The Jackass Song is the fifth and final single released by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am

Will.i.am

William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...

 from the political compilation album Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise

Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise

Change is Now: Renewing America's Promise is a compilation album released on April 28, 2009 through Hidden Beach Recordings in conjunction with the Presidential Inaugural Committee.The album includes previously released tracks from Wilco, Stevie Wonder, Death Cab for Cutie, and Common...

. The song was released on September 17, 2009, and was based around Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

's reaction following Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. It features a sample of Kanye West

Kanye West

Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

's Heartless

Heartless (Kanye West song)

"Heartless" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released on November 4, 2008 digitally as the second single for his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. It debuted at the number four spot on the Billboard Hot 100 where it eventually peaked at number two and reached number-one on the...

. will.i.am wrote a blog piece relating to the song, and it appeared alongside the song's music video on Dipdive

Dipdive

Dipdive is a social networking website tagged as "a Lifestyle Engine for Music, Arts, Action & More." It is best known for the original source site of the "Yes We Can" music video. The site allows users to upload images, videos, MP3s, Blogs and create playlists. Videos and MP3s are allowed in the...

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Background

The production collaboration is a first between Kayne West and Will.I.Am. Regarding his intentions for the song, Will.I.Am said to Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...

 on her show: "The meaning of this song is to notice when people are being unreasonable and selfish. I wanted to write the new American anthem for this day and age—for this generation."

Production

Will.I.Am said that he wrote most of the song in a single evening. The recording came together quickly. Will recorded the song on September 13, right after performing at Obama's pre-inauguration concert

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial

We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial was a public celebration of the then forthcoming inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States at the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on January 18, 2009. By some estimates the...

 at the Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...

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