0:00:02 > 0:00:09This programme contains some strong language
0:00:12 > 0:00:17It's not often you get to hang out with someone you're really intrigued by.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Somebody from a totally different world from your own.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26So when will.i.am invited me to visit him at home,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28I couldn't resist.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32It was a chance for me to get to know this huge star.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37What has really intrigued me is about having the time to get deeper into people.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Bring the action.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Discovering what that person is like. What they think about.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43What their childhood was like, maybe.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47What they dream about in the future. What the present day holds for them.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Will.i.am has invited me to spend four days with him
0:00:50 > 0:00:51in his home town, Los Angeles.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55He's famous both in America and in Britain.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03And his opinions are even sought by presidents - past and present.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06He is an extraordinary man.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10From all the research I've done, he just never stops talking.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11Unlike me, of course.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- # We sing... # - I can't wait to meet him.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19# I want to scream and shout
0:01:19 > 0:01:24# And let it all out, and scream and shout and let it out... #
0:01:24 > 0:01:27# We sayin'... #
0:01:29 > 0:01:33# You are now now rockin' with will.i.am and Britney Bitch
0:01:36 > 0:01:37# Oh, yeah
0:01:40 > 0:01:41# Oh, yeah... #
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Will.i.am was born William Adams, 38 years ago, here in Los Angeles.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57He's not only a founding member of the chart-topping band
0:01:57 > 0:02:01the Black Eyed Peas and its driving force, he's also been sought out
0:02:01 > 0:02:05as a producer by Michael Jackson and U2, and has worked with a
0:02:05 > 0:02:11gaggle of pop princesses like Britney, Rihanna and Cheryl Cole.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15He's also a DJ, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19In fact, it's fair to say he's become his own global brand.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Hi. Can I just look around?
0:02:24 > 0:02:25- Yes.- Thank you.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Will is also something of a fashionista with his own distinctive
0:02:28 > 0:02:34look and style and I couldn't turn up at his home empty-handed.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36You don't happen to know will.i.am's size, do you?
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Yeah, I think we probably have it on file.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40- Would you?- Yeah.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Cos I think this is an ideal place to get him a gift.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45- I wanted to bring him something. - Yeah, absolutely.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49And I thought that if he... This is great, if he likes these things...
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Oh! I think he'd like that.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54That's beautiful. Oh, look at these.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59- Oh!- That one's definitely great. - Look at these! I like men dressing like peacocks.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00- I like...- Yeah.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03..men dressing up a bit. That is sensational.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05- Is it because I love it so much? - Yeah.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Maybe it's because I love it so much. I'd wear that.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Yeah. I definitely could see him in that, performing in it.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- Could you?- Yeah.- Thank you.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18No, obviously not. Just joking.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I've never shoplifted anything in my life.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22You've been so kind. Thank you very much indeed.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- No problem. Nice to meet you. - Thank you.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Present sorted, I meet the man himself tomorrow.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30But what do I call him?
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Do I call him will.i.am, Will or just Willy?
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Mr Adams, or Sir, or Will, or...?
0:03:38 > 0:03:39Gosh, I don't know.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05When will.i.am isn't globetrotting, he lives in Los Feliz,
0:04:05 > 0:04:06an affluent part of LA.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It's so fascinating,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13cos it's incredibly suburban in a very grand way here.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It's got its own thinking, hasn't it?
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Is that it?
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Yeah, this is it.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31OK.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Hello.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38Hello? It's Joanna.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40- OK. One second.- Thank you so much.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45"Apply brake to shift from P."
0:04:47 > 0:04:49There we are.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Now.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57Do these look like will.i.am cars, I wonder?
0:05:04 > 0:05:05Wow, is this it?
0:05:07 > 0:05:09This must be it.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Down the steep drive.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Hi, I'm Joanna.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Will has lived in this three-storey Spanish house
0:05:16 > 0:05:19for the last five years.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20Thank you.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Oh, this is fantastic.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25We're right on the side of a hill.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Hello. I'm Joanna.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28Nice to meet you.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30How lovely to meet you. Thank you very much indeed.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33'It looks like Will isn't home.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35'His entourage is, though.'
0:05:35 > 0:05:36Hi, how are you?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39- 'These are obviously the people who help run Will's life.' - Thank you so much.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42'They include his older brother Carl, who cuts Will's hair.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45'Apparently, he's done this since they were boys.'
0:05:45 > 0:05:46Joanna. It's really good to meet you.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I hope you don't mind me just, sort of, hanging around.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Polo Molina. I'm Will's manager. Very nice.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I'm so pleased to meet you. Thank you very much.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57- Thanks for this.- This is so nice.- Sorry to keep you waiting. - You never kept us waiting.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'I learn that Will got back late last night from a whirlwind trip to
0:06:00 > 0:06:02'Kazakhstan and a stopover in Washington.'
0:06:02 > 0:06:04What are you discussing at the moment?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Oh, we're just looking at the schedule which is
0:06:06 > 0:06:10always subject to change, so we're looking at re-slotting a
0:06:10 > 0:06:14couple of things for this afternoon to make sure we can get it all in.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- Yes.- And just juggling a few things.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18- We'll get it done. - We always get it done.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Cos, you know, I get, like, anywhere between four
0:06:22 > 0:06:26to five requests a day for Will to do different TV show publications.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- It's like juggling.- I think we have a system, right? - It's the way...it just IS.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- Organised confusion, but...- Yeah. - ..we still have a system.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39At last, will.i.am arrives.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43- Hello.- How are you?- Good to see you.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- It's good to see you. Thank you so much. - Hi, everybody. Oh, thank you.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- It's so strange to be in your house when you arrive. Sorry about that. - Oh, that's cool.- Here we are.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55'But before I know it, he's off again.'
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Fix the hair, please.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Let's go get you fixed up real quick.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05He's just gone to kind of, maybe tidy up a bit. Not tidy.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08He looked really tidy to me but, you know, just get shaped up
0:07:08 > 0:07:12a bit for the camera, because big stars look their best at all times.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14I wish I'd gone to look a bit cooler.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21While Will smartens up, I take the opportunity to look around the house.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25There are curious pieces everywhere.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27I thought I could hear water. What is that?
0:07:27 > 0:07:31A fountain on a tree trunk. Isn't that phenomenal?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Look at this. That looks so, sort of, Japanesey.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36How old is this house?
0:07:36 > 0:07:38This house has gotta be close to 100 years old.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40- Really?- I would think so. - Yeah.- Maybe 80 or 90 years old.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- Yeah.- There's little stairwells everywhere.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Cos the little steps we came down were so cute and lovely.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- Hello.- Hi, Will. - How are you?- Oh, hi.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- Good to see ya.- Thank you so much. - How was your trip?
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- It was great. How was your trip? - Oh, it was tiring, but I'm good.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Listen, before...can I... I bought you a present.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05- You did?- Do you mind? Can I just bring it to you?
