Elephunk is the third studio album by American group the Black Eyed Peas. It was released on June 24, 2003, by A&M Records, Interscope Records and will.i.am Music Group. Production of the album commenced in August 2001, and would be affected by the September 11 attacks, which both caused anxiety to the group members and inspired the songwriting. During the process, Fergie joined the group as the female vocalist, replacing Kim Hill, who departed the group in 2000. The recording sessions went on to be extended until May 2003, which caused its release to be postponed multiple times.