EXAMINING: The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. - 10 Years Later 

"Meet Me Halfway" will never not be it

Robert was right. It might not be remembered so greatly now, but this sound marked so many lives and it's so iconic to the late 2000s and early 2010s that its bound to come back. And when the time comes artists of then will draw inspiration from this album.

Bruh I remember my mom bought the CD to this album and would always jam to it whenever she was dropping me and my sister off to school.

Since you grew up with these songs you associate them with simpler times. I was in college during the recession when these songs were coming up and at the time it seemed to me like my generation's escapism from the harsh financial reality. Singing about going to the club and getting wasted (and actually doing it) was the way to get away from reality.

I absolutely STANNED The Black Eyed Peas back in middle school. I loved The E.N.D. and beat those songs to death. I even loved The Beginning even though those songs aged so much worse. It's crazy how big they were in comparison to now (they're most recent album didn't even chart anywhere). Thanks for this video! SUBSCRIBED!

In 2010, my mother got me tickets to go see the Black Eyed Peas on tour. She then realized the day before that the concert fell on a school night and sold my ticket. I didn't speak to her for the rest of that week

I sang 'I got a feelin' with my primary school choir at MY TEACHER'S WEDDING. strange times

I clicked this expecting a fun look back at a by gone time in music but instead got a meditation on times gone by. Waxing vague attempts at poetics aside I was honestly shocked by how oddly poignant those final minutes were. Edit - Just to expand slightly the day after I made this comment and following a particular awful shift at work, thanks to this video I played I Got A Feeling on my drive home, it was a surprisingly warm experience.

I remember bumping to Boom Boom Pow on the way to 1st grade, that's how I remember this album. It may not stand the test of time all that well, but it is a special album to me. Great video!!

"If I had an enemy then my enemy is gonna try to come and kill me cause I'm his enemy" - Sun Tzu

Wow look at that Todd in the shadows back in 09, wow

Wow, you articulated my feelings on this album perfectly. Now I wanna see someone talk about The Beginning, because I'm pretty sure nobody remembers that album except me.

My parents bought me a copy of this album because I never stopped asking for them to play 'I Gotta Feeling.' My mom and I listened to it for a couple years, but I forgot about it completely. After my first time watching this, I tore up our house looking for it, and after a few hours, I did; there were cracks in the front and back of the jewelcase, but the disc was fine. I played it on our PS3 while everybody else was out and 'I Gotta Feeling' actually got a tear out of me. My favorite song on the album back then was 'Showdown,' and for how terribly the album drags in the middle, the opening 45 seconds or so of 'Missing You,' a song I would often skip back then, hit me like a wrecking ball, so much so that I had to rewind it a few times. Good God. Great video, man. Keep on rolling.

The END is still the best album of 2009 with The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga.

Bizarre Robert Christgau judgements could be a whole video in itself.

you gonna mention how the black eyed peas are doing reggaeton now?

Boom Boom Pow used to be the only song to calm my sister when she was having a tantrum. Ah, memories. Anyway, great video!!!

I remember this album being everywhere during my middle school years. I can't say I am very nostalgic about it, but the singles are the soundtrack for some of my best memories between 2009 and 2011. In fact, I think this is one of the few albums I actually had to buy off iTunes before streaming became widespread soon after. Its interesting having grown up in the time between absolute pop relevance, and then pop irrelevance. It's an interesting piece of pop history that moreso a footnote than a feature, but I do appreciate it for what it is.

To me, 'The END' marked both a forceful come-back for the BEP and a catalyst for the Club pop trend that defined the early 2010's. Since two tracks were co-produced by David Guetta (including the bland yet fun 'I Gotta Feeling'), its not hard to see why! Say what you will about them, Kesha, Pitbull, etc, but at least they had more energy (heh) than the lazy-ass Future bass we have now. @8:08: I refer you the Deluxe Edition, which features 6 tracks remade from older cuts. 2 of them are improvements, at least!

I still listen to “Imma be” every once in a while lol that was my favorite song freshman year lol

Some of the production on this album is shocking. Especially Boom Boom pow. I can't believe they got away with those stock FL studio sounds.

Todd’s reviews shaped a TON of my music taste when I was younger (still does lol). It’s cool knowing I’m not alone there!

