Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit
One of the most energetic groups in the fusion of
metal, punk and hip-hop sometimes known as rapcore,
Limp Bizkit was formed in Florida in 1994 by vocalist
Fred Durst and his friend Sam Rivers on bass. Rivers'
cousin John Otto soon joined on drums, and guitarist
Wes Borland completed the original foursome (later
supplemented by DJ Lethal).
After Korn played the Jacksonville area in 1995,
bassist Fieldy got several tattoos from Durst (a
tattoo artist) and the two became friends. The next
time Korn were in the area, they picked up Limp
Bizkit's demo tape and were so impressed that they
passed it on to their producer, Ross Robinson.
Thanks mostly to word-of-mouth publicity, the band
was chosen to tour with House of Pain and the Deftones.
The label contracts came pouring in, and after signing
with Flip/Interscope, Limp Bizkit released their
debut album Three Dollar Bill Y'All.
By mid-1998, Limp Bizkit had become one of the
more hyped bands in underground rapcore, helped
as well by more touring action -- this time with
Faith No More and later, Primus -- as well as an
appearance on MTV's Spring Break '98 fashion show.
The biggest break, however, was a spot on that summer's
Family Values Tour, which greatly raised the group's
profile.
Limp Bizkit's much-anticipated second album, Significant
Other, was released in June 1999, and it and the
accompanying video for "Nookie" made the
group superstars. Significant Other debuted at number
one and had sold over four million copies by year's
end, also helping push Three Dollar Bill Y'All past
the platinum mark.
Fred Durst on Success
Fred Durst, meanwhile, was tapped for a position as
a senior vice president at Interscope Records in early
July. However, in the midst of this massive success,
Controversy dogged the band following that summer's
performance at Woodstock '99. In the wake of the riots
and sexual assaults that proved to be the festival's
unfortunate legacy, Durst was heavily criticized for
egging on the already rowdy crowd and inciting them
to "break stuff."
Undaunted, Limp Bizkit headlined that year's Family
Values Tour, with the newly controversial Durst
grabbing headlines for periodic clashes with Bizkit's
tourmates. During the Napster flap of 2000, Durst
became one of the most outspoken advocates of online
music trading; that summer, Limp Bizkit embarked
on a free, Napster-sponsored tour. All of this set
the stage for the October release of the band's
third album, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog
Flavored Water.
|
