Will.i.am has reached the heights of success as a co-founder of the Black Eyed Peas and as a savvy tech investor.
Interestingly, the super producer claims he lives in a hotel.
While speaking at the AfroTech conference in Houston this week, Will has not yet purchased his own home.
“As far as the idea of ‘I made it,’ I don’t think I made it, because every milestone takes me to the next milestone,” Will.i.am told PEOPLE. “I’m making it. I’ve never had a house. I bought myself a studio. I have my office, but I stay in a hotel. But I don’t have a house because I ain’t bought the house that says ‘I made it.”
After growing up in the projects of South Central Los Angeles, the idea of “home” still motivates him.
“I remember my mom was like, ‘Wait, put your clothes on. You go up here to get our food stamps. Sit in this line to get this cheese. When you are in a project, that’s your reality,” Will.i.am explained. “You come outside, your best friend that you grew up with is no longer with you because he got shot and you want to dream different. That’s where I get ambition from.”
As the founder and CEO of Fyi.AI, a new messenger and tool for streamlining apps, Will shared the importance of his app during the conference.
“You don’t need a thousand apps, especially when apps don’t talk to each other,” Will.i.am said. “With FYI it’s all in one place, your news, your calendar, your collaborative work. It may sound like a foreign concept, but eventually, it’s going to be the system.”
Regarded as one of the greatest music innovators of his generation, Will is committed to uplifting the community where he’s from.
“I go back to the projects every weekend when I’m home. And I’ve done that since when I was living there,” he said.
He also noted that he was inspired to make a greater impact in his hometown after volunteering for tsunami relief in Indonesia.
“I was like, ‘Wow, there’s a tsunami that happens in every hood, every single day.” Will.i.am shared. “It’s not a tsunami of water but one of no opportunity, of neglect, of bad food, bad zoning. I thought, ‘Why am I not giving back to my own neighborhood?”
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