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Black Eyed Peas producer says ‘if you want a song to be a big #1 smash, then you have to play a Michael Jackson song while you’re making your song.’ By Mawuse Ziegbe will.i.am on “The Seven” Photo: MTV As the mastermind behind inescapable jam “Boom Boom Pow” and record-disintegrating smash “I Gotta Feeling,” will.i.am has been rockin’ bodies — and those are just the hits he’s pulled off for the Black Eyed Peas. The producer/rapper has also powered chart-winners for stars Usher , Estelle and John Legend and has recently turned his hitmaking skills toward fellow MC Nicki Minaj. On Wednesday’s (September 29) episode of MTV’s “The Seven,” will, who teamed up with Minaj for her peppy Pink Friday offering “Check It Out,” broke down his approach to creating chart-busting tracks. He said he mines inspiration from some of music’s most game-changing artists when he puts together a record. “We call it ‘A-B-ing.’ Anything you make, there’s nothing new under the sun. So there’s always an ‘A and B’ to whatever your approach is,” he said. “So if you want a song to be a big #1 smash, then you have to play a Michael Jackson song while you’re making your song.” He said using an artist such as Jackson as a benchmark will usually let a producer know if a track really has that ‘It’ factor. “What you don’t want to do is have a ‘hit record’ and then turn it on and it isn’t as loud as Michael Jackson’s.” Minaj, who experienced will.i.am’s skills firsthand on “Check It Out,” said hopping in the studio with the Peas frontman was a singular experience. “That’s when I knew he was a freaking, next-level … not even a human when he recorded me,” Minaj told “The Seven.” “The word ‘producer’ … means different things depending on who’s using the word. will’s the only producer that produced me. He really sat there and he got this weird sound, and I was like, ‘What?’ ” In addition to drawing an insane performance from will, the Young Money Barbie marveled at his ability to quickly craft the cheery instrumental. “The beat wasn’t even done,” Minaj recalled. “He made the beat on the spot.” Minaj’s awe for will appeared mutual. The Peas lyricist said the hip-hop upstart is way more than just a rapper with a rollicking flow; she’s an artist. “Her being a dope rapper, a dope MC, is just an element of the Nicki factor,” will said. What are some of your favorite will.i.am-produced hits? Let us know in the comments! Don’t miss “The Seven” every weekday at 5 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Artists Will.I.Am Nicki Minaj

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will.i.am Reveals Science To Making Hit Records On ‘The Seven’