and Herb Alpert have added their voices to those of other prominent musicians, including Geri Allen and Wynton Marsalis, in recording radio public service announcements produced by BMI. The PSAs will be distributed nationwide.

In a first this year, the museum will partner with leading online social network Care2 www.care2.com to co-host a discussion board that simultaneously resides in both the smithsonianjazz.org and Care2 communities, enabling music fans on both web sites to join together in one large conversation about jazz.

The Smithsonian Women’s Committee is supporting the 2007 JAM public programs throughout the institution with a special grant, and WAMU Radio, 88.5 FM, is the media partner in the nation’s capital, providing public service announcements.

Los Angeles born Herb Alpert is a notable musician known for co-founding – with Jerry Moss – A&M Records, for years the world’s largest, most successful independent label and home to artists including Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Carole King and Sting. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ 1962 debut “The Lonely Bull” was also A&M’s inaugural release. The band’s infusion of Latin and jazz sounds into pop music resulted in hits including the Grammy winners “A Taste of Honey” and “What Now My Love.” As a solo artist, Alpert is known for “Rise” which won nine Grammys.

Claxton, who hails from Pasadena, Ca., first gained fame in the 1950s, photographing artists for the Pacific Jazz record label and went on to have his work featured on album and magazine covers internationally. Throughout his career, Claxton has produced insightful portraits of many jazz legends, often capturing musicians in spontaneous, intimate moments, reflecting his vision of photography as “jazz for the eye.”

Born in South Carolina in 1917 as the youngest of 10 children, Gillespie taught himself to play the trumpet at age 12. In the 1940s, Gillespie helped develop an innovative style known as bebop, featuring intricate improvisations, complex harmonies and rapid rhythms. Gillespie played with such jazz greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane and mentored young musicians, including Miles Davis. Known for his beret, horn-rimmed glasses, bent horn and puffed cheeks, Gillespie has had an enormous impact on subsequent generations of trumpeters.

LeRoy Neiman, born in St. Paul, MN., operates his studio out of New York. Growing up on the street during the Depression, his first commission was for the local grocer, drawing calcimine pictures of food items on the store windows. Neiman became interested in jazz during the 1970s. He created art for numerous program covers and posters for the Newport Jazz Festival, the Kool Jazz Festival and Jazzmobile, and painted jazz greats Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

The National Museum of American History launched JAM in 2001 and it has since grown to include celebrations in all 50 states and 20 other countries. This year the Smithsonian will present a record 29 events, including five performances by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the museum’s resident big band.

In commemorating JAM 2007, the museum collaborated with a diverse group of 28 organizations, institutions, associations and federal agencies that have provided financial and in-kind support and organized programs and outreach of their own. The Smithsonian operates the world’s most comprehensive set of jazz programs. The museum is home to incomparable jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Fitzgerald’s famous red dress, Gillespie’s angled trumpet and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. A complete schedule of JAM events is available at http://americanhistory.si.edu.

The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the present, the museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The museum is closed for major renovations and will re-open in summer 2008. The public may visit the museum’s Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000 or (202) 633-5285 (TTY) for general Smithsonian information.

London Awards Event Photos

Ray Davies: BMI Icon Feature Story

London Awards Song List

Davies is co-founder, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Kinks, one of the most long-lived and influential rock groups of the British Invasion. As the band's chief songwriter, he is the pen behind such Kinks classics as "You Really Got Me," "All Day and All of the Night," "A Well Respected Man," "Waterloo Sunset," "Tired of Waiting For You," "Sunny Afternoon," "Lola" and "Come Dancing."

In a written tribute to Davies that was read at the event, Who guitarist Pete Townshend called Davies "the true laureate of British popular music." In addition to Townshend, who credits his sound to the 40-plus year music vet, artists as diverse as Morrissey, Blur and Oasis also claim Davies as their main influence.

"Listen to Your Heart," written by Per Gessle and Mats Persson, and published by Jimmy Fun Music (all STIM), was named Song of the Year and received one of the organization's highest accolades, the Robert S. Musel Award. Recorded by Belgium-based duo D.H.T., the song was originally a No. 1 hit for Roxette in 1989 and received the BMI Dance Award at last year's ceremony.

"Feel Good Inc.," co-written by Gorillaz members Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett (both PRS), along with De La Soul's David Jolicoeur, was named BMI's College Song of the Year for tallying the most performances on American college radio. The Grammy Award-winning hit is from the Gorillaz' Demon Days CD, which went double platinum in the U.S. and triple platinum in the U.K.

The BMI Dance Award went to "Everytime We Touch," written by Stuart MacKillop, Maggie Reilly (both PRS) and Peter Risavy (GEMA), and published by Mambo/Sony/ATV Music Publishing Germany (GEMA). The infectious tune by Euro-dance trio Cascada was a worldwide smash, including in America, where it topped the dance charts and made it into the Top Ten of the pop charts.

