Talk It Out with Jodi Leib

Checkin' it

 with

 Apl.de.Ap

 from 

The Black Eyed Peas

Talk It Out with Jodi Leib
featuring Apl.de.Ap
Detroit, MI - July 2003

Jodi:  I'm on tour with the very special Apl.de.Ap from The Black Eyed Peas.  
Apl:  Whatz up, ya'll.
Jodi:  How ya doin Apl?
Apl:  Doing good.  You know...just a little tired, but we're gonna keep this going.
Jodi:  What motivates you, what's your passion, what drives your being?
Apl:  What drives me is my family,   cause I'm from Philippines, I'm adopted.  My whole goal is to bring my family over here, so they can have a better living, cause it's hard in the Philippines to have this lifestyle.
Jodi:  That's really special.  And what do you hope they will accomplish?
Apl:  My siblings will get a better education.  My sister, I put her through Nursing School in the Philippines, but I want her to get a job over here, because, you know, the pay is much better, and, just get my other siblings into a better school so they can be whatever they want to be.
Jodi:  You guys are the most Down-to-Earth group!  Your heart is just so in the right place!  I'm just amazed by it.  How do you find your spirituality?  Where do you come from to regroup and to be able to have such a strong identity?
Apl:  I think for me it comes from where I'm from, like when I go back over to Philippines and I see how life is like over there, that's what grounds me.  When I come back over here, it's like, damn, I've got opportunities that a lot of people don't have, you know?  So I just try to take all that opportunity and work it, you know, cause you never know when it's going to end, you know?
Jodi:  Yes!  So, never give up.  What are some words of wisdom you could offer your fans?
Apl:  I'd say "The next day, try harder."  That's what I have on my phone when I turn it on.
Jodi:  Nice.  It's true because there are so many obstacles in life.  You could easily get bogged down by all the barriers that are set before us, but how do you break through?  How do you gain the confidence to take it to the next level?
Apl:  It's just as you go, and you keep on doing the same things, you're going to progress yourself.  Then you start learning new things as you're doing it.  You go through the motions and it becomes like a pattern.  After a while you memorize it so good, you start coming up with new things.  You know, that's how I do it, and I say my Serenity Prayer.
Jodi:  I say that!  
Apl:  Yeah.
Jodi:  And praying for the willingness.
Apl:  Yeah, yeah.  The willingness.  You know, when I can't have something that I want, I'm just like...
Jodi:  We can do it...Dear God...
Apl and Jodi together:  Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.  Amen.
Jodi: I made up one.  I have my own.
Apl:  Oh yeah?
Jodi:  Yeah.  Dear God, grant me the willingness to be open to new ideas and new people, grant me the serenity to like who I am, and the ability to have fun in life.
Apl:  Nice.  That's dope.  Yeah, you gotta have fun in whatever you do, ya know.  That's how it is.  When you enjoy it, you do it better.
Jodi:  Totally.  Thank you so much Apl.  You're so beautiful. 

The Black Eyed Peas were on tour with Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera.  Please visit www.blackeyedpeas.com for more band information.

Back to www.jodileib.com

Talk It Out with Jodi Leib's Black Eyed Peas Interview with Apl.de.Ap was taped in July 2003 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, MI.  Talk It Out (c) Jodi Leib, 2003. Reprint by Permission at talkitout@jodileib.com.