Getting the Feeling With Black Eyed Peas' Taboo

By Ilena Ryan

Monday, 07 February 2011 15:56

After working on the London-based show X Factor, Jaime Gomez, more famously known as Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas, is glad to come home to his wife and two kids. Being a member of one of the biggest bands out there, jet-setting around the world is no new thing for Taboo. Between that, writing his autobiography, Fallin’ Up, and designing and launching two sneaker lines, he’s learned how to balance all of the elements of his life: his burgeoning career, his wife and his children.
For Taboo, getting to this point in his life has not come easy. What’s gotten him through is a passion for performance and music. A natural performer from the age of 5, Taboo was pushed by his grandmother to pursue his talents professionally. “My grandmother would introduce me when I’d come in the room: ‘Give it up for Jaime Gomez!’ and I would perform to Spanish songs, and then rap songs back in the ’80s when Slick Rick first came out … my grandmother was always the person that spearheaded that,” he says.

The dream became a reality because Taboo was able to share his passion for performing with friends who had similar interests (the names Will.i.am and apl.de.ap from the Black Eyed Peas might sound familiar). “Finding a group of people that had the same vision that I had was key. When I first met Will.i.am and apl.de.ap in ’92, they were actually signed to a different label. It didn’t work out for them and in ’95 they started a whole new thing, which was Black Eyed Peas. Will.i.am had actually asked me to perform with them and from there on we started performing as Black Eyed Peas.”
When he began performing with the Peas, Taboo was balancing a very unglamorous job at Disneyland with getting on stage at night. “I used to work for Disneyland picking up horse manure,” he recalls with little nostalgia. He soon realized that the 9-5 aspect of his life wasn’t working. “I just remember feeling like, Wow, this is not who I am. I’m not meant to be working 9-5. I’m meant to be on stage, making people happy, providing therapy through music. I just wanted to do music and I didn’t want to settle for any other job.”

But pursuing a music career didn’t come without a price. A father to Joshua Gomez at the age of 18, Taboo found life on the road difficult. “One of the biggest hardships was being away from my son. Sometimes I had to be away and sacrifice the time that we could spend together so I could provide for his future,” he says.
A lack of support from his old-fashioned and traditional parents also made Taboo’s career choice difficult. “They wanted me to pursue a different career but I was motivated and inspired to do music and I would tell them, ‘Please support me, please believe in my dream.’” He relied on friends to help keep him focused. “I had best friends who had that same vision and drive that kept my hopes alive.”
It was only a matter of time before hard work paid off. After the addition of another well-known bandmate, Fergie, the Peas began to climb the ladder of success. The blend of personalities fused perfectly in the studio and onstage. “Will.i.am is the centerpiece, he is the head of Voltron (the band likes to use the analogy of the ’80s cartoon Voltron when referring to its dynamic). He’s the conductor of the whole ceremony. Fergie is the voice, the face, apl is the skeletal system, and I’m kind of like the heart, because I keep the rhythm going. I’m getting the people riled up, making sure everyone’s involved in the audience. I’m a performer and I give you 150 percent every time we perform.” he says.
Taboo has watched the band evolve, though he hasn’t had much time to really reflect on it. “We’ve been on such a roller coaster of fun and excitement, and just when you think it can’t get any bigger, it does. I thought, Wow we did the Oprah Winfrey Show, that’s big, and then, Wow we had a song on the Billboard charts for 26 weeks at #1, and now, We’ve got the Superbowl, the halftime show at the Superbowl! Only people like the Rolling Stones, U2, Prince, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney – those are the people who do the Superbowl. And now you’ve got the Black Eyed Peas. We haven’t been in the game that long, but for some reason, they see us as a stamp in the music world to give us that opportunity. We’re honored and we’re so happy to be doing it.”
It seems inevitable that audiences will be hoping to hear the crowd favorite “I Gotta Feeling” which, not surprisingly, is Taboo’s favorite to perform as well. “Any place, any time, any type of crowd will go wild for that song. Even if they don’t know Black Eyed Peas, that song is so infectious that it’s one of a kind. It’s rare that there’s a song that will do that to people and we got that song,” he says of the group’s Grammy-winning, record-breaking song.
In addition to performing at major venues like the Superbowl, Taboo keeps busy with two sneaker lines. The Taboo x Jump Collection, sold at retail stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, was an opportunity for Taboo to team up with Victor Hsu of JUMP shoes and create unique designs that stemmed from his love for sneakers that started at a young age. “I’ve been a collector of shoes since I was 12 years old. [It started] with Air Jordans and it just kept on evolving. Throughout my travels, going overseas, I was able to get certain shoes that were exclusive, like from Japan, Korea or Thailand … wherever my journey took me I got shoes from there. And I started thinking to myself, Why am I paying so much for shoes when I can just create my own shoe line?”
Remembering his days as a kid collecting sneakers, Taboo looked to create an affordable line for kids who weren’t able to pay the hefty price tag on the Taboo x Jump sneakers. He teamed up with Foot Action to create the Taboo Delta, a lower-priced sneaker that is “still beautiful to look at, sexy, flexible. When I perform on stage I want to be able to move in those shoes, so I designed the sneaker for a person who likes to move,” he explains.

In Fallin’ Up, Taboo traces his life’s ups and downs with no sugar coating. “I wanted to provide hope and inspire somebody who has gone through the same steps of being a young parent or trying to trace a career and accomplishing it, and going through a dark period of getting caught up in it.” He takes readers through an emotional journey that he describes as “therapeutic,” giving them an intimate look into his life. “I want them to take away my voice as an individual, something that people don’t hear a lot of, get to know who I am as an individual, as a person, see the struggles I’ve had to go through. I’ve managed to overcome the darkest hour of my life, being arrested and getting caught up in that lifestyle of drugs and alcohol, that thing that a lot of artists go through and speak about, but I had the opportunity to change that and I’m just blessed that I have my two sons and my wife that really are supporting me.”
For Taboo, that support system is essential. While he’s on tour, the partnership with his wife provides a strong bond that overcomes distance. “My wife is here putting it down, making sure the kids are straight, the house is straight, and I’m over there on the grind. We both have duties that we have to take control of. We as a team have to work together to make it happen for us, so for me it’s all about the support system, because it’s dangerous out there in the world. I’m just glad that I’m always able to come home and have peace of mind, my kids and my wife, and that keeps me level.”
As for what’s next for Taboo, he’s looking forward to being a father again (a new baby is on the way), more philanthropic work, more Black Eyed Peas shows, and of course, the Superbowl halftime show. And that night’s gonna be a good, good night…