"Million-Air" certificates were also presented throughout the evening in recognition of those songs that have achieved over three million U.S. radio and television performances - or the equivalent of more than 17 years of continuous airplay. Topping the list was the theme to Mondo Cane, "More," which earned a seven million performance award for songwriters Marcello Ciorciolini (SIAE), Norman Newell (PRS), Nino Oliviero (SIAE) and Riz Ortolani (SIAE). "You're Still the One," written and recorded by 2004 BMI London Awards Song of the Year winner Shania Twain (PRS), reached the six million performance plateau. Other "Million-Air" recipients included Sir Elton John, Eric Clapton, the Bee Gees, Sting, Seal, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, Peter Gabriel and Paul Rodgers of Free (all PRS).]]> 2006-10-03T05:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334804 Artists, Soraya, Sting, Musical Styles, Latin BMI Award-winning Latin singer/songwriter Soraya, one of the first artists to write and record in both English and Spanish, died May 10 in Miami after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 37.

The Colombian/American singer, who was a spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, was diagnosed with stage three cancer in June 2000, just as she was finalizing a new album with Universal Music Latino. She successfully underwent treatment and returned to a new record deal with EMI.

Her 2003 album, the self-produced Soraya, earned her the first ever Latin Grammy for best singer/songwriter album, as well as two BMI Latin Awards for the hits "Casi" and "Sólo Por Tí." Her other BMI Latin Award-winning songs include "De Repente" (1996) and "Amor En Tus Ojos" (1998). She was also nominated for another Latin Grammy in 2005 for Best Female Pop Vocal Album for what would be her final recording, El Otro Lado De Mi.

Soraya, who launched her career in the late 90s by mixing Spanish and English, was a soulful singer whose music ranged from romanticism to social conscience. A charismatic performer from the onset, she opened concerts for mainstream artists like Sting even as her songs topped the Billboard Latin Pop airplay charts. She went on to become one of the most acclaimed female voices in Latin pop and rock.

Soraya's illness, compounded with her family history of the disease (her mother, aunt and grandmother all died of breast cancer), led her to become a tireless advocate in the fight against cancer. In 2004, she was honored by Billboard with its Spirit of Hope Award for her work to raise awareness on the prevention and cure of breast cancer in the Hispanic community.

"Basically my life is split in three," Soraya told Billboard at the time. "My music career. My life. And my third part is this [the fight against breast cancer]. It's a full time job."

Celebrating at the party are (l-r) BMI's Linda Livingston, BMI composers Allee Willis and Brenda Russell, "Purple" co-writer Stephen Bray, and BMI's Barbara Cane and Phil Graham. Photo by Randall Michelson

Three-time Grammy nominee Brenda Russell, co-writer of Sting's Grammy-winning song "She Walks This Earth," has been working on The Color Purple for the past five years while also focusing on her own writing and touring. She is currently preparing her next CD release and will embark on a South American tour this summer.

Allee Willis (along with Bruce Roberts) is currently working on the music for VH1's new series, So NoTORIous, starring Tori Spelling, and is also writing six songs for the new Earth, Wind & Fire Broadway musical, Hot Feet, opening April 30. Willis is about to become one of only five writers to have two shows open on Broadway in one season and the only writer to have two African-American related shows on Broadway at the same time.]]> 2006-04-04T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/533097 Artists, Brown, James, De La Soul, Gray, Macy, Sting, Musical Styles, Pop, Urban, Musicworld, Feature Originally two break-dancers named Will.i.am and apl.de.ap who decided to form a group, the Black Eyed Peas is without a doubt one of the biggest success stories in hip-hop, if not all of contemporary music. Once called Atban Klann (an acronym for A Tribe Beyond a Nation), the group that became BEP has always been a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic conglomeration of Los Angeles hipsters with an eye toward social relevance and an ear toward organic music. Only now, they’ve got street cred, the respect of the hip-hop intelligencia and the commercial viability that eluded them since they formed a decade ago.

Will and apl recorded an album under Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records in 1992, but Atban Klann found their project shelved by a label that wasn’t sure what to do with rap devoid of roughneck themes. With Eazy’s death in 1995, the group’s future looked bleak. But they pressed on, adding another dancer/rapper, Taboo, and reemerging as the Black Eyed Peas. The group gigged around L.A. and, in 1998, released Behind the Front. Not only did the group have a totally original look and Stage demeanor — they’re still the only group to hold up break dance as one of the important features of hip-hop — they managed to please critics with their mishmash of uplifting lyrics, live music and lighthearted jams. The album was one of Billboard’s Top 50 Hip-Hop albums that year, and it introduced the group to a fan base of smart hip-hoppers nostalgic for thoughtful raps.

Bridging the Gap, their second effort, was an apt title, since other, more established quirky hip-hop stars like De La Soul and Macy Gray rallied around them. Now BEP was filling a space left by the demise of playful innovators like A Tribe Called Quest. Vocalist Kim Hill’s presence was felt a bit more strongly, helping the warm, festive project climb both the Billboard Top 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts.

