Apl.de.ap

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.

Allan Pineda Lindo was born in Angeles City, Philippines.

His African American father, an airman stationed at Clark Air Base, 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 trip to and from his school and helped his family subsist by farming sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane and rice.

The Pearl S. Buck Foundation, an organization that finds healthier living environments for young, abandoned, or orphaned American 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 at the age of eleven for treatment for nystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eyes.

After a trip to Disneyland, 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, 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, The Eagles, The Beatles, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Leaders of the New School and the Filipino rock/folk group Asin.

Pineda was introduced to hip hop by break dancing.

"I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that's how I got introduced to break dancing," he said.

The Black Eyed Peas 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 (run by Eazy-E) in 1992, catching the attention of Eazy-E manager Jerry Heller's nephew.

Along with another friend of theirs, Dante Santiago, they called their trio Atban Klann (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, 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, 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 sounds of Los Angeles-based hip hop acts at the time.

After being signed to Interscope Records and releasing their debut, Behind the Front (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 soundtrack.

Their second album was Bridging the Gap (2000), which included the single "Request + Line" featuring Macy Gray.

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

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 Taboo 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 (lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls) 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.

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 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?" and "Shut Up" reached number 1.

His youngest brother, Joven Pineda Deala, was murdered at the age of 22 in February 2009 in Porac, Pampanga.

"I would see kids at the corner break-dancing and I'm like, 'I wanna do that.'" Pineda revealed to People magazine in 2011 that he is legally blind in both of his eyes, suffering from nystagmus, 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").