Allan Pineda Lindo (born November 28, 1974), known professionally as apl.de.ap (), is a Filipino-American rapper, singer and record producer. He is a founding member of the hip hop group

Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim H ...

Early life

Allan Pineda Lindo was born in Angeles City, Philippines. His

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

father, an airman stationed at

Clark Air Base Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located west of Angeles City, about northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was previously a United States military facility, operated by the U.S. Air F ...

, left the family shortly after his birth; his Filipino mother, Cristina Pineda, raised him and his six younger siblings as a single mother. As a child, Pineda would make an hour-long

jeepney Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public transportation, public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of Transportation in the Philippines, public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their ...

trip to and from his school and helped his family subsist by farming sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane and rice. The

Pearl S. Buck Pearl Sydenstricker Buck (June 26, 1892 – March 6, 1973) was an American writer and novelist. She is best known for ''The Good Earth'' a bestselling novel in the United States in 1931 and 1932 and won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, Pulitze ...

Foundation, an organization that finds healthier living environments for young, abandoned, or orphaned

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

children, matched him with a sponsor named Joe Ben Hudgens, a lawyer, through a dollar-a-day program. He initially came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

at the age of eleven for treatment for

nystagmus Nystagmus is a condition of involuntary (or voluntary, in some cases) eye movement. Infants can be born with it but more commonly acquire it in infancy or later in life. In many cases it may result in reduced or limited vision. Due to the invol ...

, an involuntary movement of the eyes. After a trip to

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

, Pineda expressed his interest in staying in the United States. It would take another three years for Hudgens to officially adopt him, but at fourteen he moved permanently to live with them. In

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, Pineda attended John Marshall High School, where he met and befriended William Adams (stage name will.i.am), the nephew of Hudgens' roommate. Pineda's early musical influences were

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternati ...

, Leaders of the New School and the Filipino rock/folk group

Asin Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She ...

. Pineda was introduced to hip hop by

break dancing Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

. "I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that's how I got introduced to break dancing," he said. "I would see kids at the corner break-dancing and I'm like, 'I wanna do that.'" Pineda revealed to ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'' magazine in 2011 that he is legally blind in both of his eyes, suffering from

, and has had this condition his entire career. His vision was corrected in 2012. He has lost two of his siblings: his younger brother Arnel died by suicide (this is referenced in "The Apl Song" in the lines "I guess sometimes life's stresses get you down on your knees/Oh brother, wish I could have helped you out"). His youngest brother, Joven Pineda Deala, was murdered at the age of 22 in February 2009 in

Porac Porac, officially the Municipality of Porac ( pam, Balen ning Porac; fil, Bayan ng Porac), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 140,751 people. The Subic–Cl ...

, Pampanga.

Musical career

1988–2000: Formations and The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...

date back to 1988, when eighth-graders will.i.am and apl.de.ap met and began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The pair signed to

Ruthless Records Ruthless Records was an American record label founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller in Compton, California in 1986, where all of the Ruthless trademarks have been owned by Comptown Records, Inc. since 1997. Several artists on the la ...

(run by

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred ...

) in 1992, catching the attention of Eazy-E manager

Jerry Heller Gerald Elliot Heller (October 6, 1940 – September 2, 2016) was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for his management of West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s ...

's nephew. Along with another friend of theirs, Dante Santiago, they called their trio

Atban Klann A.T.B.A.N Klann ''(A Tribe Beyond a Nation)'' was a hip hop group whose members were Will 1X, apl.de.ap, Mooky Mook, and DJ Motiv8. The Atban Klann were signed to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. Will 1X (who later changed his stage name to will.i.a ...

(ATBAN: A Tribe Beyond a Nation). Will 1X (aka will.i.am), apl.de.ap, Mookie Mook, DJ Motiv8 (aka Monroe Walker) and Dante Santiago formed Atban Klann. Their debut album, ''

Grass Roots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

'', was never released because Ruthless founder Eazy-E had died. After Eazy-E died in 1995, Atban Klann reformed and changed their name to Black Eyed Pods, and then Black Eyed Peas. Dante Santiago was replaced with

Taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

, and Kim Hill became a steady background singer. Unlike many hip hop acts, they chose to perform with a live band and adopted a musical and clothing style that differed wildly from the

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

sounds of Los Angeles-based hip hop acts at the time. After being signed to

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner ...

and releasing their debut, ''

Behind the Front ''Behind the Front'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Black Eyed Peas released on June 30, 1998 through Interscope Records and will.i.am Music Group. Background Most of the tracks were demos for the '' Grass Roots'' album, ...