Then, in 2003, everything changed. Buoyed by “Let’s Get It Started,” Elephunk sold 7.5 million albums. It was an astonishing feat for a group that got its start as a break-dancing crew. This go-round, new female singer Fergie was front and center, adding a bit of sex appeal to the previous, decidedly male-centric arrangement. The Peas’ devotion to pushing boundaries and, as their funky clothes attest, drawing inspiration from everywhere, was interwoven into their act.

Reggae, Latin and rock are obvious forces on the record, and even the members’ nationalities — Will.i.am is African-American, apl.de.ap is Filipino, Taboo is Mexican-American and Fergie is Native- and Mexican-American — played into the mix. One of the album’s songs, “The Apl Song,” with the chorus written in the Filipino language Tagalog, documents apl’s life story. Even more telling of their world view is their success overseas: The group toured the world for 18 months, and though the album went double platinum in America, singles “Where is the Love,” “Shut Up” and “Hey Mama” all went higher or spent more time at the top of the charts in the U.K., France and Germany than they did at home.

Now a worldwide phenomenon, the BEP party keeps on rolling with their latest release, Monkey Business, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart, selling over 295,000 copies in its first week. Monkey Business includes cameos by James Brown, Sting and Branford Marsalis, and marked a pointed move by the group towards a mainstream audience.

The Black Eyed Peas have broken molds and refused to bow to boundaries. “I think the fact that we just have fun with music is the reason why it works for us,” says Will.i.am. “We love music and melodies and don’t try to distinguish ourselves from regular music fans. It’s really that simple.”

The 28-year-old hip-hop superstar’s ubiquitous single “Gold Digger” (featuring some Ray Charles-ish backing vocals from friend Jamie Foxx) has effortlessly topped pop, r&b, digital and ringtone charts, while sales of its accompanying album, Late Registration (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam), exceeded two million in less than two months. With eight Grammy nominations and his name on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world, you’d probably think that the artist’s ego is probably as big as his bank account.

“I’m depressed,” he says.

Uh, come again?

“It’s hard when people are depending on you to have an album that’s not just good, but inspired,” he continues, referring to the out-of-the-box success of his debut album, The College Dropout, which in addition to going triple platinum, earned Grammys for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best R&B Song and launched the catchily meditative “Jesus Walks” into a million consciousnesses. “I mean, my music isn’t just music — it’s medicine. I want my songs to touch people, to give them what they need. Every time I make an album, I’m trying to make a cure for cancer, musically. That stresses me out!”

Any widespread concerns about West’s being a one-trick pony were dispelled by “Diamonds from Sierra Leone,” a sweeping single that preceded Late Registration by several weeks and went to the top of the charts, pumped not only by West’s impassioned vocals but also by an ingenious utilization of Shirley Bassey’s James Bond theme, “Diamonds Are Forever.”

The pop smarts were gained from years in the production booth, delivering chart-toppers for Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Ludacris and Alicia Keys. Indeed, his production work on Jay-Z’s now-classic 2001 album The Blueprint, where he drew upon such sources as the Jackson 5, the Doors and the Temptations to put across Jay’s rhymes, made him the go-to producer in hip-hop.

That success was parlayed into a recording contract, but just as things started cooking, West was involved in a near-fatal auto accident in 2002. “I have flashbacks of what happened every day,” he says. “And anytime I hear about any accident my heart sinks in and I thank God that I’m still here. I found out how short life is and how blessed you are to be here.” The experience informed both “Through the Wire,” which he performed with his jaw still wired shut, and the triumphant “Jesus Walks.”

Flash forward to 2005, and with the help of composer/producer Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann), West has delivered an album that’s sure to lead many year-end “best of” lists. In addition to Foxx and Jay-Z, Late Registration’s guest list includes Brandy, Paul Wall, Cam’ron, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and his longtime friend and collaborator John Legend.

The result is an epic in every sense, ranging from the personal to the political, from the romantic to the off-the-wall hilarious. “Crack Music,” with its one-line hook from hip-hop icon The Game, examines the effects of drugs on the black community, as does the searing “Addiction,” wherein West wonders why it is that “everything that’s supposed to be bad makes me feel so good?” On “Bring Me Down,” Brandy lends her soulful voice to West’s cynical raps like “If you ever wanted to ever be anything, there’ll always be somebody that’ll shoot down any dream.”

On the flip side, there’s the infectiously cautionary tale that is “Gold Digger,” as well as the humorous “Drive Slow” with Wall, not to mention the breezy, harmonious confection with Levine on “Heard ‘Em Say.”

That he’s accomplished so much in such a relatively short time has, of course, worked to dispel a lot of that “depression” he speaks of. (The uproar over his Bush comments during a Hurricane Katrina benefit show didn’t hurt, either.) Of his outspokenness, West says, “People either love it or hate it. People love and hated Muhammad Ali. My grandfather loved Muhammad Ali and my grandmother hated him. But I bet you more people love and remember Muhammad Ali than less. Because he used to talk s**t – ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ – and I think I say the same kind of things in my own statements. It’s like, you can’t please everybody, but if anybody’s got a shot, it’s me.”