Black Eyed Peas Release Surprise New Hip-Hop Single 'Street Livin'": Listen

The Black Eyed Peas have been fairly quiet over the past several years—especially for a group which is known for making so much noise—and while fans will have to wait a bit longer for a proper new era to begin, the shape-shifting outfit has started 2018 off with a highly-anticipated new tune, and even if it’s not what’s expected of them, it’s still good to see they’re still churning them out.

The Peas released new single “Street Livin’” without warning, and the arrival of the tune isn’t the only surprise. The song is a drastic departure from their most recent output, and those who tune in to hear what party anthem the group has cooked up this time are in for a shock. “Street Livin’” is more in line with very early BEP material, which is to say that it sounds absolutely nothing like their biggest successes, such as “Boom Boom Pow,” “I Gotta Feeling,” and “The Time.”

The video uses clever special effects to make it appear as if men and women from what appear to be older photographs are rapping right along with the Peas, and the images underline the important messages delivered via the tough lyrics. The photos feature scenes of black men from different generations in prison, protesting for basic rights, and suffering at the hands of white police officers. The images may look like they were taken decades ago, but they could have been shot yesterday.