Peas dumb it down

The Black Eyed Peas once presented themselves as an alternative to the West Coast gangsta rap scene. Unfortunately, Elephunk, the group's third album, finds them needlessly pandering to the current, radio hip-pop fare. The Peas have created an album full of feel-good, meaningless tracks that claims diversity, but ends up sounding like a Neptunes' production. Witness the album's closer and big single, "Where is the Love," featuring Justin Timberlake and produced by Ron Fair, the genius behind Vanessa Carlton's and Christina Aguilera's debut records. Attempting to become an anthem of understanding, the song falls absolutely flat on a series of cliches -- "take control of your mind and meditate/let your soul gravitate, to the love ya'll." This song wouldn't be such a tragedy if the Peas hadn't spent the twelve tracks leading up to it with anthems of unconsciousness. Songs like "Let's Get Retarded," "Smells Like Funk" and "Latin Girls" are not only deplorable as messages, but as pop songs themselves. Elephunk is precisely the kind of album that keeps hip hop inert because of sheer triteness. Songs like "Let's Get Retarded," "Smells Like Funk" and "Latin Girls" are not only deplorable as messages, but as pop songs themselves. Elephunk is precisely the kind of album that keeps hip hop inert because of sheer triteness.