Will.i.am: Obama Isn't A 'Magic Man,' Holds Concert For i.am angel Foundation For Needy Students

LOS ANGELES — Will.i.am said he hoped to raise $1 million for his charity that benefits needy students at a concert Thursday night. Instead, he raised $5 million.

He hosted an event that featured performances from Stevie Wonder and Ne-Yo at the Hollywood Palladium for his i.am angel foundation, established in 2009.

The Black Eyed Peas leader said he was inspired by the 2010 documentary "Waiting for Superman," about U.S. public education. He said that "Superman is not coming to save no neighborhood or no education system."

"They might as well call that movie 'Waiting for William.' That's the reason why I'm doing what I am doing because that movie hits straight to heart because my mom went to one of those schools," he said.

Will.i.am also talked politics: He said President Barack Obama is not a "magic man," and that people shouldn't expect him to solve the country's problems with "some freakin' plan."

"We can sit and point fingers and say Obama's not doing his job, but you're supposed to do your job," said will.i.am, who has supported Obama in the past.

Thursday night's event, dubbed "TRANS4MATION EXPERIENCE," was the first annual celebration for will.i.am's foundation. Videos played in the background highlighted students struggling to get an education from various neighborhoods, including Boyle Heights, where will.i.am grew up. One message on the screen read: "It's time to bring good to the hood."

Will.i.am performed with the Black Eyed Peas, though Fergie was absent. The night's top guest was Wonder, who played the harmonica and the keys and sang classics like "My Cherie Amor" and "Superstition." The veteran singer said he was delighted to support will.i.am.

"How do you show your true friendship?" Wonder asked. "You put actions behind your words."

Ne-Yo followed after Wonder, saying loudly to laughs from the crowd: "I want to know who wants to put me after Stevie Wonder. What the (expletive)?"

Other performers included K'Naan and Flo Rida.

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Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/musicmesfin

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Online:

http://www.iamangelfoundation.org

Comments

[FTracy3]

12:47 AM on 02/13/2012

I was unsure of my opinion about the president until Will.i.am weighed in.

[cjt6969]

09:12 AM on 02/12/2012

No Shit !!!!!!!!!!!!

[T Trump]

06:57 PM on 02/11/2012

How about we put a large part of the blame on a "do nothing congress", not all of it but a large part of it.

[turbogtrmstr]

07:19 PM on 02/11/2012

You forget the do nothing Congress you speak of, was put in because a Democratic one did nothing either. Monkey see, monkey do.

[roger37]

09:32 PM on 02/11/2012

Uh, you ever hear of a Repub filibuster? Do you even know what a filibuster is? Try reading a conventional history of the past 6 years, not one from Fox "News" and other assorted wingnuts.

[T Trump]

01:59 PM on 02/13/2012

Did I say in my comment one was better then the other? Why are you reading things into my comment that I did not say, can you read minds?

[turbogtrmstr]

06:43 PM on 02/11/2012

Obama is no magic man or even close, he can't even pull a dove out of a hat in 4 year's. The man is going, going, gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111

[ninjacb]

01:56 PM on 02/13/2012

you are obviously on the right side of wrong. i would love to hear (but not really so spare us all) which of your current cirque de clowns you think is going to unseat obama. laughable. but i really cannot fault someone for being so deluded as you are. i would be too if i had to rely on the party of no to have my better interests at heart. good luck with that. FOUR. MORE. YEARS.

[Passenger57]

05:14 PM on 02/11/2012

"He supported Obama in the past"...
It implies that he doesn't support Obama. I don't see in the story where it says that he no longer supported Obama...

[jessicadevyn]

05:10 PM on 02/11/2012

I don't know if HP will let this through. But I like the Boondock's representation of Will.i.am more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVK02OoNKn8&feature=related

[Sunnyhorse]

04:44 PM on 02/11/2012

I have no idea what all that was supposed to mean.

[billhodges]

04:51 PM on 02/11/2012

It means don't wait on others to do what is right. Each and everyone of us needs to do something to help others and not depend on the government to do it for us.

[knight7se7en]

04:01 PM on 02/11/2012

"We can sit and point fingers and say Obama's not doing his job, but you're supposed to do your job....."

Exactly right.....

[glassbender]

03:57 PM on 02/11/2012

and you can't sing either

[copus]

03:47 PM on 02/11/2012

Good work W I A and Obama too!

[GoAllIN]

03:44 PM on 02/11/2012

No Wiil, Obama isn't a magic man, and he won't solve all of the nations problems with some freakin' plan, but considering where this nation was in 2008 he sure as hell put this nation on a stronger footing and he has developed into a more stronger leader since he ditch the let's compromise with the Republicans plan.