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- She's my favourite.- Is she?- Yes.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Will you look at it?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Wow! This is super-fresh.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17Yeah, buttons.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20Oh, thanks, Joanna.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23- Oh, man, you look so good in that. - Actually matches my shoes, too.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Yeah, it matches everything.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- What!- Cool strides. Good pants. Look at these.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32I saw one of these lovely little old-fashioned gramophones you've
0:08:32 > 0:08:34got out there, which you've had adapted so that it plays.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36- Is that right?- No, I made that.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38- You made that?- Yeah.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- What - you found pieces? Can we just look at this?- OK.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Yeah, so this puppy actually works.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Um, the power was on.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Oh, I don't have the power at the moment.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Yeah, I just made it work.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Wow! Good.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Aw, shucks. The needle's busted.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Oh, no.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03Oh, well.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08So sorry. I did want to hear it, though.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10I'd just love to hear the sound coming out of that.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15'Then I noticed a cabinet full of awards and photos.'
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- Hold on.- Is it locked?
0:09:17 > 0:09:18Yeah, I'll get the key.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21I think that Will is away so often that he doesn't stay here
0:09:21 > 0:09:25very much, cos things seem to be, sort of, switched off and locked.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33- So this is a Grammy Nominee. That means we didn't win.- Yeah.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36And then these are Grammies for the Black Eyed Peas.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39This is a Emmy.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41What's that?
0:09:41 > 0:09:45- This is from the White House. - Oh, look at that.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47- At the Oval Office.- Look at that.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54And that's the President's writing? "To Will. Thank you for the great support and music."
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- And music.- And music.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Will used his stardom and musical talent as a potent force
0:09:59 > 0:10:01in Barack Obama's election for President
0:10:01 > 0:10:04by recording the campaign song Yes We Can.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08This time in 2007, I suggested that we take his speech
0:10:08 > 0:10:10and turn it into a song.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17# It was a creed written into the founding documents
0:10:17 > 0:10:23# That declared the destiny of a nation, yes, we can
0:10:23 > 0:10:26# It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists
0:10:26 > 0:10:28# As they blazed a trail... #
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Those are inspirational words, you know,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34coupled with the song that I wrote, moved the needle
0:10:34 > 0:10:40and he went from trailing Hillary Clinton to leading Hillary Clinton.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44So it was like, you know, a moment in the election that shifted
0:10:44 > 0:10:46- the whole entire election, that's all.- Yeah.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50And when it comes to, like, issues that help shape community
0:10:50 > 0:10:55and society as a whole, I really took that whole experience to heart.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57So, to me, it was far beyond politics.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02For me it was like a social awakening on how I can help.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08The need to help, to do something more, seems to define Will
0:11:08 > 0:11:13and his family may hold the key to his deep sense of social responsibility.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- So this is our little living room here. - I love the way you've done it.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21It's got a really cool feel to it. It's beautiful.
0:11:21 > 0:11:29Some more pictures of my mom, my brother and my sister, Qiana, me.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Then our Christmas party with Oprah.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35So we're a big family. We are.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38We have a huge family. Like, there's 50 of us.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Mom was very strict.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43We couldn't say words like "lie". Sorry, Mom.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46We couldn't say "damn". We couldn't say "S-H-I-T".
0:11:46 > 0:11:48- No. - We couldn't even say, "Oh, shoot!"
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Do you think she got that from her mother?
0:11:50 > 0:11:54- She got it from my grandma.- Yeah. - My grandma was real special.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01My family is big on prayer and her and her best friend, Miss Williams...
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- Mmm.- ...they blessed the house.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- She talked really (GENTEEL) like this.- Yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Mmm, mmm. Yes, she sure did. Thank you, Jesus.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10Yes, mmm-hmm.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14But she passed.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15Yeah, I'm sorry about that.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18She sounds a honey.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Do you have a picture of your grandma?
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Yeah, yeah. Hold on, I'll get it.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24That's her there.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27That's beautiful. What occasion was that, do you think?
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Just a random Sunday, going to church.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31She dressed up beautifully for church.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- Yeah. So I saw the Queen. She had a hat like that once.- Mmm-hmm.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38And I'm like, "What! My grandma dressed exactly like that."
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Oh, that's excellent.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44What does that say above the doorway?
0:12:44 > 0:12:46"Where is the love?
0:12:46 > 0:12:50"If you only have love for your own race then you only leave
0:12:50 > 0:12:52"space to discriminate."
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- Yes.- Did you write that?
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Yeah, I wrote that. I did that.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- Will, will you show me the recording studio?- Yeah.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04There's no doubt that his way with words
0:13:04 > 0:13:06fuelled the success of the Black Eyed Peas.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11They've sold zillions of records all over the world.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Look at this wall! More awards! American Music Award.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17American Music.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Monkey Business. Black Eyed Peas.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32This is where I recorded I Got A Feeling and the Yes We Can song.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34# I got a feeling
0:13:36 > 0:13:40# That tonight's going to be a good night
0:13:40 > 0:13:45# That tonight's going to be a good night... #
0:13:45 > 0:13:47I could make beats here all the time.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49So how would you start doing a song?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51How does it come into your head?
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Is it the beat that starts it?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56So with I Got A Feeling, the music came first
0:13:56 > 0:14:00and then with Boom Boom Pow the sentence came first.
0:14:00 > 0:14:06It was a Brazilian word that means derriere, derriere, derriere.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08# Boom! Boom! Boom! Gotta get that
0:14:08 > 0:14:10# Boom! Boom! Boom! #
0:14:10 > 0:14:13But I don't want to make that song about it.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16That was a polite way of saying derriere.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Cos my mom's going to be part of the show,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22so I'll stay with derriere.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Will, you play keyboards? You play drums?
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- I barely play the keyboards.- Mmm.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- Like, enough to write music.- Yeah.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34But if I was jamming out and the MD, the music director said, "Solo",
0:14:34 > 0:14:36I'd have a hard time soloing.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41And drums I could barely play enough.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- Show me.- I can't play like our drummer, Keith Harris.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50I hope I have sticks.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01If I needed to write a song, I'd come in here
0:15:01 > 0:15:03and put my headphones on.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09That's all I need.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12So then I'll go on my computer, chop it up a little bit.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Then go to the piano then add all my parts.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Then the drummer will come in here and he'll make it...
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- he'll perfect that.- Yeah. - So I'll just have the sketch, because I want the personality of the beat.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24When people are hearing at the club or if they're hearing at a
0:15:24 > 0:15:26restaurant or a social gathering, I want them to go,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30- "Boom-boom-Ka. Ch-boom-cha..."- Yeah. - "Ch-k-hey-ch. Ch-k-yah-ch."
