Since the departure of Fergie, many would argue that Black Eyed Peas has never been the same. Although Will.I.Am pursued a relevant solo path these past 10 years, many fans still miss the edginess of the old day’s Black Eyed Peas.

However, the group, minus Fergie, is still committed to show everybody that they are still to reckon with in this music game. Last week, they released their latest album “Translation”, which is a Latin-flavored tray of exquisite collaborations including some heavy hitters such as Maluma, J Balvin and French Montana.But one song especially caught our attention, a savvy collaboration with Shakira entitled "Girl Like Me".What makes this song particular is the fact that it is unusually Afro-beat, unlike the rest of the album which is a unique blend of reggaeton, trap, and pop.

On how this collaboration came to life, Will.I.Am said they met in the studio with Shakira in 2007 to work on a few songs. And it took him 13 years to finish the song. Will felt that the Afro-beat rhythm and the Latin sounds was perfect. He finally presented the finished piece to Shakira. They wrote new verses, kept the same progression and the chorus.

Will.I.Am admitted that this song is probably the one he’s worked on the longest. "Girl Like Me" is essentially Afro-beat and almost matches A-Star’s Kupe’s tempo. Being very intentional on this “Translation” album, Black Eyed Peas wanted to elevate Afro-beat and Latin music on their own terms, "Girl Like Me" represents how Afro-beat translates to them. We suggest you don’t miss it while checking out their album.