I Was in The Black Eyed Peas. Then I Quit. | 'Almost Famous' by Op-Docs

In the mid-1990s, the singer and songwriter Kim Hill met a young rapper who suggested they start making music. That rapper’s name was will.i.am, and his group was a rising Los Angeles underground hip-hop crew called The Black Eyed Peas. The rest is history — or is it?

Hill found herself at a crossroads in 2000 and decided to quit the group and find her own voice, only to look on as The Black Eyed Peas reached global stardom with earworms like “I Gotta Feeling.” Having missed out on what every performer dreams of, does Hill regret her decision?

“Almost Famous” is a special Op-Docs series of short films directed by Ben Proudfoot featuring people who nearly made history — only to fall short. These are tales of overcoming disappointment at its most epic, from an astronaut who never flew to a superstar who never was.

See more from the "Almost Famous" series: https://nyti.ms/2EuGTsK

Credits
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Featuring: Kim Hill, Cassius Hill
Producers: Gabriel Berk Godoi, Abby Lynn Kang Davis
Co-Producer: Jeremy Lambert
Cinematography: Brandon Somerhalder
Additional Cinematography: Tom Mason
Editor: David Faddis
Composer: Nicholas Jacobson-Larson
Assistant Editor: Lisset Mendoza
First Assistant Camera: Jana McLain
Colorist: Stephen Derluguian
Re-Recording Mixer: Sean Higgins
Archival Coordinator: Sarah Stewart
Associate Producer: Caley Fox Shannon
Post-Production Supervisor: Dillon Brown
Post-Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Brooke
Supervising Editor: Federico Conforti
Sound Effects Editor: TJ Jacques
Additional Orchestration: Roger Julià Satorra
Scoring Mixer: Brad Haehnel

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Op-Docs is the New York Times’ award-winning series of short documentaries by independent filmmakers. Learn more about Op-Docs and how to submit to the series. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@NYTopinion).