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Oops! I just like doing, like, all kinda crazy things, you know.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Well, the last time I recorded here was 2012.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- I thought I was doing something like, yeah, man!- But you were.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Yes, but compared to what I'm doing now.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55And I have a meeting today
0:15:55 > 0:15:57about this piece of technology that I invested in.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Man, watch when you see it. It's outta this world.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02Are we going to see it?
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- I'll let you see it. Not the cameras, though.- Oh, no, OK.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07But it is freakin' whoa!
0:16:08 > 0:16:10We ready? Let's go.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- Cool. So can you give us a couple a seconds?- Yes.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25So Will's down there with about five really important guys
0:16:25 > 0:16:30and it's some huge, very important techno kind of wizardry
0:16:30 > 0:16:34conversation going on which was really important to do today,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37so we're kind of tactfully leaving it aside.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38It's rather exciting.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43I mean, something might be happening there which we'll all know about in the future.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I wait for Will in the garden.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I'm not sure how long his meeting will take.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57When you're with him, you can feel the energy - his mind racing ahead.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I can't imagine he could do what I'm doing now -
0:17:02 > 0:17:03just sit still and think.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08How did the meeting go?
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Oh, great. I have to fly to San Francisco tonight.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- Tonight? - But I'll be back tomorrow morning.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- Do you ever sleep? - I slept today. About four hours.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20I usually get, like, four hours of sleep a day.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- Four hours?- Mmm-hmm.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24- That's not a lot.- That's a lot.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27- Is it?- Yeah. You know what you can do with 20 hours?
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Will's best friend is Allan Pineda, better known as apl.de.ap,
0:17:34 > 0:17:35co-founder of the Black Eyed Peas.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39# All, all these girls they like my swagger
0:17:39 > 0:17:43# They callin' me Mick Jagger I'll be rollin' like a stone... #
0:17:43 > 0:17:47And he's dropped in to see us before flying off to Australia later today.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50# Rockin' just like that
0:17:50 > 0:17:52# Big mega radio smasher... #
0:17:52 > 0:17:54How long have you guys known each other?
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Literally for what, this? Little tiny guys?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58No, since we were 15.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00- 15?- 14.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03So this is...this is your brother.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Oh, yeah. Yeah, my best friend.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10And I was adopted from the Philippines and brought to the US.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12- That's how we met.- Yeah. - And he asked me, like,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16"Dude, so, you know, you're from the Philippines."
0:18:16 > 0:18:20He's, like, "What do you guys do there?"
0:18:20 > 0:18:23And I was, like, "Oh, you know, I like to break-dance
0:18:23 > 0:18:26"and I just learned this dance move called the running man."
0:18:26 > 0:18:29He's like, "The running man? You guys do the running man there too?"
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I was, like, "Yeah".
0:18:31 > 0:18:34So I guess I was doing it pretty goofy at first.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- Yeah.- Yeah, cos his chest was out and he was like...
0:18:40 > 0:18:41He was, like, like that.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43So really you're supposed to just do it like this, right?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45But I was like....
0:18:45 > 0:18:49I was like it and then he started laughing.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Look at this dude doing the Running Man!
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Did the group have another name before Black Eyed Peas?
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Yeah, it was called Atban Klann, which was an acronym for
0:18:58 > 0:18:59"A Tribe Beyond a Nation."
0:18:59 > 0:19:03And then, eventually, started the Black Eyed Peas in 1995.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06- And that was your name? - That was, yeah.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07And you thought that up together?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09No. First it was, like, "What about Seven Sign?"
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- "Nahhh. Blue Unit." - "Yeah, what about Blue Unit?"
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- BOTH: "Nah!" - "How bout Beets and Rice?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19"Nah!"
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Yeah, so Black Eyed Peas. "What about Black Eye Peas?"
0:19:22 > 0:19:25It just felt like it was...something.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31The big breakthrough hit for the Black Eyed Peas came in 2003,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35when their single Where Is The Love went to number one around the world.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42So, Where Is The Love, how did that start, where did it put you?
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Oh, so in 2001 we were living in San Francisco.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49And then 9/11 happened. Boom!
0:19:49 > 0:19:52So I remember, like, going to everybody's room, like,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55"Dude! They just attacked America!"
0:19:55 > 0:20:00And then we had a tour, September 12th, the day after 9/11.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02And the result of that tour was we wrote
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Where Is The Love in November 2001.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08# Father, father, father, help us
0:20:08 > 0:20:10# Send some guidance from above
0:20:10 > 0:20:13# Cos people got me, got me questioning
0:20:13 > 0:20:15# Where is the love? #
0:20:15 > 0:20:17That's the first time we saw,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20like, ginormous success with Where Is The Love.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- # We only got - One love, one love
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- # That's all we got - One love, one love... #
0:20:25 > 0:20:28We did it! We did it! Everything was against us.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31The whole world was like, "Argh!"
0:20:31 > 0:20:33And two people dreaming...did it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Beyond what we thought we could possibly accomplish.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Do you think it was just a chance that both of you were
0:20:38 > 0:20:41really outsiders at that point, when you met?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Because you'd just come fresh in from the Philippines, and you
0:20:44 > 0:20:47were kind of one of the only black kids in the school, was that right?
0:20:47 > 0:20:51- No, in my neighbourhood.- So I think it comes from where we came from.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53You know, Will coming from the ghetto
0:20:53 > 0:20:55and me coming from the Philippines.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- You almost had no choice BUT to make it, you know.- Yeah.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02But, yeah, I think that drive of you making it,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05you know, providing for your family,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- I think that's what, you know... - Yeah.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09..that kept us going.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12WILL AND APL LAUGH
0:21:13 > 0:21:16After Apl leaves for his flight, Will shows me round the garden,
0:21:16 > 0:21:21which - like everything here - he's designed to fit in with his needs.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24- So, eh, this is...- This is beautiful.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28- Yeah. So this is a little basketball court area.- Yeah.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33And I can't swim, so I built a pool that's three feet.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37If we want to watch movies outside, we have a cool little blue thing.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- What, this is the screen here? - Mm-hmm.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43And I like looking here...
0:21:46 > 0:21:49..cos on the other side of those buildings...
0:21:49 > 0:21:53the downtown skyline is where my projects are from, my ghetto.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58- Yeah.- It's on the other side. - The other side of that?- Mm-hmm.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- Want to come meet my mom? - I'd love to, yeah.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- So my mom is through here... - Yeah.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07..my uncle Donnie, my uncle Lynn, who played professional football,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- and then Miss Williams, my grandma's best friend...- Yes.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12..and my brother Carl.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14'Will has invited me to join his family for supper at home,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17'and the guest of honour tonight isn't me,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20'it's Miss Williams, his beloved grandmother's best friend.'
0:22:20 > 0:22:22LAUGHTER
0:22:25 > 0:22:27- That's my mom. - Hi. Nice to meet you.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31- Can I call you Debra?- Sure. - Will you call me Joanna?- Sure.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Lovely to meet you.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35This is Miss Williams. Miss Williams, this is my friend Joanna.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- You're so beautiful.- Oh!
