will.i.am Parents: Meet Debra Adams, William Adams Sr.

will.i.am is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur. He is the son of Debra Adams and William Adams Sr.

His mother is African American and his father is Jamaican. He never met his father and was raised by his mother in the Estrada Courts housing projects in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood where they were among the few African-Americans living in a largely Hispanic neighbourhood.

will.i.am’s mother urged him to be different and to avoid conforming to the trends of the other young people in the neighbourhood. She sent him to public schools in the more affluent West Los Angeles area, such as Paul Revere Charter Middle School which was an hour’s bus ride away, to develop his musical career.

Will.i.am began his music career as an eighth-grader in the summer of 1988, when he met rapper Allan Pineda (better known as apl.de.ap) and fellow student Dante Santiago. He rose to notoriety as the Black Eyed Peas’ founder and lead singer.

Aside from his music career, will.i.am is involved in various entrepreneurial ventures. He has founded and invested in several technology companies, including i.am+, a company focused on wearable technology. He has also been a coach on the UK version of the reality singing competition “The Voice.”