will.i.am has blamed his awful dress sense and stream of consciousness waffle on the fact that he was brought up in a tough neighbourhood in LA.
Talking to The Sun, willy explained that his sartorial decisions were a way of making sure people knew he wasn't in a gang: "You either joined the gang or you did arts or sports. My attire got me through, though. The louder you dressed, it became obvious that you were not in a gang."
While his peers went to school dressed in jeans and baggy t‑shirts, will's mum made him wear a suit. "I took safety in dressing up so people knew me to be different from people in T‑shirts and baggy pants," he explained.
It wasn't just the outfits mind you. There were also the 'performances'. "They called me fool… And that was a term of endearment and I used to rap and that is what kept me out of trouble. It kept me safe," he continued.
"I was the kid at the Thanksgiving dinners where I was told, ‘Eh Willy, dance. Do that dance…And I was like, ‘Look mom!’"
We bet the winter nights just flew by.