Noted hip-hop front man and producer will.i.am has not ventured into public since the mid-nineties when he began using hologram technology
The appearance of a holographic representation of will.i.am during a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper has raised questions about the actual reality the hip-hop star inhabits. On its face, the hologram of will.i.am presents itself as new technology in the news room being simultaneously introduced and exploited with the help of will.i.am’s celebrity. In fact, the hologram is part of a much more complex story.
34 year old will.i.am (William James Adams Jr.) came to prominence as a founding member of multiplatinum selling pop/hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas. He began his music career in the early nineties as a member of the hip hop group The Atban Klan. In this group, he performed under the name Will 1 X with fellow future Black Eyed Peas founder apl.de.ap. The group was discovered by former NWA front man Eric “Eazy-E” Wright and quickly signed to his Ruthless Records label. The Atban Klan (standing for A Tribe Beyond A Nation) was with the label until Wright’s death in 1995. Will 1 X then changed his name to will.i.am and went on to form the Black Eyed Peas. Following his departure from Ruthless Records and the extreme emotional impact of the death of Eazy-E,will.i.am developed crippling anxiety and agoraphobia. will.i.am began finding it difficult to leave the house and spent nearly all of his time locked in his Los Angeles area home. Fearing he would not fulfill his promise as a musician and producer, will.i.am began to look for a solution to his anxiety. will.i.am met with numerous psychiatrists and therapists for treatment but found little relief from his symptoms. In his darkest hour, will.i.am was introduced to hologram technology by a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The students were fans of will.i.am’s work with the Atban Klan and felt that helping him continue to create music was important work. The group of students had done research in advanced projected holography and shared this technology with will.i.am. Shortly after this introduction, will.i.am began appearing in public in holographic form.
will.i.am’s use of hologram technology was a closely guarded secret known only to his closest confidants. It has been reported that fellow Black Eyed Peas member, Fergie was unaware of will.i.am’s hologram use until early on the E.N.D World Tour. Reports state that at an Osaka, Japan tour stop Fergie inadvertently walked through will.i.am during the encore performance of Boom Boom Pow. The incident remained out the international media much to will.i.am’s relief.Recently, will.i.am has begun revealing his hologram capabilities to the public. In a recent interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN, will.i.am was said to be appearing in “CNN’s Hologram Technology.” Sources close to the star say that this is his first attempt to integrate his holographic representation with his fan’s impression of his personal appearance. By telling people that he is appearing as a hologram, will.i.am feels that people will have an easier time adjusting to him when he reveals that he has in fact been appearing as a hologram sine 1995. The revelation of will.i.am’s use of holographic technology presents interesting implications for the Black Eyed Peas and hip-hop influenced pop music as a whole. Questions have been raised about what separates will.i.am from a computer, and how his use of hologram has affected his musical production abilities. If anything, his use of hologram as his sole channel to communicate with the world at large represent the next step in the direction of hip-hop and pop music. will.i.am has pushed his chosen musical genre past what many consider the “post modern” age. He has created and disseminated wildly popular and far reaching music through what amounts to a personal avatar. The Wizard of Oz-like will.i.am hologram who has created an unprecedented string of hits is identical to the man behind the curtain. It can only be assumed his close relationship with holographic technology can perhaps explain why his beats are always so “unreal”.
Written by Mike Digiacomo as the first part of our guest writers series
