Black Eyed Peas w/ Ludacris and LMFAO

The Black Eyed Peas began innocuously in the late ’90s as a trio of break-dancers turned rappers to preach a message of positivity. That was, of course, before the 2003 addition of Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson, a former child star with a colorful past. With Fergie’s added sass and sex appeal, the hits came quickly“Where Is the Love?” “Let’s Get It Started,” “Don’t Phunk With My Heart,” “My Humps,” “Pump It” and, most recently, the behemoths “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling.” With these commercial triumphs, however, one of hip-hop’s most harmless bands emerged as one of pop’s most contentious institutions. Black Eyed Peas’ 2009 album The E.N.D. is, depending on your disposition, either the group’s boldest album yet, or its dumbest. It’s a 67-minute assault on the senses constructed from many of Top 40 pop’s most divisive trends, like Auto-Tune, hop-scotch raps, club call-outs and, well, Fergie. Opener Ludacris this week released his seventh studio album, Battle of the Sexes, which features the whimsical Atlanta rapper’s latest hit, “How Low.” Also on the bill is LMFAO, whose fusion of rap and club music makes the Black Eyed Peas seem downright understated.