Is Will.i.am British? Here’s where the rapper was born

THE fashion icon rapper Will.i.am is the founder and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.

Over the years people have questioned if the star is British or not – let’s find out…

CorbisWill.i.am was born in California[/caption]

Is Will.i.am British and where was he born?

No, will.i.am is not British.

Although he spends a lot of time in the UK, William is American.

He was born William James Adams in Eastside California, USA.

He was brought up in the Estrada Courts housing projects in the Boyle Heights neighbourhood. 

The rapper told Woman’s Day: “We were the only black family in our Mexican neighbourhood,”

He also revealed that there were many gangs that lived in his area and that many of his friends were “dead, in prison, on drugs or selling drugs”.

SplashWill.i.am is 46-years-old[/caption]

Who are Will.i.am’s parents? 

Will.i.am never actually met his father as he left his mother before he was born.

He was raised by his mother, Debbra née Cain, who encouraged him to seek higher in life and not conform to the tendencies of the other youth in the east Los Angeles neighborhood. 

To help his journey, she sent him to a public school in affluent West Los Angeles to pursue a musical career.

“She was strict,” Will told Woman’s Day.

“Mum used to make me wear suits to school…she’d say, ‘I did not raise no loser and someone who runs away from problems.”

Where does Will.i.am live now?

Will.i.am lives in Los Angeles, California.

However, The star does have a space in a top hotel in London, where he keeps all his clothes for when he’s in the UK.

The luxurious Corinthia hotel in London is where he stores most of his garments, even when he is not in the UK.