Willpower (will.i.am album)

#willpower is the upcoming, fourth studio album by rapper will.i.am, known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas. The album was originally entitled Black Einstein, but the title was changed after it was suggested the title could be deemed offensive.^[2] Although the album's official lead single is T.H.E (The Hardest Ever), four collaborative singles, that originally appear on the featuring artist's album, are included.

Background

During the recording of The Black Eyed Peas' sixth studio album, The Beginning, band colleague Fergie announced in an interview that Will was in the process of recording a new solo album, tentaively entitled "Black Einstein". ^[3] Will formally announced that he was in the process of recording a fourth solo album, with some material being recorded under the pseudonym Zuper Blahq.^[4] In January 2010, a cut from the album, "I'm In the House", a collaboration with Steve Aoki, was released as a single, charting at #29 on the UK Singles Chart due to strong downloads. In October 2010, a second cut from the album, "Check It Out", a collaboration with American rapper Nicki Minaj, peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart. In February 2011, a third cut from the album, "Dance", a collaboration with Natalia Kills, peaked at #62 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by James Sutton, and features a cameo by Natalia. In April 2011, Will recorded four songs for the soundtrack of the animated film Rio, in which he voiced a character. "Hot Wings (I Wanna Party)", "Drop It Low", "Real In Rio" and "Advice For The Young At Heart", featuring an array of artists including Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway and Tears for Fears. None of the songs managed to chart, however, Will announced that he was going to remix the tracks for inclusion on Black Einstein. In June 2011, a fourth cut from the album, "Forever", a collaboration with Wolfgang Gartner, was released as a single. It was around this time that Will announced that he changed the title of the album from Black Einstein to #willpower.^[5] The video premiered on August 26, 2011. In November 2011, Will premiered what is intended to be the album's official lead single, "T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)", a collaboration with Jennifer Lopez and Mick Jagger. Will announced via his twitter that the video for "T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)" was filmed in LA, and that before he returned home, he stopped off in Brazil to film the video for the album's second official single, "Great Times". In December 2011, a fifth cut from the album, "Party Like An Animal", a collaboration with Dutch singer Eva Simons, premiered at the HTC Beats Launch party. #willpower is due for release on February 14, 2012.^[6]

Track listing

References