0:22:37 > 0:22:39WILL: I told you I'd take you by McDonalds!
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- MISS WILLIAMS:- OK, we going to pray.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Oh, dear Lord, we thank and we praise you.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52We magnify your name.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57Lift us up, strengthen us, teach us how to pray.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00And that you do it with your mother and your grandmother.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03They all taught you well how to do that.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06This family shares a deep Christian faith,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10and it's clear that Will's grandmother is missed by everyone.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12And anyone else want to say a word?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15WILL: I want to thank you for being Nanny's best friend.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16And...
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I loved that lady.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24And I always will. Always.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25To me, she's not gone.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Her spirit is still strong, and she just loved it
0:23:30 > 0:23:32when we all came together like this.
0:23:33 > 0:23:39You want to... Remember, William, you're doing great.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Your mother's very proud of you. She love you.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45You a awesome son.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Yes, and we thank the Lord for you.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48Yes.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50'Will never knew his father.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53'His mother Debra brought up the children with some
0:23:53 > 0:23:56'help from her brothers Donnie and Lynn -
0:23:56 > 0:23:58'who played American football professionally.'
0:23:58 > 0:24:00- Amen.- ALL: Amen.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05You were a single mother, and yet it doesn't seem
0:24:05 > 0:24:07to have affected your children in any way.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- They seem, the two that I've met, fantastic.- Mm-hmm.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Did you consciously feel that you had to be
0:24:14 > 0:24:16mother and father to them both?
0:24:16 > 0:24:20No, I just thought that I had to be...the best mom that I could be.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Not trying to be the mother and the father,
0:24:25 > 0:24:26but being the mother.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31I tried to give him that, you know,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34feeling that he can do all things.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Were you strict, do you think?
0:24:37 > 0:24:41- Will says you were strict.- I was very strict.- Were you?- Mm-hmm.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44My mom raised eight kids. None of them have gone to jail.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49So I figured, "Well if she did things this way...
0:24:50 > 0:24:52"..and everything turned out fine",
0:24:52 > 0:24:55then I wanted to do the same thing that she did,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58then I had to be strict.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01So me and Nick was in Kazakhstan and they was like,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03"Why don't you try some of this horse?"
0:25:06 > 0:25:11- 'Will's immense fortune and position now...'- 'Mm-hmm.'
0:25:11 > 0:25:15..has it affected your relationship with him in any way?
0:25:15 > 0:25:22No. You know, we're still close. When he's down or if he gets sick,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25the first thing he does is he picks up the phone.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29"Mama..." you know, "..my throat is hurting."
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Or, you know, "My stomach is hurting."
0:25:31 > 0:25:34- He still, to me, he's Willy.- Mmm.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39And he's left Will.i.am at his house.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Much has been written about his attention deficit disorder,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44or ADHD. Do you think that was real,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46or do you think it's just that he's got
0:25:46 > 0:25:49a very lively mind which skitters and changes
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and picks up lots of different things?
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Well, I know that he was hyper. He was very hyper.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56- Was he?- As a kid, yes.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59He walked at six months, you know.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02He was just like everywhere. Nothing could hold him.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06As soon as one project ends, comes to a completion,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09even before the project is completed, in his head
0:26:09 > 0:26:12he has another project that's getting ready to start.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14HE SCRATCHES RECORD
0:26:14 > 0:26:16DRUMS KICKS IN
0:26:16 > 0:26:18# Yeah, hip-hop, you don't stop.... #
0:26:18 > 0:26:21'Will promised me he'd fix the gramophone,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23'and true to his word, he has.'
0:26:23 > 0:26:25# We up in the place rocking, it's cool
0:26:25 > 0:26:28# I don't want to curse cos I'm up in here
0:26:28 > 0:26:30# I be up, up in the atmosphere... #
0:26:30 > 0:26:34'He's determined to please, which makes him all the more endearing.'
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Scratch. HE SCRATCHES RECORD
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- Mess it up. Anyways, yeah, it works. - Fantastic.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47MUSIC: "Good Morning" by Will.i.am
0:27:09 > 0:27:12So this is the morning after the first day of meeting Will.i.am,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14which was, to me, a revelation.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16What thrilled me was that I was allowed to come
0:27:16 > 0:27:19right into the heart of his family, who are SO important to him.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23And then to meet Apl.de.ap, his childhood friend who'd come
0:27:23 > 0:27:26from the Philippines with his own extraordinary story,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30and to see these two young men who'd made friends just as kids
0:27:30 > 0:27:33in Boyle Heights, which is just miles away
0:27:33 > 0:27:35and as different as can be from where he lives now.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Ever the gentleman, Will is picking me up at my hotel.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45He's taking me back to his old neighbourhood.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54- Hi, Will.- Hi, babe. Mmm.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58- Thank you for picking me up. - Oh, thank you.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59Let's go.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05God, I've just seen your gold shades. Woo!
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- Yeah, those are my gold ones. - Fantastic.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13- You look hot in those. - Woo-woo!- What's up, Joanna?
0:28:15 > 0:28:17'Will's father left before he was born,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20'and his mum often struggled to make ends meet.'
0:28:21 > 0:28:25When you're growing up and you're, like, seven, eight, nine,
0:28:25 > 0:28:26you don't know you're poor,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- especially if everyone else around you is poor.- Yeah.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I didn't even know what poor is.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32Then you realise it, like, when you're 14.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38And you start comparing... Comparing things.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42"Why are my shoes like this and my schoolmates' shoes are like that?"
0:28:43 > 0:28:45Like, "Ma, do you have any money?"
0:28:45 > 0:28:47"Boy, you ain't got no change."
0:28:47 > 0:28:51- Like, "Wow!- She probably didn't even have a dollar, did she?- No.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Just breaks my heart now, thinking about the fact that my mom,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56she probably wanted to say yes, but couldn't.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Half an hour after leaving Hollywood we arrive in Boyle Heights,
0:29:04 > 0:29:06the area Will grew up in.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Back then, gangs were commonplace.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13They still are, and the risk of young people getting involved
0:29:13 > 0:29:16or caught in the crossfire is very real.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Yes, these here are the rival projects, is what they call them.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28And then, a gang in this low income housing is called...
0:29:29 > 0:29:31I don't want to mention it.
0:29:33 > 0:29:38And then on the other side is where my neighbourhood is,
0:29:38 > 0:29:40and that's a gang over there.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44- And did you clash? - There was clashes and shootings.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46- Really?- Drive-bys and deaths.
0:29:51 > 0:29:52What was the neighbourhood like?
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Was it a bit tempting for children to go off the rails, do you think?
0:29:55 > 0:29:57- Yes.- Yeah.- Yes.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02I was a bit younger than the other mothers in our neighbourhood...