'' (1998) the group (and their accompanying live band) earned critical acclaim. One of the singles from the album was " Joints & Jam", and was featured on the ''

Bulworth ''Bulworth'' is a 1998 American political satire black comedy film co-written, co-produced, directed by, and starring Warren Beatty. It co-stars Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, and Isaiah Washington. The film fo ...

'' soundtrack. Their second album was '' Bridging the Gap'' (2000), which included the single "

Request + Line "Request + Line" is a song recorded by American group Black Eyed Peas for their second studio album '' Bridging the Gap'' (2000). The song features vocals from Macy Gray. It was released as the third and final single from ''Bridging the Gap'' on ...

" featuring

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray ha ...

2000–2003: ''Elephunk''

In November 2001, work began on a third Black Eyed Peas album, ''

Elephunk ''Elephunk'' is the third studio album by the American musical group Black Eyed Peas. It was released on June 24, 2003, by the will.i.am Music Group and A&M Records. The album charted at number 14 on the American ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart an ...

''. Development of the album began on November 2, 2001, and was released just under two years later in 2003. At the time of development, only will.i.am, apl.de.ap and

were to feature on the album. During the production of " Shut Up" (the second single released from the album), they realized that a female vocal would work well with the song. Originally,

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...

(lead singer of the

Pussycat Dolls Pussycat or Pussy Cat may refer to: * Cat, a domestic feline Music Bands * Pussycat (band), a Dutch country and pop group * The Pussycats, a 1960s Norwegian rock band * The Pussycats, a group signed to Kama Sutra Records Albums * '' Pussy Ca ...

) was approached to make a guest appearance on the record. She was forced to decline because she already was signed to a contract with

Eden's Crush Eden's Crush was an American girl group who were created on the American television series ''Popstars'' which aired on the now defunct WB. The group was formed in late 2000 and released the hit song "Get Over Yourself" in 2001, following the fi ...

. Danté Santiago then introduced Fergie to Will who was impressed with her vocal talents. She immediately formed a bond with the band and became a permanent member of the Peas and her photo was printed onto the album cover. In the United States, ''Elephunk'' reached number 14 on the ''

Billboard Top 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artis ...

'' and is their first album to chart in the top 15. It gained even more commercial success in the UK Album Charts where it reached number 3. It has sold over 1.6 million copies in the UK and 8.5 million copies worldwide. The singles "

Where Is the Love? "Where Is the Love?" is a song by American hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas. It was released on May 12, 2003, as the lead single from their third album, ''Elephunk''. The song was written by will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, Justin Timberlake, Prin ...

" and "Shut Up" reached number 1. " Hey Mama" has been used for several advertisements, including for

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

and

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

. "

Let's Get It Started "Let's Get It Started" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas. It is a clean version of "Let's Get Retarded" from their third studio album, '' Elephunk'' (2003). The album version was originally only reworked for its use in pr ...

" also received acclaim in the media, and a cover version of the song appears in the film ''

Hot Tub Time Machine ''Hot Tub Time Machine'' is a 2010 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Steve Pink and starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan, and Chevy Chase. The film was released on Mar ...

''. After the success of ''Elephunk'', the Peas were approached by EA games to feature some of their music on the 2004 game '' The Urbz''. They remixed some of the tracks on ''Elephunk'', and translated the lyrics into

Simlish Simlish is a fictional language featured in EA's ''Sim'' series of games. It debuted in ''SimCopter'' (1996), and has been especially prominent in ''The Sims'' franchise, as well as in its spinoff ''MySims'' series. Simlish can also be hear ...

, and created new tracks for the game. They also feature in the game as playable characters. The group released their breakthrough single, "Where Is the Love?", in November 2002 (featuring

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

, although he did not appear in the video). On the strength of that single and follow-up singles like "Shut Up", ''Elephunk'' went on to sell 8.5 million copies worldwide.

