The Black Eyed Peas announced this week that they would “take a break” from the whole music industry, album recording-thing. After original members will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo ditched their underground hip hop roots, signed Fergie and went mainstream, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that they would continue to rake in piles of dough, but despite being massively profitable it appears there were cracks beneath the Tron-colored surface. will.i.am purportedly is a bit of a control freak in the studio, and with Will’s producing and solo career blowing up, and Fergie’s solo potential already established, apl.de.ap and Taboo start to look a little unnecessary rappelling onstage alongside them. In their passing at least they left us with such classics as Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling, and at least one bonkers performance at the Superbowl XLV halftime show.