It's been more than a year since the Black Eyed Peas' last album, "Monkey Business," came out, but the band hasn't been watching their gardens grow.

The Peas, who play Blaisdell Arena on Monday, have been touring — they were in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong last month — the CD has gone triple platinum, and in March their single "My Humps" reached a pioneering record of sorts: It became the most downloaded ringtone in the universe, with 2 million phones asking, "What you gon' do with all that junk?"

From its earliest days the Black Eyed Peas have been socially conscious, and in July they played a charity concert in Manila to benefit the victims of the February mudslide in the Philippines' Southern Leyte province.

Banging beats, rambunctious rhymes and a pinch of perseverance has been the recipe for the Black Eyed Peas' pop dominance. When they debuted a decade ago, they were a Los Angeles underground trio with B-boy flavor and odd names (will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo). On tours they played side dish to everyone from Metallica to De La Soul.

Then, in 2003, the break-dancing emcees introduced a secret ingredient — vivacious vocalist Fergie — and served up a main(stream) course with "Elephunk," their Grammy-winning CD featuring addictive tracks such as "Hey Mama" and the ubiquitous arena anthem "Let's Get It Started." "Monkey Business," their fourth, debuted at No. 2 behind Coldplay.

THE CHICK PEA

Fergie got her start on the Disney Channel variety show "Kids Incorporated" and had a mid-'90s dance-pop group called Wild Orchid. She camps it up in "My Humps," a song about materialism and her "lovely lady lumps." Sassy Fergie says her treasure chest will forever be linked to her career as a performer. "I was forced to wear my first training bra on the set of 'Kids Incorporated,' " she reveals. "I was doing gymnastics in a leotard when wardrobe comes up to me and is like, 'It's time.' " (But that's nothing compared to her black-eyed pee shown over and over on VH1's human-train crash fest "All Access: Embarrassing Moments.")

MAN AT WORK

Industrious song scribe will.i.am burned the midnight oil drafting "Monkey Business," surviving on less than five hours of sleep a night. Fergie snitches that he swapped dedication for the occasional shower, but Will's down with the funk — even if it's emanating from his body. "When I go to sleep at 7 in the morning, there is still music playing in my head," Will says. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

HOW THEY DRESS

"Everyone has their different look," Fergie says. "Will's got his knickers and crazy socks, and Taboo has his kung-fu wear. I have to think of words to put my style into. I would say kind of urban gypsy, because I collect things, accessories, from all over the world (Asia, Africa, Brazil), and that is definitely what, for me, helps make an outfit my own."

"It's all about being grubby," Fergie says of the Peas. "Taboo leaves his clothes everywhere. You'll find his shoes, his clothes, his scarves, his gloves. He definitely makes his mark."

BRANCHING OUT

Last year, gridiron jocks and their fans showed exactly where the love is when the Peas performed during the pre-game show of Super Bowl XXXIX. Gaming geeks also got a helping when the group appeared as characters in, and provided a soundtrack for, the video game "The Urbz: Sims in the City."

MODEL CITIZENS

Last month, while the band was in Manila, apl.de.ap and will.i.am received the Philippines Presidential Medal of Merit from Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermito (President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was in the hospital with flu). Apl.de.ap, whose real name is Allen Pineda Lindo, was born in Angeles City, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and African-American father. Adopted by an American family at the age of 14, he grew up in California.

PASS THE PEAS

"I think I am the only one in the band who enjoys (black-eyed peas)," Fergie says. "When I am having a good soul-food meal, that is always on the menu. The guys aren't as fond of them. I think with them it's more of a metaphor."