2003–2006: ''Monkey Business''

In November 2003, work began on a fourth Black Eyed Peas album, entitled '' Monkey Business'', the second album with new band member Fergie. Upon the success of ''Monkey Business'', which was released in 2005, the album was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

three times

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

in the U.S. and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The

Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It ...

(or CRIA) has certified ''Monkey Business'' 6× Platinum, with sales of over 600,000 copies. The

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(or ARIA) has also certified ''Monkey Business'' 6× Platinum, denoting sales of over 420,000 copies. The album's tracks earned the group four 2006

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nominations and they also won the Grammy for

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. The award was discontin ...

for "Don't Phunk with My Heart". According to

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

, over 2 million copies have been sold in Europe. In the UK alone, it has sold over 1 million copies, although this is significantly lower than their sales of ''Elephunk'', which stand at over 1.6 million copies and 10 million worldwide. The band announced they were going to take a break to focus on their own personal projects.

2009–2011: Continuation with The Black Eyed Peas with second hiatus

In early 2009, both Fergie and the group left

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

for unknown reasons. Both Fergie and the group are still with

. The group's fifth studio album, '' The E.N.D.'' ("The ''E''nergy ''N''ever ''D''ies"), was released on June 9, 2009. The overall sound of the album has a more electro hop beat rather than the usual hip hop/R&B feeling of their previous albums. Following its release, will.i.am remarked that the album had been inspired by a trip to Australia, specifically the sound of

The Presets The Presets are an Australian electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton (vocals, keyboards) and Kim Moyes (drums, keyboards). Formed in 2003 and signed to Modular Records, The Presets released two EPs ('' Blow Up'', '' Girl and the Sea'') in a ...

' " My People". "The energy on the Presets' small little stage was crazy energy. That song My People – that shit is wild," will.i.am said, "That's the reason why this record sounds the way it does – my three months in Australia." In its first week, the album sold 304,000 copies and debuted at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In the United States, the album became the ninth album to top the one million mark in sales in 2009. The album spent 38 weeks within the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200. ''The E.N.D.'' was the 7th best-selling album of 2009 in the U.S. It also debuted at number one in Australia, number two in New Zealand and three in the United Kingdom. Three additional singles, "

Imma Be "Imma Be" is a song recorded by the American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fifth studio album ''The E.N.D.'' (2009). The song's title is a slang expression, meaning "I am going to be" or "I will be". Initially released as a promotional sing ...

", "

Alive Alive may refer to: *Life Books, comics and periodicals * ''Alive'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Scott Sigler * '' Alive: The Final Evolution'', a 2003 shonen manga by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka * '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', ...

", and "

Meet Me Halfway "Meet Me Halfway" is the third single from the Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album, ''The E.N.D.'' It is a dance-pop song that combines futuristic electro hop beats with vintage 1980s in music#Pop, 1980s pop stylings. Released in September 2009, ...

", were released through the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

in the three weeks running up to the album's release. In 2009, the group became one of only artists to have simultaneously held the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with their singles "

Boom Boom Pow "Boom Boom Pow" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fifth studio album '' The E.N.D.'' (2009). It was written by group members will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie, being produced by will.i.am. The song feat ...

" and "

I Gotta Feeling "I Gotta Feeling" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fifth studio album '' The E.N.D.'' (2009). It was written by the group members with the song's producers David Guetta and Frédéric Riesterer. The song was re ...

", with the next single "Meet Me Halfway" achieving similar success, from the album ''The E.N.D.''. These three singles topped the chart for 30 consecutive weeks in 2009. The album later produced a third Hot 100 number-one placement with "Imma Be", making the group one of few to ever place three number one singles on the chart from the same album before being followed with "

Rock That Body "Rock That Body" is a song by the Black Eyed Peas from their fifth studio album ''The E.N.D'' (2009). The song serves as the fifth international single from the album, and was released in Australia on January 29, 2010, in the United Kingdom on ...

" which managed to peak in the Top 10 of Hot 100. "I Gotta Feeling" became the first single to sell more than 1 million downloads in the United Kingdom. The Black Eyed Peas were ranked 12th on the ''Billboard''s Decade-End Chart Artist of the Decade, and 7th in the Hot 100 Artists of the Decade. In November 2010, they released the album '' The Beginning''. The first single of the album was "

The Time (Dirty Bit) "The Time (Dirty Bit)" is a song by American musical group the Black Eyed Peas from their sixth studio album, '' The Beginning''. It was written by group members will.i.am and apl.de.ap along with DJ Ammo, who produced the song with will.i.am ...