0:30:02 > 0:30:06and to see the way some of the kids were going,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08I used to be worried.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13You know, because he was so here and there and here and there.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15I used to protect him a little bit more.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20My older son, he can go out to play, but Will, I kept him inside.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23I protected him.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28'This is a neighbourhood of social housing,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30'or "projects" as they call them here.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32'Will lived in Estrada Courts.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36'His was the only black family in this
0:30:36 > 0:30:38'predominantly Latino community.'
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Good to see you. Where's your mom?
0:30:40 > 0:30:42- She's in the house. - Oh, tell her I said hi.- OK.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46- So that new little black girl?- Yeah.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48She's the only black girl in the neighbourhood.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52- Is she?- Hi, Will.i.am.- Hello.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55- Like my new doggy?- I like it. - My little friend.- It's your dog in there?- It's a dog!
0:30:55 > 0:30:57You thought I was sporting a new purse or something?
0:30:57 > 0:31:00- No, I thought you went shopping. - This is a Chihuahua?- Yeah.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02What a little beauty. Hello, sweetheart.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04- Oh, he's very well-behaved too. - Hello, baby.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Shit, I was going to sneak up on you!
0:31:06 > 0:31:08You can't sneak up on a playa.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11She used to have a crush on my uncle Donnie.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14- Still do. - LAUGHTER
0:31:14 > 0:31:17- How you doing, man?- Ahh, man! It's been a long time, man.- I know.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Oh, man. I remember when you used to be dancing right here.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24- Shit, about 30 years ago now.- Yeah.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28LATINO MUSIC PLAYS
0:31:31 > 0:31:34My mom was strict. She was like, "You can go outside and play"
0:31:34 > 0:31:35" - right there on that grass!"
0:31:35 > 0:31:40- Just this little square here?- Yeah. So I'm like, "Ma, can I go outside?"
0:31:40 > 0:31:42I only could play here.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46- Oh, Will, that's...- So if you remember, everyone said,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49"Hey, I remember you dancing right here."
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Because I only could come here.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54So if she'd seen me here, I would have to go inside.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58So usually I would always be here, dancing right here.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00HE SINGS TO HIMSELF
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Doing my little dance. I couldn't go there.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05I couldn't go there. I couldn't go anywhere else but here.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09LATINO MUSIC CONTINUES
0:32:09 > 0:32:11And they always used to play that music.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Mexican. There's my old house.
0:32:15 > 0:32:16(Hey.)
0:32:17 > 0:32:19KNOCK ON DOOR
0:32:21 > 0:32:24- Hi.- Hey, hey! Hello. - How are you?
0:32:24 > 0:32:25- How are you?- Good.- Hiya.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29If we may just look around and just see how it was when you were here.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Seemed a lot bigger when we were... No, wait.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34So the mirrors were here. Doo-doo-doo.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37And...
0:32:37 > 0:32:39TV was there sometimes. Mom moved it around.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42And this was a little heater, but my friend Hector
0:32:42 > 0:32:45lived on the other side, so we used to talk through the heater.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Nice gramophone.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54- Which was your bedroom? - This way.- This one?
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Yeah. This is me and my brother's bedroom.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- Yeah. How was the room set out then? - Oh, we slept on the floor.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05On the floor?
0:33:05 > 0:33:08So before, when we were little, we had bunk beds,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11- and then when we got a little older, we just slept on the floor.- Yeah.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Wow! It seemed a lot bigger when we were little.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17But you were just a little guy, don't you think?
0:33:17 > 0:33:19They added a shower. We didn't have showers.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28And this was my sister's room. Mom's room sometimes.
0:33:37 > 0:33:38HE HUMS TUNE
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Thank you. Thanks.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49I bet you don't remember me.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51We were always outside running around,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53and you'd give us candy sometimes.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56Yeah, cos we used to go get candy from the candy lady over there.
0:33:58 > 0:33:59Thank you, guys.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Oh, happy birthday!
0:34:06 > 0:34:08'Will stays connected to where he grew up.'
0:34:08 > 0:34:09Be good in school too.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11And me?
0:34:11 > 0:34:15'He's keen to contribute to the education of neighbourhood kids.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17'Last year, he donated computers to their library.'
0:34:19 > 0:34:20- How you doing?- Good.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23- Had a meeting at the White House... - No kidding?
0:34:23 > 0:34:25- Three days ago.- Uh-huh?
0:34:26 > 0:34:28And I left President Obama this brochure on
0:34:28 > 0:34:33how I want to turn my community around. Hopefully he responds.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36There's no reason why every kid shouldn't be here utilising it.
0:34:36 > 0:34:41- Sure, yeah.- And it's great that, you know, it's staffed properly.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43PUPILS AND WILL LAUGH
0:34:43 > 0:34:44See you later.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46'Will believes that getting a good education was what
0:34:46 > 0:34:48'opened his eyes as a young boy.'
0:34:50 > 0:34:51All right, we have to jam on it.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53# Get down on it Come on and get down on it... #
0:34:53 > 0:34:56'He wasn't educated in his own neighbourhood, he was bussed to a
0:34:56 > 0:34:58'school nearly 20 miles away from home
0:34:58 > 0:35:00'when he was only eight years old.'
0:35:02 > 0:35:06So they were enrolled in the Magna Program, which is
0:35:06 > 0:35:09basically a higher learning, gifted.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12- You know, smart kids.- Yeah.
0:35:15 > 0:35:21The bus was anywhere from an hour to an hour and 45 minutes.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- Each way? - Mm-hmm. Every day.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26- It's quite a thing for little children, isn't it?- Mm-hmm.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28- But it was worth it? - It was well worth it.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34Today, we're making the journey in Will's 100,000 Tesla,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37which he's told me is the ultimate electric car.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41- It's like the best car in the world. - It's brilliant.
0:35:41 > 0:35:42You just do that...
0:35:44 > 0:35:45Amazing!
0:35:48 > 0:35:50- It's fast.- Yeah.- Really.- Yeah.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53- See, I told you.- Oh-oh-oh!
0:35:55 > 0:35:57HE RAPS: # Zoom-zoomy
0:35:57 > 0:36:00# That's what they call me when I'm in my car with a lotta room-roomy. #
0:36:05 > 0:36:09The school was in the wealthy Brentwood district of Los Angeles.
0:36:14 > 0:36:15But this was like 30 years ago.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22- Hello. Alice Taylor. - Hi, Miss Taylor.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Welcome back. I'm the principal.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26- Good to see you. - You're the principal?- Yes.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28- Whoa! - A-ha.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30- You're the principal?- Yes.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Wow! The principal used to be much older.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34Let's go this way.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Thank you for not hitting us, boys.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42See, some things never change.
