This is a really exciting session we have
here today. And when we think about Unite,
it's about how we build communities around
key challenges facing humanity to think about
them and act on them in very new and innovative
ways. When I actually got a list of individuals
who were going to be in the Unite session,
one of the things that was constant under
each of them is that every single one of these
activists is working on the cause of how we
create opportunities and alternatives for
at-risk young people. I can't think a more
exciting to talk about how we unite around
the cause of the next generation.
60% of the world is under the age of 30. It's
a remarkable statistic in and of itself. In
some countries, Iran, it's 67%. In other countries
it's 70-plus percent. This is a remarkable
demographic shift that's taking place.
Now I often, when I talk about or act overly
exuberant about the kind of youth bulge that
we're experiencing around the world, I get
pushback from people sometimes saying, "We've
seen youth bulges happen in previous generations.
It's not really a new thing."
I always stop them and say, "It is a new thing
because this is the first generation that's
being socialized and brought up with high
prevalence of connection technologies that
connect these young people to information,
each other and entities, and then actual resources
in many cases."
So it's, literally, the most empowered youth
demographic that we've seen in our lifetime.
So the nation is young -- the world is young;
the world is connected. You know, the potential
to unite is there. It's ultimately up to individuals,
not the technology whether that actually takes
place.
Now, there's one other sort of additional
point that I want to make about this session
before introducing our first panel, which
is the importance in the 21st century of building
nontraditional partnerships. When I worked
in government, up until a little less than
a week ago, I used to make the argument that
statecraft or foreign policy is just a fancy
way of saying troubleshooting the world's
challenges. And, if we view statecraft and
foreign policy as such, then statecraft and
foreign policy is as much about building connections
as it is doing negotiations. I think that's
true whether you're in government. I think
that's true whether you're a grassroots activist.
I think that's true whether you're in the
private sector or any other industry. So with
that I want to get right into it. We have
a really, really exciting session. Dennis
laid out a few highlights.
I want to bring to the stage John Battelle
and will.i.am. John Battelle is the founder,
CEO, and chair of Federated Media Publishing.
He is a serial entrepreneur. He's a serial
journalist. He's a man of many talents.
will.i.am is someone who needs no introduction.
One of my favorite artists, actually. He is
the founder and front man for Black Eyed Peas.
He's also an actor. He's a producer. I think
you have your own clothing line as well, if
I'm not mistaken. The i.am Scholarship, a
remarkable organization provides funding and
opportunities to young innovators and leaders
to see them through to their secondary education
so they can get an extra edge up to take their
cause to the next level.
I'd like to join in giving them a round of
applause. Look forward to hearing from them.
[ Applause ]
>>John Battelle: You get that one here. I
think it's pretty clear who has the clothing
line here. So it was really cool to see you
last night at dinner and at the party.
And since we're just beginning this whole
Unite theme today, this morning, the word
"beginning" has some meaning to you. What
was it you were working on last night, late?
>>will.i.am: Working on a new record just
the past month. I was given a whole new deadline
to turn in our new record. So I have to do,
like, five months work in three weeks. That's
cool.
>>John Battelle: And the name of that record?
>>will.i.am: Is "The BEGINNING." The last
one was "The END," and this one is "The BEGINNING."
>>John Battelle: I don't want to put you on
the spot, but that's kind of my job. "The
END" was an acronym. "Energy Never Dies."
Is "The BEGINNING" an acronym?
>>will.i.am: Yes. It's a little long, though.
But it stands for "The Brain Exists Gathering
Information Neglecting Negativity Inspiring
Neurological Growth." A little brainiac.
>>John Battelle: Right on. Okay.
[ Applause ]
So how many of you folks out here -- show
of hands -- have seen the video project that
will put together called "Yes, we can"? So
most of you. Now, that was two years ago,
give or take, is what I recall after a primary
defeat by the -- in the race, in Obama's race
for the Presidency.
And that was really -- yesterday's theme was
Catalyst, Lead, Innovate. I think that video
checks all those boxes. And then today is
Unite. And then what happened afterwards.
When you put that project together, did you
imagine what that would catalyze and how it
would inspire people to unite and really get
behind a presidential candidate?
>>will.i.am: Yeah.
You know, we were just talking about Terry
McAuliffe. In 2004 Terry McAuliffe, you know,
called us up to campaign for Kerry. And we
jumped to it. You know? Kerry versus Bush.
So all the youth, you know, we all, you know,
hopped on board the Kerry train. And we were
hurt when the outcome was, you know, to Bush.
