will.i.am reveals how he found major success with Beats by Dre

Earlier today (March 5), HipHopDX published an interview with will.i.am that began with the Black Eyed Peas frontman discussing his relationship with Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine. The rapper-producer then revealed how that connection led to the creation of Beats by Dre.

“I come home from tour one day and I’m like, ‘Yo Jimmy, these brands are pimping us, using our reach to sell their product. We need to make our own product, our own hardware,'” he recalled. "So Jimmy classically says, 'You know why they call it hardware, will? ‘Cause it’s hard.'"

It didn't take long before Dr. Dre became part of the conversation. "So then a year later, he’s like, 'I was talking to Dre and Dre was walking down the beach with his manager, and his manager told him he should sell sneakers.' And I remembered our conversation and I told Dre, ‘F**k sneakers. Let’s sell speakers!’ You wanna be a part of it?" will.i.am said. He then confirmed being an equity shareholder in Beats by Dre and clarified that his contribution "was to think, and brainstorm, and see around corners." He also reflected on the inclusion of the Black Eyed Peas' hit "Boom Pow Pow" in one of the company's earlier commercials.

"You don’t always have to be the dude in the front. No. You just want to be a player that adds points on the board, whether you’re doing it invisibly or visibly," will.i.am said. "Actually, being invisible is where it’s at."

Beats by Dre proved to be a massive success. In 2012, market research firm NPD Group, which is now known as Circana, reported that Beats' market share was 64 percent in the United States for headphones priced higher than $100. In 2014, Apple acquired Beats for $3 billion in cash and stocks — a move that became the largest acquisition in Apple's history.

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