0:36:42 > 0:36:43It's over here.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49Will is looking for his old classroom where his favourite
0:36:49 > 0:36:50teacher, Mr Wright, taught.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56The sixth grade with Mr Wright and I think it was room 33.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Yeah, it was room 33, my sixth grade teacher's class.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Dude, it is room 33. It's Mr Wright!
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Oh, good to see you.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Surprise, huh?
0:37:13 > 0:37:15It's crazy.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Yeah, this was our room, right? I'm pretty sure.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18Yeah. I was right there.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Yeah. I haven't seen this.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22My wife dug it out for me.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Those are the teachers and there's your class.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Yeah. There I go, look at me.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34We had a lot of fun, though, in this class.
0:37:34 > 0:37:35Was Mr Wright a special teacher?
0:37:35 > 0:37:37I mean, it's quite odd to say it when he's standing here.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39- Oh, no. So there's... - Influential.
0:37:39 > 0:37:40..two teachers that...
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Well, not even teachers, two people that actually moulded how
0:37:43 > 0:37:47I look at the world and how I see myself.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50It's Mr Wright first who, when we graduated, I remember that day.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52- I was, like, I thought... - I remember it too.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55..I wasn't going to graduate. I was, like, crying.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56Like, "Am I going to graduate?"
0:37:56 > 0:38:00He was, like, "Just ask questions."
0:38:00 > 0:38:03You know, and ever since then I've been curious
0:38:03 > 0:38:05and asking all the while these questions.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Yeah, that's great.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11That's great. I always try to do that.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14You can be your own teacher, you know.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Can I have your autograph?
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- Can I have your autograph? - What's your name?
0:38:20 > 0:38:23Always everybody call me Jamie Foxx.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25They do, cos you look like Jamie Foxx.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26See you later.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28Thank you.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Bye, guys. Bye.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36# Great times are coming
0:38:38 > 0:38:40# Coming down the boulevard
0:38:41 > 0:38:44# Coming down the avenue
0:38:45 > 0:38:48# I can see it from a bird's eye view
0:38:49 > 0:38:51# Here come the good times... #
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Just when I think he's driving me back to the hotel,
0:38:54 > 0:38:58a tireless Will decides to show me a venture very close to his heart.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02This programme that I started called EKOCYCLE.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Yeah.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07So I came up with the concept in 2008.
0:39:07 > 0:39:13Pitched it to Coca Cola in 2009 and it became an official thing in 2011.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16- And it feels like regular cloth. - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19- These pants I'm wearing are EKOCYCLE pants.- Stop it.- Yeah.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21I daren't put my hand across on your leg
0:39:21 > 0:39:23cos that would be wrong but I'm going to do it.
0:39:23 > 0:39:24- Fantastic.- Yeah.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28That feels like smooth mohair or something. Really beautiful.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35It's an uphill battle to turn what one would call
0:39:35 > 0:39:39waste into aspirational fabrics.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41People come to things slowly.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45I heard that in advertising you have to say something seven times before people get it.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- Tell me about this.- Oh, remember I was telling you in the car?- Yeah.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00So, like, this is a water bottle.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03So they take a water bottle and they turn it into these flakes, right?
0:40:03 > 0:40:04Yeah.
0:40:05 > 0:40:06Sheesh!
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Then they refine those flakes to even thinner flakes.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- Then they turn them into... - Cotton wool.- Cotton.- Yeah, cotton.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Then we take that cotton wool and we turn it into this thread.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23- That's extraordinary.- Yeah. And then we weave that thread...
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- Feels like silk.- ..into fabric.
0:40:27 > 0:40:28Wow!
0:40:28 > 0:40:30So that's the process.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33This is almost unbelievable, isn't it?
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Or we take it and make headphones.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Oh! That's a tail coat! Please!
0:40:39 > 0:40:40Yeah.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43My husband's a conductor - do you think I could ever get him
0:40:43 > 0:40:45into one of these again?
0:40:45 > 0:40:46This is so nice. He might wear this.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48He doesn't like the pompous ones.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51- Am I allowed to buy this? - No, that's a gift.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54- No, it can't be a gift. - OK, cool, that'll cost 2,000.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Amazing. Amazing.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Oh! I just love this.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08I mean, this is surely one of the most extraordinary
0:41:08 > 0:41:12sidelines for somebody who's kind of a rock idol.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14The man amazes.
0:41:16 > 0:41:17Whoa!
0:41:19 > 0:41:21You feel the torque.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24- Did you feel that?- Whoa!
0:41:24 > 0:41:25It's crazy.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31That was us going zoom, wasn't it?
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Yeah, that was that we just did.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35RAP MUSIC
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Well, Will, thank you so much.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- Thanks, Joanna. - Thanks for today.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52- See you later. - Thank you, babe.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54- See you later. - See you tomorrow.
0:42:01 > 0:42:09So, an extraordinary day. I've got this sensational Coca-Cola bottle.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12I mean, can you believe it? Miracles or what?
0:42:14 > 0:42:17# I went to sleep last night
0:42:17 > 0:42:19# Tired from the fight
0:42:19 > 0:42:23# I've been fighting for tomorrow all my life
0:42:23 > 0:42:25# I woke up this morning
0:42:25 > 0:42:28# Feeling brand-new... #
0:42:28 > 0:42:33I have to keep reminding myself that will.i.am makes music but you can
0:42:33 > 0:42:36sometimes forget that with his enthusiasm for new technology
0:42:36 > 0:42:38and what it can do.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44He's launched products through his own hardware business,
0:42:44 > 0:42:47taken a computer science course...
0:42:47 > 0:42:51But his biggest investment to date is a state-of-the-art building
0:42:51 > 0:42:53appropriately called The Future.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58This is the place that Will has been longing to show us.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02The technology I think he will have installed there will be mesmeric.
0:43:02 > 0:43:03I won't understand a lot of it
0:43:03 > 0:43:07because I'm extremely stupid about things like this.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10There's a truck the size of a train coming past us.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Anyway, driving in his car with him,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18that fantastic car which is electric and white
0:43:18 > 0:43:21and seemed to be about as futuristic as you can get, he already found
0:43:21 > 0:43:25that the technology in that has been leapfrogged, is slightly outdated.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28He's going, "This wouldn't work with that because that would work with that."
0:43:28 > 0:43:32He's thinking, in a way, light years ahead. It's fascinating.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42Is Will around?
0:43:42 > 0:43:45Hey, Willy! What is this?
0:43:45 > 0:43:47- How are ya? - Good to see you.
0:43:47 > 0:43:48Good to see you too.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53- Want to do a tour? - Would you do that?- Yeah. Yeah.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56As you can see, we're still doing construction.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Oh, shucks. I'll be right back. I'll come in from the side.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01- I'll guard the door for you. - Wait for me there.
0:44:03 > 0:44:04Oh, God!
