Will.i.am has come a long way. Although many people only identify the Grammy award-winning artist for being the frontman of the Black Eyed Peas, he was in another hip-hop collective years before that. Named Atban Klann, the crew of young Los Angeles rappers were discovered by Eazy-E, and signed to Ruthless Records.
Speaking with HipHop DX, Will.i.am revealed that meeting Eazy-E and getting his first record deal can all be attributed to David Faustino. Faustino, who is most famous for playing Bud Bundy on the sitcom Married... with Children, opened the club in Los Angeles where Eazy and Will.i.am met. “I wouldn’t have got my record deal with Eazy-E at 17 years old if it wasn’t for David Faustino,” Will explained. “Being signed to Ruthless came from going to his clubs. There was this cornerstone in L.A. underground culture in 1991-1993 and it was this dope club at the Whiskey [called Balistyx].”
Whiskey A Go-Go is a legendary bar in LA that has been graced with several legendary performances in the years prior to Faustino taking over. “[We were rocking] the same stage that The Doors started on and that’s where I got my start,” recalled Will. “I thank David Faustino for being that open minded, and having an all-ages Hip Hop club at that time.”