And YouTube wasn't really around. It was -- 2004
was just a couple years ago. And there was
no YouTube the way it is now. And if you were
to tell Kerry, think about in 2004, "Hey,
you're going to lose. And four years from
now there's going to be an African-American
with a Muslim name via this thing called YouTube.
And the youth are going to come together."
You're not going to think that.
So, you know, I remember, when I saw his speech
and I was talking to Kerry all the time, because,
you know, he's a good friend, and he was,
like, "Are you going to come on board and
campaign for Hillary?"
I said, "I don't really know yet. You know,
the last run was -- you know, I'm discouraged.
I don't know if my involvement is going to
make a difference. I don't believe in the
system."
But these tools, you know, it was the first
time we had these tools of connectivity where
I didn't have to rely on the news or my record
company or anybody to, you know, connect me
with the audience.
And here was a speech. And I was blown away
by it. And it reminded me of all the people
who fought for the freedoms that I'm privileged
to have now.
You know, going to interracial schools. I'm
not saying Obama fought for that, but people
like Obama fought for those changes. Going
to school in the Palisades from the projects
on East Los Angeles raised around all Mexicans.
And I was able to have an opportunity. So
I was inspired by Obama. And then I wrote
an E. meal to my friend. I'll show you the
e-mail later. And it was "Let's make history.
I wrote this song."
And we did it so fast.
>>John Battelle: How long did the project
take from start to finish?
>>will.i.am: The song, I wrote the song -- I
didn't really write the song. I took the speech
and then put a melody to a speech and put
a progression against it. It took about 45
minutes.
[ Laughter ]
>>John Battelle: Just so you get this, 45
minutes of work and 21 million views.
>>will.i.am: Yeah, that's crazy.
[ Laughter ]
But I remember I took it to the record company
because we did the video, edited to the video
company.
>>John Battelle: Why did you bother taking
it to a record company?
>>will.i.am: At the time I thought, you know,
you take it to the record company.
>>John Battelle: Is Edgar still here?
>>will.i.am: I played it for everybody. And
everybody was moved, tears, watery eyes. They
said, "We can't help you with this."
I said, "What are you talking about? What
do you mean you can't help me with it? This
is, like -- come on dudes!"
They were, like, "You can't use your machine
to endorse the president you want."
I was, like, "Why not? They use their machine.
It's called Fox."
[ Laughter ]
They're, like, "You can't do that."
So I was like all right. So I went to the
Internet. I was like, well, I'll put it online
and see what happens.
And it's amazing what happens in 24 hours
when you -- when it's tangible, when it's
 -- when there's emotion and purpose and you
inspire like-minded individuals to feel what
you felt.
And there's an art into, you know, trying
to get the emotion and translate that musically.
And, you know, it connected. I was proud of
that. My mom's proud of it.
>>John Battelle: Now, it's been two years.
And I think it's fair to say is that, in particular,
recently you mentioned that, after the Kerry
loss, you were discouraged. There's a fair
number of reasons to be discouraged right
now.
>>will.i.am: Yes.
>>John Battelle: How do you feel about that,
and do you feel a song coming on?
[ Laughter ]
>>will.i.am: Yes. The song is called "What
Happened to the Jobs?"
Because with the jobs -- you have to be healthy
to go to work. And with the jobs you can afford
to take care of yourself. And there are no
jobs in America. People are losing jobs; and,
therefore, they're losing their homes. And
there's no education. So it's a pretty unique
time in the states. I'm discouraged; but I'm
not, you know, beaten over the head where
I'm not going to fight for where we need to
go. I remind the youth on what to stay focused
on. So, you know, it's not just -- I mean,
the task was -- it's a hard task. He's not
Superman. You just -- there's agendas. There's
influence. You have to think about what's
happening. What do you tackle first, right?
So we tackled healthcare first. What's the
next one? And a reminder needs to be put in
place from the youth. Right? And that is okay,
what about us now? I mean, you know, my education
is bad. And my neighborhood and my family
and my mom and dad, there's no jobs. And we're
getting ready to lose our homes. So that's
the thing that hits me. The only thing that
I'm --
>>John Battelle: And that's what you focused
a couple of your recent philanthropic efforts
on.
>>will.i.am: Yes. You know, I'm a thinking
individual. I always go online. I Google anything.
That's what I do. Like, I tour, religiously.
I'm gone 200 days out of the year. A lot of
times I'm in a hotel. It seems like a glamorous
life. But it's really -- you're lonely. So
you're online all the time, chatting, web
cam'ing. "I love you, baby." Really. "What
are you looking at? I see your eye over there
in the other corner."
>>John Battelle: Multiple video chats at that
time?