*Scene Selection* because I can 00:00 - Intro 01:11 - The Beginning of The E.N.D 03:00 - How The Peas Write a Song 04:18 - These Songs Are Long 05:06 - The Album is Front-Loaded 06:47 - The Middle Section is Where Dreams Go to Die 08:17 - The Last Three Songs 10:23 - Should We Care? 12:45 - One Last Thing

I used to have dance parties to the black eyed peas with my family when I was like, seven years old! It was so damn fun!

I had most of the Peas albums when I was in elementary/middle school, and even though I don't listen to pop music very often anymore, they will always be a guilty pleasure for me. That and Party Rock Anthem

Lets face it.. Every music critic/fan/collector started of with the Black Eyed Peas.. they love to hate them but goddammit they had an impact

This brings back memories of my middle school years. It was also one of the very few albums that I generally listened to fully. Playing MW2 on custom server and having this album on repeat for hours at a time. Such an easier time.

The enemy bar is actually really good if we’re being honest. He’s saying that we’re not enemies because if we were we’d be trying to kill each other and we just plain aren’t.

7:27 Yo my phone go ring a ling a ling ling, Ring a ling a ling ling, ring a ling a ling ling, Ring a ling a ling ling, ring a ling Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello. [time passes] Versace Versace Versace Versace Versace , Work work work work work work, Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang Gucci Gang, That yummy yum, that yummy yum, yeah babe yeah babe yeah babe

The END was the first CD I’ve ever bought. Now I’m a music fan and a CD/Vinyl collector across genres. Although I credit Lana Del Rey for getting me into music, BEP had a big impact on it too

This album is incredible in my opinion, mostly because of the happy nostalgia and positive vibes. Sure it's not "To Pimp A Butterfly" or "The Marshall Mathers LP" but I still think it's a great album in it's own ways.

What an interesting video! My dad still has this in his CD collection when I didn't want it anymore lol.

This is my new favorite account. Love all of his mini-album reviews but this is in depth shit is awesome

I was starting to get kind of fed up woth pop music back in 2009, but now when I listen back to music of that era (especially the second half of 2009) it's crazy how much the sense of nostalgia takes over me

Boom Boom Pow is forever carved into my head because my dad and I used it to test all of our audio setups when I was growing up.

I love this album so much lol. Remember putting the CD every single time me and my dad went on some long road trips it was fucking awesome. Nostalgia hits hard with this one for me. Also there was just something about the vibes that mainstream music had 10 or so years ago like the rise of dubstep and electronic music in general, like skrillex wich is another i see alot of ppl hate but i personally still love lmao. It was a certain style and now looking back at it there was nothing in mainstream music quite like that before, im even surprised that skrillex's early work went mainstream hahaha.

The Black Eyed Peas were my favourite artists back in the day, my 10 year old self used to listen to most of their songs constantly and loved it. They were too iconic and I still love them now honestly.

I didn't come here for an existential crisis Nicholas how dare you ((This is very good and now if you don't mind I'm going to go listen to I Gotta Feeling on repeat))

I know a lot of people may not like how the Peas went from consensus rap to pop global songs with Fergie. Your either on one side of the fence, but being a kid in the 2000s the Peas ran my childhood from hearing them on radios, video games, and movies. The E.N.D is IMO they’re best album with The Masters Of The Sun. But, you can’t deny this album and The Beginning shaped early 2010s pop. The Peas(with Fergie) will always have a place in my heart they shaped my childhood along with T-Pain, Chris Brown, Lil-Wayne, & Beyoncé. Even Fergie’s album The Dutchess is a fire album.

