Black Eyed Peas speak out on gun violence, immigration in new “Big Love” video
Just weeks before the crucial midterm elections, the Black Eyed Peas are stepping into the political fray with an important message.
The Grammy-winning group released two music videos for their song “Big Love” on Friday that drew attention to immigration and to the gun violence debate.
Fergie doesn’t appear in the videos and it’s not clear if she’s still part of the group, according to the Associated Press.
Proceeds from the two songs will benefit March for Our Lives, the movement formed after the fatal Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and Families Belong Together, a group opposed to the White House policy of separating children from families when their detained at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the version of the “Big Love” video that takes on the gun issue, will.i.am and Taboo play a gym teacher and coach who are shot along with several students during a school shooting. Apl.de.ap plays a police officer in the video.
The other version of “Big Love” that focuses on immigration shows U.S. border patrol agents arresting people attempting to cross the border into the United States.
The group posted messages on Twitter on Friday explaining to fans what it saw as the necessity for the videos.
“Our video may be hard to watch but these are realities taking place in the U.S. today,” they posted. “We all need to speak up for change. We all need BIG LOVE. For the full music video head to BIGLOVE.com. Special thanks to @AMarch4OurLives.”
The group also posted, “In a time where our Gov can take kids away from their parents but can’t take guns away from kids, we all need to speak up,” the Twitter post read.
Fans seem to be in love with the group’s move.
“This is why I listen to/love @bep: because you tell it is and I can relate to most of your songs,” posted @Theo33YT to Twitter. “I’m only 14.”
Posted @RezMama805, “Just watched it and I am literally sobbing. Such powerful and gut-wrenching imagery. Your video will make it real for a lot of people, including me who thought I was empathetic already.”
“Big Love” will be part of the “Masters of the Sun,” the group’s first album since 2010. The album will be released Oct. 12.
