Will.i.am was spared a life of crime thanks to his quirky fashion sense.

The Black Eyed Peas star grew up in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles, and many of his peers ended up dead or in prison after joining gangs. However, he managed to avoid a similar fate because of the eccentric clothes he wore.

He tells Britain's The Sun, "I grew up in a Mexican neighbourhood in L.A. and we were the only black family. There were a lot of gangs. A lot of my friends are dead, were in prison, on drugs or were selling drugs. That is how growing up was. You either joined the gang or you did arts or sports."

"My attire got me through, though. The louder you dressed, it became obvious that you were not in a gang. I took safety in dressing up so people knew me to be different from people in T-shirts and baggy pants. In the ghetto there is only one outfit and that is long T-shirts. So every ghetto family has them. My mom was strict though and she made me wear suits to school."

The rapper is also convinced his sense of humour helped him stay on the right side of the tracks, adding, "(Friends) called me a fool... and that was a term of endearment and I used to rap and that is what kept me out of trouble. It kept me safe."