I remember listening to those songs and dancing them on just dance back in 2011? i think and it was just the best way i could distract myself from everything. My emo teenange years loved to listen to "deep" music to relate to and to feel understood, but now out of the depression hole sometimes i just want to not stress over things and listen early 00' songs about parties and having a good night even tho i'm working or doing something that is not what the song is about. These days finding music that it's just easy and makes you feel well is so hard to me. I understand being politic, i undestand feeling angry and sad and those are emotions i also feel and things i express, but sometimes you just wanna think about something else and just vibe with a easy and simple song about nothing in particular with reppetitive lyrics and a simple beat. And it's coming from someone who's favorite western band is the cure which is nothing like black eyed peas lol

This album may not embody what a "critically-acclaimed" standard body of work might be, but it's still a great record and served its purpose; to enjoy ourselves through uplifting party jams. The songwriting may be sloppy for some but that's how it was supposed to be; repetitive, infectious, and catchy. It's a great dance-pop record that made a lot of us dance which was why it was made in the first place. The production for me stood out the time this was released cause electropop was just becoming mainstream that time and it was a surprise that the group dabbled into a genre we never heard them getting into in their previous albums. And I think people are still into this album since it's their most listened in Spotify and "I Gotta Feeling" is their most streamed track in the platform. The group is the 60th most listened artist in Spotify too. But of course, aside from that, some of us had personal attachment with this record that's why I loved it. This was released when I was going through tough times in the latter part of my teenage years so dance-pop music helped me alleviate what I've been going through.

Never thought a video on The Black Eyed Peas would make me be all in my feelings at the end.

Was about the comment halfway about the psychological nostalgia connection, but I'm glad you brought it yourself. "Rock that body"'s instrumental ressurects my 2010/11 nostalgia like a ravenous zombie. Reminds me of places I were, things I had (mainly a cheap MP3 player I was attached to), games I used to play. It's impossible to detach myself from it.

I got into them before Fergie joined. I really like how eclectic they were at the time. Then they blew up with “Where’s the Love?” and I couldn’t seem to escape them 😅

Yes this album and I are having a MOMENT rn it’s so fucking groundbreaking and incredible jfc😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

^Missing You was one of the better songs and definitely had the best chord progression on the album. It's kinda flat lyrically, but the melody is amazing.

Man, as a 23-year old I definitely have major nostalgia for this album. it was my first real pop album I picked on my own (thank you library for having it to check out) and I played it literally over and over throughout 8th grade when I first got it, and beyond. I understand the critiques but honestly I still listen to the whole album and love it. I only get sad sometimes wishing I listened to more variety in those most formative years - I hit a lot of different genres, but definitely missed some STELLAR stuff from back then.

this album correlates strongly with my high school years- i remember my cousin (a huge BEP fan at the time) got the album and let me download it to my ipod... and guess what, i never made it past the first 5 songs. i remember whenever each of the other tracks came in the shuffle i would immediately skip them. even 15 y\o me knew this wasnt it chief

This album is great and I will not take any information to the contrary- I don’t care if it’s technique isn’t the best… I jam to this to this day

Honestly i think this album is pretty damn near perfect (exept now generation lol).. its sad how its just popular to hate on the Black Eyed Peas even though theyve been killing it for more than 20 years

!!!! that album had to be the first album I ever really listened to..I don’t remember much of it because I was in elementary school when my mom& dad would play it in the car..I got the album for myself and I remember my two favorite songs were Alive and Rocking to the Beat I think....wow I- This is a nostalgia trip what Thanks dude

Holy crap just discovered your channel and I love it so much

IM SO HAPPY THIS VIDEO EXISTS im glad i subscribed

tons of these songs sound much better over mall speakers than they do up close

I recently watched a documentary on the original featured vocalist for the Peas, Jaime Gomez, and it’s crazy to see how much the band changed from it’s early jazz rap roots to the meaningless pop stuff that was featured on The End. The last 3 tracks you mentioned that would be different than what was occurring on the rest of the album was actually how the band used to sound and what they were actually passionate about.

You have become one of my favorite creators on this platform and this brought me to tears! Thank you.

This hit emotionally harder than I expected. Thank you.

man i LOVED this album when i was a kid, i don't even know what the lyrics meant bcs my english wasn't as good as now, but boy listening it again in 2019 when i just entered college and found my CD collection which got stolen, i don't loathe it, but it made me think "man i sure am a dumbass when i was a kid" ironically it started my love for early Peas (Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap) and their recent album which is pretty great

The E.N.D. being an example of times past and just having a good time, is just a piece of what the post-90's Black Eyed Peas are all about. That's why they are my favorite musical group to date. This album is front-loaded, I'd argue it doesn't drop off in quality til track 9 though, and I like tracks 11 (Electric City) and 15 (Rockin to the Beat). And while I like "I Gotta Feeling", you praised its simplicity while criticizing "Alive", "Missing You", and "Ring-a-Ling" for theirs. First time I heard "I Gotta Feeling" (got it the day it came out) I thought it was BEP's arbitrary once-per-album filler song. I think overall you painted the album as a whole, worse than it actually is, with a clear nostalgia bias toward the singles. Happy that your conclusion acknowledged the nostalgia. We all feel it.

