will.i.am co-founded Beats Electronics and in an interview with Billboard, he also says he consulted on “navigation and integration to further the product’s cultural adaptation.”
The Black Eyed Peas frontman says that his share of the $3 billion Beats Electronic sold to Apple for will benefit his i.am.angel Foundation, which works with underprivileged high school students.
“I used to have 60 kids,” he says. “Now I have 300 kids and there’s a waiting list for people who want to join my program. I was going to raise money to pay for the 300 kids. Now I can pay for them myself.”
The rapper-producer also discussed his bond with fellow Beats executive Jimmy Iovine in the article. will.i.am said that Iovine offered the Black Eyed Peas about $500,000 less than other record labels, but that Iovine made the rap group a promise.
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“Jimmy was like, ‘Look, Will, this game has gotten out of control,” will.i.am says. “For a group like yours, $450,000 is sill a lot of money. You can go sign with Polly [the late Polly Anthony at Sony] for a million-plus, because I’m not going to give you that kind of money. It’s ridiculous. But I promise you, if you sign with me for $450,000, no matter how many records you sell, you can always make records with me until you guys get it right. I promise you that.’”
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