0:44:04 > 0:44:07So when it's all complete and it's all finished it'll be
0:44:07 > 0:44:14the ultimate audio, visual, social creative facility.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18- Over there, on that side, is, like, our vocal booth.- Yeah.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20So, when this is complete, this will be the editing facility.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22You don't have to wait,
0:44:22 > 0:44:27like, five months to do a video or five months of fine product for it.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29It all happens here.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31It's like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
0:44:31 > 0:44:36Remember Mike Teavee? That was my favourite movie, Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38I used to love Willy Wonka.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42- So, in a way, it's like today's Willy Wonka.- Yes, it is.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45Except for I'm Willy and I'm chocolate and this is my factory.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51So now the only light that's in the room is coming from the walls.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53And here is our conference room.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56So, over here, is where the 3D printing will be.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58So here's our rest room.
0:44:59 > 0:45:00Oh, look at this!
0:45:01 > 0:45:02Oh!
0:45:10 > 0:45:11We haven't been in here, have we?
0:45:11 > 0:45:13No, I'd have recognised this guy.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16This is for the comic book
0:45:16 > 0:45:18that I wrote called Wizards And Robots.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20This is our lead character for our comic.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23We have all the technical details of how he operates and what he's made of.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25And just one red eye?
0:45:25 > 0:45:30- Well, he doesn't really need eyes. - He doesn't need to see.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32The world of comics, that's not my world
0:45:32 > 0:45:33but I respect that world.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36- Yeah. - My world is music, entertainment.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40Being here in The Future with Will shows all the different aspects
0:45:40 > 0:45:42of his grasshopper personality
0:45:42 > 0:45:45but the heart of this whole place is still a recording studio
0:45:45 > 0:45:49and he's about to create a song for me from scratch.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52I'll call it Joanna.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54Joanna.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58I realise that it's in here he feels most at home
0:45:58 > 0:46:02and perhaps it's here that I'll find the real man behind the music.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07Right, so now I've got that. Boom-boom. Boom-boom. Ba-doom-boom.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10No, that was very George Of The Jungle.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Let me get rid of that. I didn't like that.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17Me in the house with Joanna-anna.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19I'm in the house with Joanna-anna-wanna.
0:46:19 > 0:46:26I got my little rhythm. I got a blueprint. Jam!
0:46:26 > 0:46:29Shazam! Now I gotta put some music in there, right?
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Some instruments. Some emotion.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33HARSH BLEEP Not that.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36Will, you seem to me a sort of person who, no matter what you've achieved,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39you're always taking risks. You're always going a bit further.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43- Why is that, do you think? - I remember living in that ghetto, coming from nothing,
0:46:43 > 0:46:47and I never dreamed I would have a studio like this.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50What do I want to do? Imagine you won the World Cup.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52First thing you'd say is, like, "Man, we did it!"
0:46:52 > 0:46:55It's cool. It's going. It's growing, it's growing.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57Pretty cool. Almost got it.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59Almost got it.
0:47:02 > 0:47:03That's cool.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07You're just about to do your first solo tour, is that scary?
0:47:07 > 0:47:09Feels weird.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Why?
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Because I'm used to performing with the Peas.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18I miss my group. It's going to be a great show.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26Let me get this chord right.
0:47:26 > 0:47:31I don't need to make music any more, but I love to make music.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35But there's something else I have to get. I'm reaching for something else.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37MUSIC PLAYS
0:47:48 > 0:47:50That's it, right there.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53Yes! Then, it's rockings. Then, it's rockings.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57'I'm ignoring my problems and I'm paying attention to my dreams.'
0:47:57 > 0:47:59HE SINGS TO HIMSELF
0:47:59 > 0:48:03'So, you just got to put yourself in the situation of opportunity,
0:48:03 > 0:48:05'optimism, confidence,
0:48:05 > 0:48:08'determination, discipline,'
0:48:08 > 0:48:10surrounding yourself with good people.
0:48:11 > 0:48:12You know?
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Good people. That's how you get there.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Even though I love my neighbourhood that I come from.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25We still go back there.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28But I love my neighbourhood, but, damn, imagine I stayed there?
0:48:28 > 0:48:30What?!
0:48:30 > 0:48:35Imagine I never met apl. Life would be fucked.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40Imagine I had a different mom. What?!
0:48:41 > 0:48:46Or my brother was a... You know, if he went the other way
0:48:46 > 0:48:50and joined a gang, my life would be fucked.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55And I never would've had this place.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Don't be afraid of the dark.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Look inside, grab your heart, let it shine, let it shine.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06If it's dark outside, shine your light.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Oh, shit, that's nice.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12# Don't be afraid of the dark
0:49:12 > 0:49:15# Grab your light in your heart
0:49:15 > 0:49:18# Cos you will be all right
0:49:18 > 0:49:21# You will be all right. #
0:49:21 > 0:49:25If you had to think of one word
0:49:25 > 0:49:27that's most important to you or that sums you up
0:49:27 > 0:49:29or that would be, kind of, like a little beacon.
0:49:29 > 0:49:30Will.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36Not in an egotistical way, either. Just the will
0:49:36 > 0:49:38and not the thing you write before you die.
0:49:38 > 0:49:44The will... To have will... Determination.
0:49:44 > 0:49:49To have strength, courage - will.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51MUSIC PLAYS
0:49:51 > 0:49:54# You'll be all right
0:49:54 > 0:49:57# You will be all right
0:49:57 > 0:50:01# You will be all right
0:50:01 > 0:50:02# Don't be afraid
0:50:02 > 0:50:04# Of the sky
0:50:04 > 0:50:08# Spread your wings Then just take to the sky
0:50:08 > 0:50:09# And just fly
0:50:10 > 0:50:12# And just fly
0:50:12 > 0:50:16# You won't fall, you won't fall Cos you know you can fly
0:50:16 > 0:50:18# You'll be all right
0:50:18 > 0:50:21# You will be all right
0:50:21 > 0:50:24# You will be all right
0:50:24 > 0:50:26# You will be all
0:50:26 > 0:50:29# Right, all right, all right... #
0:50:31 > 0:50:34- That's cool.- Fantastic!
0:50:35 > 0:50:38- Thanks, babe.- Thanks, Joanna.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41I love you!
0:50:41 > 0:50:42HE SINGS
0:50:42 > 0:50:44'That was just extraordinary.'
0:50:44 > 0:50:49'We spent four hours in there and, like a patchwork quilt being made,
0:50:49 > 0:50:53the privilege of watching Will gradually putting
0:50:53 > 0:50:57the piece together, the way that he does it.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59He invented that song while he was sitting there.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01He hadn't thought of it before. Fantastic.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05It's going be called All Right.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Whoa! I was there.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16It's my last morning in Los Angeles.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22I thought about Will in the recording studio last night
0:51:22 > 0:51:26and just how aware he is of where his story might have ended
0:51:26 > 0:51:28without his family's deep love and support.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35I feel he is grateful to them every day.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43He has asked me to meet him back at Boyle Heights,
0:51:43 > 0:51:46before I go to the airport.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50He wants me to see his charity, i.am College Track.
