Rapper Will.i.am has disclosed that he lives in a hotel. The Grammy-winning artist told People, “As far as the idea of ‘I made it,’ I don’t think I made it, because every milestone takes me to the next milestone. I’m making it. I’ve never had a house.
“I bought myself a studio. I have my office, but I stay in a hotel. I don’t have a house because I ain’t bought the house that says, ‘I made it.'”
During his recent appearance at the AfroTech conference in Houston last week, the 49-year-old talked about his lucrative job as a sought-after tech investor behind startups like Fyi.AI, a new messenger and tool for streamlining apps, making them a one-stop shop on one’s device.
He also told the audience that he was raised in a housing project in South Los Angeles.
He recounted, “I remember my mom was like, ‘Wait, put your clothes on. You go up here to get our food stamps. Sit in this line to get this cheese. When you are in a project, that’s your reality. You come outside, your best friend that you grew up with is no longer with you because he got shot and you want to dream different — that’s where I get ambition from.”
Even so, the member of the Black Eyed Peas manages to maintain a balance between his tech business and his music career. He revealed that, despite his success in both music and investments, he always makes time to return to his roots.
“I go back to the projects every weekend when I’m home,” he shared. “And I’ve done that since when I was living there.”
In 2005, he volunteered overseas to help with tsunami relief, which sparked him to take action and give back to his community.
“I was like, ‘Wow, there’s a tsunami that happens in every hood, every single day and it’s not a tsunami of water but one of no opportunity, of neglect, of bad food, bad zoning. I thought, ‘Why am I not giving back to my own neighborhood?'”
This encounter, together with the popular educational documentary “Waiting For Superman,” motivated the celebrity to use his connections and resources to introduce robotics lessons and college access programs to underperforming local schools.
He thought, “If I marry these two things, these kids are going to graduate college with a job waiting for them, not graduate college with debt and a diploma.“
Now, the programs are in over 500 schools. “Here we are and we have kids that now graduated from Stanford and Brown and Dartmouth,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Will.i.am announced that he is still searching for his futuristic ideal home, stating, “When I get that house, then I’ve made it.”