Man, I was 13 when I gotta feeling came out. It takes me back to summer days of it playing at day camp or my friends and I playing it on RU-vid before and after and watching jump Scare videos to see who can watch the longest. My dad would groan when it came on the radio but my brother and sisters would ask to turn it up when we would drive around. I never thought a song could make you feel all this.

When I was a kid I loved BEP. I used to see their music videos and think "When will I grown up to live that lifestyle?". Well, I grew up, the responsibilities came and that now is just a memory. In the end, that feeling of wanting something to be in like a party was just my wish for friends, I didn't have friends back then. I do one or two now, but now I have other perspectives when I face life, other tastes and other priorities. Life is a ride.

I was 9 when this was out, i already love BEP, everyday after school i bump all of their music videos from a compilation CD and good times, then the comeback was just around my corner when every channel premiere the boom boom pow video, when the album was released i bought it without looking, it was one of my first experiences in hearing a whole album, i didn't mind the negative stuff (though by the time i didn't know) and just bump this album every day

Thanks for truly breaking my heart in the most beautiful way fdkfkd 🌻🌻

Whoaaaa I used to be a big fan of them along with my best friend in elementary, haha. We had all their albums and some official merch. I wish I could turn back time and go to the last concert they gave in Mexico. They left a mark in my childhood.

I remember I was 10 years old coming back from the afternoon school pool party, that sunset and the night leading up to the school disco was so full of nostalgia for me, then 'i got a feeling' came on at the disco and everyone went willllllllld.

I‘ve just recently rediscovered this album and i‘m ab in love with it!

2009 is when I entered my senior year of college so this album doesn't speak to me as much as say "Monkey Business" or Fergie's "The Dutchess" but the Peas definitely represent a specific movement to me and because I was more into them before this era I feel like they spoke to a particular "outcast weird black kids" audience that later fans don't necessarily identify with. They were certainly at the forefront of afrofuturism in a way similar to Missy Elliott and Erykah Badu before them.

I don't fully understand how you made me emotional over the Black Eyed Peas... but you did. Hats off to you.

Hot take, but I think this is one of the most important albums of the 21st century. Simultaneously a sendoff to the styles of the 2000s and an introduction to some of the sounds of the 2010s. Whether people know it or not this album’s influence is insane

This is such a good video I have a new favorite media discussion channel

I'm here a year late but I just found your channel so it's fine. Hoo boy this video gave me THOUGHTS and FEELINGS Feelings because this came out when I was early in high school and these songs, specifically "I Got A Feeling" were staples of high school dances and I have nothing but fondness for them just based on that. When I was feeling really blue in quarentine and I desperately needed a pick me up, I found a Spotify playlist of hits from my high school years to have a solo dance party to and when "I Got A Feeling" came on, I felt so full of joy. I know I'm going to come back to that song for the rest of my life. Thoughts because a few months ago I read that Will.I.Am has ADHD like me and he says that's why his songs are constructed of hooks upon hooks. After watching your video, I think that has an impact on their work beyond that. I think ADHD and I think of a project that bursts out of the gate then lags in the middle as I inevitably get bored and sloppy, then veers off somewhere else entirely because I moved on to a new style. I also vibe with having a grandiose idea like making an album that you keep adding to then never following up on that. I don't mean to say that Will.I.Am's ADHD is the sole reason for this, I just really found that fascinating since I look at basically everything through the lens of ADHD when given the chance.

i remember the last day of a school year and also my last day at that school we had a party and the teacher played "I gotta feeling" and thats literally all i think about whenever i hear it

Ok as a whole the album could be not that good. But this is the album that basically open the doors to EDM. It is a milestone album for Electronic music. If you were a kid back then you wouldn't understand it. This is the turning point where pop music went from Britney Spears, Aguilera..sound to David Guetta, Rihanna sound in the 2010'. And as for nostalgia, when they were singing about having a good time people like me were in our early 20's tearing up clubs literals every night of the week. We were having a good time. and that hit hard when you are old..

