Will.i.am, born William James Adams Jr., is a Grammy-winning artist and actor. He wrote ‘My Humps’ in five minutes and served as Intel’s innovation director from 2011. He played roles in X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2009 and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 2008.
Identity & family.
IDENTITY
Names, aliases, and relatives of Will.i.am — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Birth NameWilliam James Adams Jr.
Native NameWilliam Adams
NicknamesMr. Voodoo Thursday, Zuper Blahq
AliasesWill Adams, Will i Am, Will. I. Am, The Black Eyed Peas, Black Eyed Peas, Will.I.Am, will.i.am
At a glance.
STATS
Will.i.am by the numbers — life, work, and family.
51Age
97Film credits
7Awards
Who is Will.i.am?
BIOGRAPHY
Will.i.am — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
I.
Early life
Born on March 15, 1975 in Los Angeles, California, will.i.am attended John Marshall High School and later Palisades Charter High School. His stage name is pronounced Will-eye-am. He is a United States citizen and speaks English.
II.
Career
Will.i.am wrote My Humps in five minutes after seeing an attractive woman while eating; the song became a Black Eyed Peas signature. He appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2009 and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 2008. Intel Corporation hired him as innovation director in January 2011. He has won multiple Grammy Awards and a Daytime Emmy Award.
III.
Personal life
Will.i.am lives with tinnitus, describing it as constant ringing in his ears. He says he no longer knows what silence sounds like. He counts singer Cheryl and actress Jessica Alba among close friends. He shares a March 15 birthday with actress Eva Longoria Parker. In 2004, he attended a dinner honoring Sting as MusiCares Person of the Year, alongside Elton John and Dido.
IV.
Legacy
Will.i.am’s influence extends from music to technology. His song Great Times was inspired by Brazil, and he shot its music video there. He became a tech ambassador through his Intel role. He received the Presidential Medal of Merit and Global Citizen Awards.
Filmography.
FILMS · 97
The complete filmography of Will.i.am — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Will.i.am — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Daytime Emmy Award01
NAACP Image Awards02
Grammy Awards03
Billboard Music Awards04
Crystal Award05
Presidential Medal of Merit06
Global Citizen Awards07
Notable quotes.
QUOTES · 50
A wall of memorable lines from Will.i.am — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
We’re from the Projects – East L.A. on Welfare the Majority of Our Lives. a Lot of My Friends Are Dead and in Prison, Just Like Any Urban Person That Comes from Areas Like I’m From. but My Grandma Was Super-grandma. Ain’t Nobody Mess with Our Family in My Neighborhood Because Everybody Loved My Grandma. She Was the One That Prayed for Everybody. We Were One of the First Families in the Projects. and I Moved Them Out. Music Allowed Me.
You Want to Play Stadiums? You Listen to U2. You Study It for Harmonics, the Vocal Placement, the Freaking Chord Progressions, Their Lyrics. You Study the Production. You Study It Because Studying That Equals Stadiums.
I’m Good at Thinking Outside the Box, so Much That You Realize It’s Not a Box to Begin With.
I Was Born and Raised in the Ghetto, on Welfare, Two Minutes from Homeless.
I Just Like Seeing Kids Inspired.
There’s Only One Type of Music and That’s Good Music, No Matter What Genre It Is.
When You Follow Your Heart, You’re Never Supposed to Do Things Because of What You Think People Might Say. You Do It for the Opposite Reasons.
Philanthropy Is the Thing That I Am Really Excited About, and Having Success Means I Can Do More.
You Can Rule Ignorance; You Can Manipulate the Illiterate; You Can Do Whatever You Want When a People Are Uneducated, so That Goes in Line with Corrupt Business and Corrupt Politics.
If You Are a Chef, No Matter How Good a Chef You Are, It’s Not Good Cooking for Yourself; the Joy Is in Cooking for Others – It’s the Same with Music.
There Are Five Issues That Make a Fist of a Hand That Can Knock America Out Cold. They’re Lack of Jobs, Obesity, Diabetes, Homelessness, and Lack of Good Education.
It Should Be Mandatory That You Understand Computer Science.
When Someone Is Denying What They Are, Then That’s When Things Start to Spiral Down.
Eisenhower Warned Us About the Military-industrial Complex and the Damage It Could Do to Society.
I Don’t Follow Waves or Trends or Emotions.
Not Many People Give You a Vision of What the Future Will Bring.
I Know People in Gangs; I Could Have Went Down That Route.
If My Mind’s Not Trying to Fix Something or Create Something, I Don’t Know What to Do. It Just Throws Me Off.
I Don’t Want to Hope Anymore. I Don’t Think We Should Hope Anymore. We Hoped Enough. Now We Have to Do. We All Have to Do Now.