0:51:50 > 0:51:55It's a programme that helps local kids go to college.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58So, here it is.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02- i.am College? - i.am College Track Centre.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05And my aunt works across the street, at the police station.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07So if any of our students get out of hand,
0:52:07 > 0:52:10we're connected to some pretty cool people.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11So, let's go meet some of the kids.
0:52:12 > 0:52:13Thank you.
0:52:15 > 0:52:16Hi.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20- We've only been doing this for two years now.- Yeah.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Expected outcomes by 2016 -
0:52:22 > 0:52:26100% of seniors will graduate from high school, 95% will be eligible
0:52:26 > 0:52:30for a four-year college and 75% will graduate from college in six years.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Will kick-started this after-school programme
0:52:34 > 0:52:37and helped raise the 15 million needed for the building
0:52:37 > 0:52:38and for teaching 120 students.
0:52:41 > 0:52:46- He come from the same projects as me. What street?- 100th Street.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Yeah, that's where my grandma used to live, on 100th Street.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51My aunt used to live right down the street from there.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54ALARM WAILS
0:52:55 > 0:52:56# Clear the place!
0:52:58 > 0:53:00- # Clear the place! # - They want you out!
0:53:02 > 0:53:05'Will is a conscious philanthropist.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09Last year, he donated £500,000 to The Prince's Trust in the UK,
0:53:09 > 0:53:13to fund enterprise schemes, with a focus on technology.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Will.i.am - that means future eye.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24This i.am College Track is,
0:53:24 > 0:53:28sort of, everything he's really been dreaming of.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31This extraordinary thing of, not so much giving it back,
0:53:31 > 0:53:34but passing on all the good luck and all the fortune and love
0:53:34 > 0:53:37and support and inspiration he had.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41'Unlike most people in the world, he wants to pass it on.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44'A lot of people just go, "Oh, well, I was lucky and that's the way
0:53:44 > 0:53:48"it was." Keep their doors shut. Will's got all his doors open
0:53:48 > 0:53:49'all the time.'
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Gosh, the sun's beginning to set and I've got to go now.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56- Oh, have a safe flight. - I hate it.- I'll see you in London.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59- I'll see you in London.- Maybe see you backstage?- I will. Can I?
0:53:59 > 0:54:03- You take care.- You, too. Doo-wop. Bam! Boom! Wham! Jam!
0:54:03 > 0:54:06THEY LAUGH
0:54:06 > 0:54:08- Bye, Will!- Bam! Boom! Wham! Jam!
0:54:08 > 0:54:11This man has become a bit of a hero for me.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17I get why he needs to give back. It's his way of saying thanks.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26For now, it's goodbye LA and goodbye Mr Will.i.am.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Well, it's a month since I left Will in California
0:54:46 > 0:54:50and now, this is mid-winter in England and Will's coming over
0:54:50 > 0:54:54to do his first solo gig, at the O2 Arena, which is just extraordinary.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57# If you love it like I love it
0:54:58 > 0:55:00# And you feel what I feel inside... #
0:55:01 > 0:55:05And I know he's a bit jittery about doing a solo gig.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Not jittery, he's never jittery, he's not a jittery guy,
0:55:08 > 0:55:11but this is the first time he's performed on his own.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13It's something else. It's really thrilling.
0:55:13 > 0:55:14I wonder what it'll be like.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15I wonder...
0:55:15 > 0:55:19- FAKE DRAMATICISM: - I wonder if he'll remember me.
0:55:22 > 0:55:2520,000 fans will see Will tonight
0:55:25 > 0:55:27and a lucky few get to meet him backstage.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30- I like your shirt.- Thank you!
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Good to see you again.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52- Hey!- Are you talking, Will? - No, no.- Are you doing stuff?
0:55:52 > 0:55:56- Good to see you.- How are you? - I'm all right.- It's great to see you.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59- Good to see you, too.- Yeah. - I'm in your city.- Yeah. You're here.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03- It's your city, as well. - Yeah, but it's your city first.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07- No, you're an honorary Brit. You are.- No.- You are.- Kind of.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10I wanted to ask you something - is it going to be odd without the Peas?
0:56:10 > 0:56:14- This will be show number four. - Yeah.- So...- How was the first show
0:56:14 > 0:56:16- without them? - The first show was emotional.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20- Yeah.- Yeah, that brings some water in the eyes.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24- Did you start?- No, I controlled them. I was gangster about it.- Yeah!
0:56:24 > 0:56:28- Last thing you want to do is be like boo-hooing on stage.- Sure.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32Will, what do you do? As an actor, before we going on stage,
0:56:32 > 0:56:34we do, kind of, mouth exercises...
0:56:36 > 0:56:37Do you do anything before the show?
0:56:37 > 0:56:42- We go on the internet. - Yeah.- We Google things.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46We talk about what we did wrong yesterday, try to fix it. We laugh.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53- What time is it?- Time we left.- 6.48.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57- Auf wiedersehen.- Danke schon. - Bye-bye, babe.- Bye-bye.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01Danke schon, in German, means "I thank you".
0:57:04 > 0:57:07Will has only got 15 minutes to change before the show begins.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10And in the arena, the anticipation is building.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25Have a great show. It's going to be so fantastic.
0:57:25 > 0:57:30- I'm real nervous.- I love you, Will. Come on! Don't be afraid.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33- I'm not afraid. I'm nervous. Nerves are good.- Nerves are good.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36You just control them.
0:57:36 > 0:57:37You're beautiful.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39- See you soon.- Bye-bye.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44MUFFLED CHEERING AND CLAPPING
0:57:44 > 0:57:46Let's do it.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55With his charm and courtesy, his energy, generosity
0:57:55 > 0:57:59and inventiveness, Will.i.am is surely a Renaissance Man
0:57:59 > 0:58:05for our times. And I've enjoyed every moment of being with him.
0:58:05 > 0:58:06CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:58:08 > 0:58:12# Bigger, better, stronger, power
0:58:15 > 0:58:16# I got that power
0:58:19 > 0:58:20# I got that power
0:58:22 > 0:58:24# I got that power
0:58:24 > 0:58:27# Power, power, power
0:58:27 > 0:58:28# They call me Will-A
0:58:28 > 0:58:31# Stay so cool, I'm chilly
0:58:31 > 0:58:32# I done made that milli
0:58:32 > 0:58:34# On my way to that billi
0:58:34 > 0:58:36# Used to have a piggy bank
0:58:36 > 0:58:38# But now I got that bigger bank
0:58:38 > 0:58:40# Who cares what the haters think?
0:58:40 > 0:58:43# They hatin' on me cos I'm doin' what they can't
0:58:43 > 0:58:45# I stay on that hustle I flex that mental muscle.... #