Black Eyed Peas' apl.de.ap named US Embassy adviser

Filipino-American singer-rapper Allan Pineda, a.k.a. apl.de.ap of the American alternative hip hop group "Black Eyed Peas," was named an informal advisor to the US Embassy in Manila. US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. named Pineda an advisor following the group's concert Tuesday night in Pasay City. "Ambassador Thomas spoke at the Black Eyed Peas concert last night at the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds. He has named Apl.de.ap (who is Filipino-American) an informal advisor to the Embassy," the embassy said in an entry on its Facebook account Wednesday. Earlier, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III personally thanked Pineda for his efforts to improve the state of education in the Philippines by helping in the building of more classrooms in the country. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Aquino talked to Pineda on Monday at a dinner hosted by Aquino's cousin Rafael Lopa. Pineda was born in Angeles City, Pampanga to a Filipino mother and an African American father. At age 14, he was adopted by an American family. Later as an eight-grader, he met William Adams (will.i.am) and the two of them began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. The Black Eyed Peas released their first album in 1998. The group has already received several Grammy Awards and has sold around 60 million albums worldwide. - VVP, GMA News