Most of These People Who Are Celebrities Now Don’t Do Anything to Deserve It, so by That Fact Alone, I Don’t Want to Be One.
Disco Is the First Technology Music. and What I Mean Is That ‘Disco’ Music Is Named After Discs, Because When Technology Grew to Where They Didn’t Need a Band in the Clubs, the DJ Played It on a Disc.
I Go Out Partying to Figure Out Exactly Who I’m Making Music For. You Can’t Just Guess.
The Computer Allows Me to Execute My Ideas at the Speed I Think Them.
There’s No Chivalry in Culture Any More. Sometimes You Meet Someone Who Everyone Says Is Polite and You’re Like, ‘Wow,’ but Then It’s Like, ‘Hang On, Isn’t Everyone Supposed to Be Polite?’
If You Really Want Change, You Really Want It to Be Inclusive, Where Everyone’s Included, Otherwise You’re Just Going to Have More of the Same in the Future.
If I Didn’t Mould My Reality Then I’d Still Be in the Ghetto Where People Like Me Are Supposed to Stay. You Have to Dream Your Way Out of the Nightmare.
Most Kids Are Not Dreaming of Being Programmers, Scientists or Engineers.
If Apple’s a Technology Company in the Music Industry, Why Can’t Somebody in the Music Industry Make Technology?
How About No One’s Ever Going to Outsell Michael Jackson at Selling Records Because the Record Industry Is Over. Game Over. There’s No More Record Stores. with No More Record Stores There’s No More Pressing Plants. with No More Pressing Plants, There’s No More Charts.
Now That Obama’s President, It Changes Inner-city Youths. They Can Now Not Just Dream to Be Lil Waynes and 50 Cents, but They Can Now Dream to Be Obamas.
Music Is My Therapy and My Straitjacket. Music Keeps Me Sane and Keeps My Mind on Something. It’s Fragile up There.
I’m Fascinated with Quantum Physics.
If You Live in a Ghetto and Really Want Not to Just Change Your Life and Your Family’s Life but Change Your Ghetto’s Life, Make Your Ghetto a Good Neighborhood, Learn Science; Try to Be Like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
I Like All the Families in the U.K. but What I Like About the Idea of the Royal Family Is… They Seem Like They’re Well Educated and There’s Something Admirable About Them. and the Queen… She Reminds Me of My Grandma.
If You Live in a Good Neighborhood, You Drive Home and There’s a Bank. There’s Grocery Stores and Big Houses – but No Motels. What That Tells You Psychologically Is You Protect Your Money and Buy Good Things for Your Family to Eat in Your Nice Big House.
I Can’t Be Quiet, as That’s When I Notice the Ringing in My Ears.
Hip-hop Culture Is Probably One of the Most Powerful Things to Come Out of America in a Long Time – Everything from the Music to the Art to the Dance to the Language.
I Don’t Have Political Agendas. I Have Social Agendas.
If Countries Were People, England and France Would Be Old Men. Italy Would Be Dead. Compared with Them, America Is in Its 20S.
Code Writers, They Are My Idols.
When You Think About the Guys Who Started Twitter, and the Google Guys, and the Facebook Guys and the Napster Guys, and the Microsoft Guys, and the Dell Guys and the Instagram Guys, It’s All Guys. the Girls, They’re Being Left Behind.
We Need to Forge a Whole New Energy and American Dream.
If You Know How to Freestyle, You Will Never Have Writer’s Block.
You Know, the Super Bowl Is so Fresh That Every Single Commercial Is Even On, You Know, Some Next-level Entertainment.
You Can Get Your Money and You Put It in the Bank, or You Can Put It in the Youth. You Can Put It in Our Future.
When You’re a Corporation, You’re Going to Stick with What Works. That’s Why Every McDonald’s Is the Same.
I Was Born and Raised in East Los Angeles by a Single Mom Who Had Three Biological Kids and Adopted Four More. I Never Met My Dad.
Crime and Violence Are the Easiest Emotions to Reenact.
Traveling in Europe Made Me Understand That America Has an Island Mentality: No One Exists Except Us. There’s a Whole Other World Out There, but Most Americans – All They Know Is America, the Marketing Plan.
I Don’t Need Anyone to Validate Me.
·
Did you know?
FACTS · 8
Little-known facts about Will.i.am — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
01
Will.i.am lives with tinnitus, a constant ringing in his ears, and has stated he does not know what silence sounds like.
02
The song My Humps was written by will.i.am in five minutes after he saw an attractive woman while eating.
03
On January 26, 2011, will.i.am was hired by Intel Corporation as their innovation director.
04
Will.i.am counts Cheryl and Jessica Alba among his close friends.
05
The song Great Times was inspired by Brazil, and will.i.am shot its music video there.