>>will.i.am: You're chatting, you're searching
things, you are writing songs. You are Googling
words, finding out information.
So I realized why am I going to wait for a
natural disaster when there is a natural disaster
happening in America? And that natural disaster
was not by mother nature. It's by father unnatural.
[ Laughter ]
It's sad. Go to Detroit. First, go to Monaco
and then go to Detroit. Here you have apartments
for millions of dollars, and you go to Detroit
and there's apartments abandoned, factories
abandoned, projects.
Now, when you can't afford low-income housing,
that's bad. The projects are abandoned. I
come from the projects, you know. It's sad.
And so I didn't want to wait.
And I don't want to wait. I took it in my
own hands -- I called my manager. I'm like,
Hey, you know, how much did I get paid to
deejay yesterday? I have been doing research.
And I realized that a lot of families, they
are losing their own because they can't pay
$75,000. And they have $100,000 left on their
mortgage, and they have no jobs to pay their
$2,000 mortgage a month. Why can't I take
my deejay money and just pay their house off
and they don't have to worry about anything
anymore? Let's start a program called "I am
home." So we did that. Oprah let me go on
her show to launch my "I am home."
Even if it's three, I'm doing my part because
it feels right for me. Somebody did their
part that gave me this opportunity. Now I
got to do my part to influence the youth.
So the youth come into the world, knowing
that they have to take responsibility within
themselves to do their part, you know.
And then I started the "I am scholarship,"
sending kids to college. They don't have to
pay me back. The one thing you don't want
to do is do things where it creates more debt.
>>John Battelle: I guess there is enough of
that.
>>will.i.am: My thing is I'm dedicated to
my passion and that's music. And I'm pretty
cool. Taking certain money doesn't put a dent
in my life, if I could aim that money that
I make and help kids out and families out.
>>John Battelle: These are foundations as
well. So you encourage others --
>>will.i.am: Yeah.
>>John Battelle: -- to donate, by giving an
opportunity --
>>will.i.am: I started on my own, and then
I figured out a way to sustain it. So Ron
Connelly is helping me do that. So I started
off and then I get help continuing my passion.
>>John Battelle: Now, if I can switch topics
for a second. You and the Black Eyed Peas
are well-known for redefining the relationships
of talent and artists to the industry, and
particularly your relationships with brands.
According to a "Wall Street Journal" I read,
you often pitch marketers using PowerPoint
talking about your audience's demographic,
reach, spending power.
>>will.i.am: I'm probably one of the only
guys that makes decks.
[ Laughter ]
[ Applause ]
I had a record -- I had a meeting with a record
company. I'm like, So, where's the deck? What
does it look like? Where is the style guide?
What is all this stuff, ta da ta da ta da?
Who are the potential partners? We can't just
put a record out there. That's dumb.
>>John Battelle: That was leading me to my
next question which is -- you were recently
awarded the President's honor from BMI, which
is sort of the old school way of measuring
music such that artists like yourself get
paid and they gave you -- it was their highest
honor.
And in your speech accepting the award -- it
was just a couple of weeks ago -- you basically
declared the music industry, as it was known,
over and challenged the industry which was
assembled to rethink how it's going to be
organized in the future.
What are your ideas about that?
>>will.i.am: The music industry is over. There's
some people that have clout and budgets from
their parent companies to spend money, thinking
that it's 1998. But the way it used to function,
stores, there are no stores. Our contract
states that, you know, we have control over
singles. It goes to iTunes. They're all singles.
So in reality, those aren't songs. Those are
licenses. Apple licensed our music to be on
their iTunes. So we should be getting paid
like if we were partnering with a brand, and
they gave us money to license our song and
we split it 50/50. That being said, even from
the contract's point of view and what's being
practiced is all wrong. So that just shows
how crazy the business is.
We're making music and our contract is for
the vinyl, three-minute songs, 12 songs per
album because that's how much information
could fit on the lacquer. So, hello? When
will someone is going to realize you can put
more information on technology now and it
isn't just for a record that goes -- you know,
it's dumb.
So I'm trying to think differently about music.
Music is supposed to sell things. Long time
ago it sold lacquer, vinyl and CDs. That's
no longer.
Meanwhile, brands borrow music. Your song
plays all over the radio, you play at the
Staples Center. It is all branded. It plays
on a radio and you get paid via products.
>>John Battelle: You are a leader in working
with brands. And some might say, well, I mean,
traditionally that's seen as sort of a musician
selling out to the man.
>>will.i.am: No. The manager said that so
musicians never went directly to the brand.
[ Laughter ]