" and topped the charts in many countries. In February 2011, the group performed at the

Super Bowl XLV Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

halftime show A halftime show is a performance given during the brief period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of div ...

. The album's second single was " Just Can't Get Enough" and was released in February 2011. The music video was filmed in Japan one week before the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peni ...

. The third single " Don't Stop the Party" was released in May 2011. In July 2011 the group announced that they are taking a break and have denied breakup rumors.

2011–present: ''We Can Be Anything'', Solo ventures

On October 11, apl.d.ap launched his new advocacy campaign with a song called "We Can Be Anything" for education, encouraging children in the Philippines and around the world to stay in school. He also teamed up with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF), 57-75 Movement, and the Department of Education. Apl.d.ap and NCAF plan to build 10,000 classrooms in two years or less through the advocacy. His bandmates helped set the campaign grand launch at the Black Eyed Peas concert on October 25 at the

SM Mall of Asia SM Mall of Asia, also abbreviated as SM MoA, or simply Mall of Asia or MoA, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area within Manila Bay, and the ...

concert grounds. On November 29, Apl.de.ap performed the campaign song with will.i.am at the Mnet Asian Music Awards held at the

Singapore Indoor Stadium The Singapore Indoor Stadium, known exonymously as the Indoor Stadium, is an indoor arena located in Kallang, Singapore. It is within walking distance of the Singapore National Stadium, and collectively form a part of the wider Singapore Spor ...

. On May 19, 2012, apl.de.ap attended the We Can Be Anything Campaign Charity Gala Dinner at The Westbury Hotel in London. On October 13, he teamed up with Smart Communications to release a music video called "Jump In" featuring ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

'' Season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez. In March 2013, apl.de.ap was confirmed to be one of the four coaches of the inaugural season of ''

The Voice of the Philippines ''The Voice of the Philippines'' is a Philippine reality television singing competition on ABS-CBN. It is based on the reality singing competition ''The Voice of Holland'', which was originally created by Dutch television producer John de Mol ...

''. On September 22, he premiered his new single "Balikbayan" on ''

''. He performed the song alongside the Top 8 contestants and

Miss Universe 2010 Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...

fourth runner-up

Venus Raj Maria Venus Bayonito Raj (; ; born July 7, 1988) is an Filipino-Indian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010. She represented the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2010 pageant and pla ...

during the results night of the semi-finals. On September 27, he released the digital single, "Going Out". He also revealed that "Balikbayan" will be released on December. On January 31, 2015, apl.de.ap revealed his newest single and its accompanying music video, "Be", featuring

Honey Cocaine Sochitta Sal (born October 22, 1992), professionally known by her stage name Honey Cocaine, or Honey C, is a Canadian rapper. Early life and education Sal is of Cambodian descent and was born in Toronto, Canada. Currently, she splits her reside ...

and Jessica Reynoso. He also appeared as a guest mentor for will.i.am on the third series of ''

The Voice Australia ''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice '' ...

''. On June 12, 2014, he confirmed his return for the second season of ''The Voice of the Philippines''. Apl.de.ap collaborated with Filipino composer Ryan Cayabyab for his performance in the opening ceremony of the

2019 Southeast Asian Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, was the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which ...

in the Philippines. He and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas also performed in the closing ceremony.

Other ventures

Philanthropy

Apl.de.ap was honored in America by the prestigious This Time Foundation for his charity works. On November 18, 2008, he founded the Apl Foundation to help various communities and children in the Philippines and throughout Asia. In 2011, after expressing his desire to help improve the education situation in the Philippines, his foundation formed a partnership with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF) to create the "We Can Be Anything" advocacy campaign where Apl.de.ap and NCAF plan to build 10,000 classrooms in two years or less through the advocacy.