06
On February 6, 2004, will.i.am attended a dinner at Sony Studios in Los Angeles honoring Sting as MusiCares’ Person of the Year, celebrating Sting’s musical contributions and charity work with Amnesty International and the Rainforest Foundation; other guests included Kylie Minogue, Elton John, and Dido.
07
Will.i.am shares a birthday with actress Eva Longoria Parker, both born on March 15.
08
His stage name is pronounced Will-eye-am, not William.
You wanted to know.
FAQ · 28
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Will.i.am.
01When was Will.i.am born?
Will.i.am was born on March 15, 1975. He was born in Los Angeles, California.
02Where was Will.i.am born?
Will.i.am was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. He spent his childhood there and attended local schools.
03How old is Will.i.am?
As of 2025, will.i.am is 50 years old. He was born on March 15, 1975.
04What is Will.i.am's real name?
Will.i.am’s real name is William James Adams Jr. He is professionally known as will.i.am.
05What is Will.i.am's name in his native language?
In his native language, English, will.i.am’s name is William Adams. However, he is professionally known as will.i.am.
06What does Will.i.am do for a living?
Will.i.am is a recording artist, actor, and music crew member. He is best known for his work with the Black Eyed Peas.
07What nationality is Will.i.am?
Will.i.am is a United States citizen. He was born in Los Angeles, California.
08What language does Will.i.am speak?
Will.i.am’s native language is English. He speaks English fluently.
09Where did Will.i.am go to school?
Will.i.am attended John Marshall High School and later Palisades Charter High School. He completed his education in Los Angeles.
10What awards has Will.i.am won?
Will.i.am has won multiple awards including a Daytime Emmy Award, NAACP Image Awards, Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Crystal Award, Presidential Medal of Merit, and Global Citizen Awards.
11How many awards has Will.i.am won?
Will.i.am has won seven major awards: Daytime Emmy, NAACP Image, Grammy, Billboard Music, Crystal, Presidential Medal of Merit, and Global Citizen Awards.
12What is Will.i.am best known for?
Will.i.am is best known for his appearances on television shows such as The Rookie, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Graham Norton Show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, and Saturday Night Live. He is also known for his music career with the Black Eyed Peas.
13What is Will.i.am's Instagram?
Will.i.am’s Instagram handle is @iamwill.
14How tall is Will.i.am?
Will.i.am is 5 feet 9 inches tall, which is 1.75 meters. His height is often noted in his physical description.
15What are Will.i.am's nicknames?
Will.i.am goes by the nicknames Mr. Voodoo Thursday and Zuper Blahq. These are alternative stage names he uses occasionally.
16What other names has Will.i.am used?
Will.i.am has used several aliases including Will Adams, Will i Am, Will. I. Am, The Black Eyed Peas, Black Eyed Peas, Will.I.Am, and will.i.am. These reflect his various professional identities.
17What is Will.i.am's birth name?
Will.i.am’s birth name is William James Adams Jr. He later adopted the stage name will.i.am.
18What is Will.i.am known for?
Will.i.am is known for his roles in films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2009, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 2008, and Rio 2 2014. He also appears on television shows like The Rookie.
19Why did Intel hire Will.i.am?
In January 2011, will.i.am was hired by Intel Corporation as their innovation director, a role that reflects his interest in technology and innovation.
20Does Will.i.am have tinnitus?
Yes, will.i.am suffers from tinnitus, a condition that causes constant ringing in his ears. He has said he does not know what silence sounds like.
21Who shares Will.i.am's birthday?
Will.i.am was born on March 15, the same date as actress Eva Longoria Parker. They share a birthday.
22How do you pronounce Will.i.am?
His stage name is pronounced Will-eye-am, not William. The pronunciation is a distinctive feature of his public persona.
23How long did it take Will.i.am to write My Humps?
Will.i.am wrote the hit song My Humps in just five minutes after seeing an attractive woman while eating. It became one of the Black Eyed Peas’ most recognizable songs.
24Who are Will.i.am's close friends?
Will.i.am is close friends with singer Cheryl and actress Jessica Alba. They are often mentioned in his social circle.
25Which movies has Will.i.am appeared in?
Will.i.am appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2009, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 2008, and Rio 2 2014, among others.
26Where was the music video for Great Times shot?
The music video for will.i.am’s song Great Times was shot in Brazil, as the song was inspired by the country.
27Has Will.i.am won a Daytime Emmy?
Yes, will.i.am has won a Daytime Emmy Award, one of several awards he has received in his career.
28What does the nickname Zuper Blahq mean?
Zuper Blahq is one of will.i.am’s nicknames, though its specific origin is not widely known. He also uses the nickname Mr. Voodoo Thursday.
·
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