13 December 2003
Their reign of tedium beds in. ‘Shut Up’ is The Black Eyed Peas par incompétence: an inane shouty catchphrase hammered home by matching stresses in the music and rhythm. Kids: this is what ’00s radio sounded like, and this sort of bland, dumbed-down school-age frippery is generally the only rap and hip hop that makes it to the top of the mainstream charts.
The video (below) helpfully lays bare the track’s candle-powered worldview that women are irrational, nagging, and ungrateful. The “shut up!” is directed at them. It should be directed at The Black Eyed Peas. If you think I’m being too harsh on this crew, do a quick search and have a look-see what ‘Let’s Get It Started’, another of their omnipresent hits from this era, is really called. And we have two more Black Eyed Peas number ones to come! No, you shut up.