''The Voice of the Philippines''

During an interview with ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' in 2012, he stated that he had plans to launch his own talent show in the Philippines. "I've been working myself up to do it because I'm not used to being on TV everyday... I've been offered a show for next year," he revealed. This eventually fueled rumors that he would join the panel of the show, after ABS-CBN acquired the rights to launch a local version of ''The Voice'' franchise later that year. On March 1, 2013, ABS-CBN confirmed that they were in the final stages of negotiating with his management to become its fourth and last official coach of the show. On March 7, it was announced through ABS-CBN's entertainment website,

Push Push may refer to: Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010 Songs * "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...

, that apl would sit as the fourth coach. On March 20, the network's official website stated that he was scheduled to do the initial promotional plug with TFC London and was scheduled to arrive in Manila by April to meet and work with the three other coaches and the rest of the show's team. His promotional television plug was aired on March 27 right after ''

TV Patrol ''TV Patrol'' is a Philippine television newscast produced by ABS-CBN News. It premiered on March 2, 1987, at the former ABS-CBN television network, replacing ''Balita Ngayon''. ''TV Patrol'' is the flagship national newscast of the network a ...

''. During his introduction as the fourth coach, he was dubbed as "The voice that ruled the worldwide music chart." In an interview conducted by ABS-CBN News, apl admitted that it was will.i.am who encouraged him to accept the coaching stint in ''The Voice of the Philippines''. Will.i.am is also a coach on ''

The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original '' The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...

''. Apl also told the press that he would be truthful in coaching his artists, as well give them constructive criticisms. He also wants to share his life experiences, what he has been through the music industry, and how hard it is to fulfill and reach it. Apl was also a coach on the second season of ''The Voice Teens''.

''BMBX Entertainment''

In 2014, apl opened his independent record label, BMBX Entertainment, whose name refers to 'boombox'. The label aims to sign South East Asian artists and give them a Western-style production by collaborating with musicians in Los Angeles. It sources its talent from the Philippines,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

. Its current roster includes Slapshock, Kevin Lester and '' The Voice Philippines'' season 1 semi-finalist Jessica Reynoso.

Personal life

During an interview with ''

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...

'', apl.de.ap said that he was born with a condition called

, which is characterized by an involuntary movement of the eyes that limits vision. The interview showed him undergoing an eye surgery by Beverly Hills eye surgeon Brian Boxer Wachler to implant artificial lenses into his eyes to correct his

nearsightedness Near-sightedness, also known as myopia and short-sightedness, is an eye disease where light focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurry while close objects appear normal. Other symptoms may include ...

and nystagmus. Pineda is a native speaker of two

Philippine languages The Philippine languages or Philippinic are a proposed group by R. David Paul Zorc (1986) and Robert Blust (1991; 2005; 2019) that include all the languages of the Philippines and northern Sulawesi, Indonesia—except Sama–Bajaw (language ...

: Tagalog language, Tagalog and Kapampangan language, Kapampangan.

Discography

Mixtapes

*2011: ''It's Me Applebees'' *2021: ''It's Me Applebees II'' *2022: ''It's Me Applebees III: More Applebees''

Singles

*2012: "We Can Be Anything" *2012: "Fly" *2013: "Going Out" *2015: "Be" featuring

& Jessica Reynoso As featured artist *2010: "Electroman (album), Spaceship" (with Benny Benassi, Kelis, and Jean-Baptiste (songwriter), Jean-Baptiste) *2012: "El Presidente" (with Slapshock) *2013: "willpower (will.i.am album), Gettin' Dumb" (with will.i.am and 2NE1) Guest appearances *2009: "On the Dancefloor" (David Guetta featuring will.i.am and apl.de.ap)

Awards

* 2008 – Special Citation – Myx Music Awards * 2010 – Best Hip-Hop/Rap Performance: Take Me to the Philippines – Filipino-American Vocal Arts Society Online Music Awards * 2012 GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards - Global Achievement by a Filipino Artist

References

External links

Official apl.de.ap website

The Black Eyed Peas' official website
*

{{Authority control 1974 births Living people 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers American male rappers American adoptees American hip hop singers American rappers of Filipino descent American people of Kapampangan descent Black Eyed Peas members Filipino emigrants to the United States Filipino people of African-American descent Filipino rappers Grammy Award winners Naturalized citizens of the United States People from Angeles City Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines) Singers from Pampanga Rappers from Los Angeles ABS-CBN personalities Asian American music