[billhodges]

04:53 PM on 02/11/2012

That is pure BS. We are not a stronger nation because this administration has created a class war that is and will rip this country apart.

[Oblongato]

05:24 PM on 02/11/2012

This administration? The class war exists in the very real terms of rapidly growing income inequality. The many millions at the bottom end can work two jobs and still not make enough to pay for health insurance.

The United States has been split into two groups. The rich United States, with its investments in companies with overseas manufacturing and its offshore bank accounts, doesn't need the poor United States anymore.

Those growing up in the poor United States will be raised by parents who got a lousy education and will go to lousy schools themselves, thereby ensuring that they will be even less likely to make the leap into the rich United States. Even if they manage to make the cut academically, college costs have been skyrocketing for decades, making it too expensive for most.

The rich United States does not care a whit about equal opportunity; it costs too much.

But you think the Obama administration created a class war?

[bowser]

05:26 PM on 02/11/2012

This administration did not start, or continue, any class war. It has tried to hard to compromise with the republicans, who have stated they want the president and his policies to fail. Things are much better then when Bush left office, but the improvement would have been several times greater if there was no effort to compromise and a more clear break from the Republican policies that had been proven failures.

[Luna C666]

03:38 PM on 02/11/2012

This article sure got spun to misconstrue Will.i.am's statements to sound like he was revoking his support for Obama..

"Will.i.am, who has supported Obama in the past, said..."
Yeah, said back up off the president is what he said..

[Oblongato]

06:17 PM on 02/11/2012

Agreed. The piece is ambiguously worded, but it's clear that he's not advocating finger-pointing, and the "magic man" comment is obviously a defense of Obama and refers to unrealistic expectations.

[T Trump]

07:00 PM on 02/11/2012

That is what he was saying, he supported him in the past and he still does. It would help if people would read the articles in full.

[barnowl]

03:35 PM on 02/11/2012

Don't know what "magic man" means. Don't know any.

[Post31]

03:20 PM on 02/11/2012

Much respect

[Jim Tyson]

03:18 PM on 02/11/2012

Will.i.am More power to you for the good work and helping a good cause.
As for Obama he was a waste of time and energy. He knocks America tells the world we are not who we have always been (a Christian nation) apologizes for U.S. doing what U.N. wanted us to do. He has tried to vilify Christians at every turn. He has failed in his Oath of office to support defend th Constitution against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC. Obama has done more to ruin this country than Joe Mcarthy did in the '50's.

[barnowl]

03:30 PM on 02/11/2012

You are a liar.

[LiberalScoop]

03:58 PM on 02/11/2012

How is it that you can actually say these things? You and your words are patently false. I'd rather you straighten yourself out on these points but if you insist, I can certainly offer a ton of information to refute your claims. Obama isn't perfect. Nobody is. But he has certainly gained the respect of most world leaders, he has never specified that we are not a Christian nation (he said that whether you are a Christian or a Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, etc., we are all one nation) and you should learn to hear without letting your personal views make you deaf to what people say. As for the UN, we have repeatedly gone against the UN during the Bush Adminstration, including ESPECIALLY the decision to attack Iraq which, of course, happened under Jr. and THAT I can see us apologizing for. Obama has put more actual terrorists in the ground or behind bars in his first 3 years than Bush did in 7 years and most of those people who should have been found innocent long ago have been released. I just hope many of them don't turn around and aid some action against the United States BECAUSE they were so badly mistreated.
You're a complete fool, Jimmy. Not because we disagree about the president, but because you don't even try to know the facts before you take your verbal dump in front of everybody.

[Jim Tyson]

01:45 PM on 02/12/2012

You who rant the Glory of Obama miss the fact all was done despite his inaction and the military (Obama) voted to disband repeatedly. You miss the facts of what has happened over and over the last 3 years. Obama pushed through a bill for putting $896 Billion to create jobs, Most was given to his election backers. Unemployment is at 8.9-11% depending on who list the report. Obama has done none of the things he said and is doing less of what is needed to pick up the economy.
As for this being a Christian nation 3/4th of the Continental Congress were either Preachers or Deacons of their Churches, Even Ben Franklin said the Pres. Needed to have Christian Ethics to be trusted with the office. Now as for U.S. being a Christian Nation it is even more simple than that. Look at the Muslim Countries and how NONMUSLIM religions are treated. Look at how NONHINDU religions are treated in Hindu nations. Look at how NONATHIEST are treated in atheist countries. We do not tax non-Christians to non-existence, we (on whole) do not condone beating or killing non-Christians, we try to be understanding though we do expect all to follow the rule of law (no killing) for any who practice their faith here.