"Don't Stop the Party" is a song by American hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas. The song was written by members will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie, along with Joshua Alvarez, and DJ Ammo, and was produced by will.i.am. and DJ Ammo for the group's sixth studio album, The Beginning (2010). The song, described as "a hot club jam," features will.i.am rapping in a thick, Caribbean patois.[1]
The song received mixed reviews from music critics, some of them criticizing the use of will.i.am.'s wordplay and characterizing it as "more of the same dancefloor song." Still, others thought that the song was an "exhilarating and whirlwind track."[2][3][4][5] The song became a success in Brazil, Australia, France, and Greece. However, the song has become the band's lowest-charting single to date in the U.S., peaking at number 86. This song also was the last time they charted on the BillboardHot 100, until the J Balvin collaboration, "Ritmo (Bad Boys for Life)" in late 2019, which debuted at 100, later peaking at 26.[6]
Background and composition
This is one of three tracks on The Beginning to be produced by Damien "DJ Ammo" LeRoy, the other two being the lead single "The Time (Dirty Bit)" and "Do It Like This".[1]The Beginning's third single was announced on the Black Eyed Peas' official website on May 9, 2011.[7] Described as a "buzzing, hot club jam", it features whooshing synths and slap-funk bass grooves. It is the longest track on the album at close to six minutes.[8]
Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am told Spin magazine that he is proud enough of the song that he'd even play it for Jay-Z. "I would go to Jay's studio and play this be like 'Boom! Check it out!", said Will. "Then I go dirty Caribbean on him on the last verse."[8]
Critical reception
Monica Herrera wrote for Billboard that "the music is expertly produced, but problems arise when Will.i.am claims the same of his wordplay. On the track 'Don't Stop the Party', he chest-thumps, 'Kill you with my lyricals/Call me verbal criminal.' It's a silly boast for an artist who clearly focuses on beats over rhymes, and is probably better off for it."[2] Andy Gill wrote for The Independent that "with martial synth-stomp riffs, spartan electro beats and loping bass grooves driving tracks whose single-mindedness is signalled by titles like 'Don't Stop the Party'."[3] A positive review came from Bill Lamb, editor from About.com, who went to say that: "BEP boost the beat as they request 'Don't Stop the Party'."Lamb said that "will.i.am starts talking about futurism here again and sure enough we find ourselves in the middle of a futuristic sounding trance break. The party reaches its peak about five minutes into the song, and it is exhilarating."[9] Other positive reaction came from John Bush, editor from Allmusic who went to say that the song is a "scattered moment of respectability" and chose it as an "AMG Pick".[4] Gavin Martin wrote for Daily Mirror that "the operatically ambitious 'Don't Stop the Party' gives way to a briefly terrifying interlude that is more or less a declaration of earth-shaking sonic war."[10]
Music video
The music video, which is directed by Ben Mor, features on-stage and backstage footages of the group during their 'The E.N.D. World Tour' in Brazil in 2010 and was released to iTunes and YouTube/VEVO on May 10, 2011.[11][12] Beside live footage of the tour, the video also features panoramic shoots of Brazilian landscapes and city life. Closing section of the video documents a visit to a Brazilian record shop, during which close-ups of records by José Roberto Bertrami, Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force, Carlos Malcolm and Di Melo are shown.
^ a b"Don't Stop the Party by Black Eyed Peas – Songfacts". Songfacts. November 12, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
^ a bHerrera, Monica (19 November 2010). "The Black Eyed Peas, "The Beginning" | Billboard.com". Billboard. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
^ a bGill, Andy (26 November 2010). "Album: Black Eyed Peas, The Beginning (Interscope/Polydor) – Reviews, Music – The Independent". The Independent. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
^ a bBush, John. "The Beginning – The Black Eyed Peas". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
^Vozick-Levinson, Simon (24 November 2010). "The Beginning | Music". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
^"The Black Eyed Peas Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
^BEPnews (May 9, 2011). "The next BEP single is..." Black Eyed Peas.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
^ a bO'Donell, Kevin (November 10, 2010). "Will.i.am Breaks Down Black Eyed Peas' New Disc". Spin. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
^Lamb, Bill (November 10, 2010). "Black Eyed Peas' Exhilarating Tour of Dance Pop Beginnings". About.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
^Martin, Gavin (26 November 2010). "The Black Eyed Peas – The Beginning album review: Welcome to spinal rap – mirror.co.uk". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
^"Apple – iTunes – Download Don't Stop the Party by Black Eyed Peas". iTunes – Apple Inc. May 10, 2011. Archived from the original on August 2, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
^Corner, Lewis (11 May 2011). "Black Eyed Peas unveil new music video – Music News – Digital Spy". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
^"Black Eyed Peas – Don't Stop The Party – Dancing with The Stars". YouTube. May 24, 2011. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
^"The Black Eyed Peas / Stromae "Alors On Danse / Don't Stop The Party" (2011)". MyTaratata.com. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
^ a b"Don'T Stop the Party (2-Track): Black Eyed Peas: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. September 9, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
^"Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2011". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
^"Brazilian single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Don't Stop the Party" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
^"Italian single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Don't Stop the Party" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 26, 2021. Select "2013" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Don't Stop the Party" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^"New Zealand single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Don't Stop the Party". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Don't Stop the Party')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
^"British single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Don't Stop the Party". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
^"Issue 835 – Singles – the Music Network". themusicnetwork.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
^"EarOne | Radio Date, le novità musicali della settimana".
^"FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". www.fmqb.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2022.