I still unironically love this album and will begin singing along to most BEP hit songs Edit: I'm further into the video and I can unironically say, man, I still enjoy the deep cuts too. The nostalgia is so strong on these. What can I say, I was 14. I listened to this album (and their others, too) on a loop on my iPod so many times that certain songs would shut the iPod off because some sort of bug developed. The songs farther in were particularly good as jammin background music for doing my homework. Oh my gosh I need to use these again for that. .... Did the Black Eyed Peas get me through Chemistry class?

Rock that body is still on my workout playlist.

The END and their 5 singles are honestly one of the many instances of the late 2000s/ early 2010s pop where life felt careless, free, loud and super danceable. And you had nothing to worry about. I know pop later in the 2010s switched to a more sophisticated and moody style, but I’m glad this decade is featuring somewhat that vibe again. I mean the trend of taking old styles and bringing them here makes you want to dance, jump and run again. It’s awesome

Man, this album was huge back then. I Gotta Feeling feels so nostalgic and defined a generation.

I still play Meet Me Halfway on Spotify all the time

Well made video. Very much agree!

I love the bep so much! This video cracked me up, honestly I see the peas through such a nostalgia filter... I'll always love them You should review some Shakira songs or albums! I think you'd be hella surprised at the poetry her lyrics use, even in a lot of her English songs. Your Embrace, Costume Makes the Clown, Poem to a Horse - all excellent! As well as some of her more quirky stuff like in She Wolf.

I have this heavy sense of nostalgia whenever I hear I Gotta Feelin'.

and I JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH

The memories in middle school come rushing back, having slumber parties watching inuyasha and jamming to this album

I always find myself coming back to this video anytime I remember the peas and start listening to a few of their singles again. Its a great look at their (arguably) magnus opus and the surrounding context in which it was made. If I may offer a slightly different perspective to the section of 'Now Generation' (even tho its not that serious lol) i think the conflicting views in that some make a lot of sense, and even offer a cool insight to broader collective understandings. even just "now generation" (impatient) vs "generation now" (a statement about existing in this time) offers a somewhat unique view of intergenerational relationships. framing their generation as both brash, impatient, power hungry, but also wanting change, and in combination with other songs in the album, perhaps wanting love and peace (its a reach ik), in many ways links their album with many other subgenres of the early 2000s-2010s. Even looking at what seems to be a totally different genre, punk/pop punk or emo, we can see that these same contradictions take form. A lot of people who liked emo music do note that it was the election of Obama that in many ways killed emo music. I think in an album mostly about having sex, having fun, and getting drunk, Now Generation might feel out of place, but it actually offers a really tangible feeling about how older teens/young adults in 2008/9 felt - disliked by their elders but also very powerful and connected. a bit of reach, for sure, and def not very original, but thought i would share since its about the 5th time ive watched this video since i found it lol

awesome video, thanks for that

This video about a Black Eyed Peas album is vem more about growing up than about their music. I'm officially in love with this channel. (even though the creator hates Beyoncé but ... )

Can we talk about how Hyper Pop-y The END was though. Rock that Body has a LOT of similarity with current Hyper Pop trends (specially Fergie's verse).

Missed you guys. WB

Christgau gave "OK Computer" a C-

Black eyed peas are people who hates rap, favorite rap group

thanks for throwing this gag at the end. i almost got deeper into my existencial crisis over how old i am. i was born in '03. thats fucked up

I love this album.

thank you

Alive is a hidden gem.

8:03 reminds me of Walt Disney and Leopold Stokowski’s Fantasia, where they would have made new editions each year with new segments. But both got canned (Fantasia likely due to WW2 and the whole Fantasound complexity thing)

fire video! just subscribed!

Great video! Reminder, Robert Christgau gave Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' a B-

I love the Peas. Always are the best

BEP is such a big part of my childhood

I'm happy I'm alive so I can eventually become nostalgic for albums like Blonde That's all I need