Limp Bizkit



Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1994. Their lineup consists of Fred Durst (lead vocals), Sam Rivers (bass, backing vocals), John Otto (drums, percussion), and Wes Borland (guitars, backing vocals). Their music is marked by Durst's angry vocal delivery and Borland's sonic experimentation. Borland's elaborate visual appearance, which includes face and body paint, masks and uniforms, also plays a large role in the band's elaborate live shows. The band has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, have sold 40 million records worldwide and won several other awards.[1]

Formed in 1994, Limp Bizkit became popular playing in the Jacksonville, Florida underground music scene in the late 1990s, and signed with Flip Records, a subsidiary of Interscope, which released their debut album, Three Dollar Bill, Y'all$ (1997). The band achieved mainstream success with their second and third studio albums, Significant Other (1999) and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000), although this success was marred by a series of controversies surrounding their performances at Woodstock '99 and the 2001 Big Day Out festival.

Borland left the group in 2001, but Durst, Rivers, Otto and Lethal continued to record and tour with guitarist Mike Smith. Following the release of their album, Results May Vary (2003), Borland rejoined the band and recorded The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) (2005) with Durst, Rivers, Lethal and drummer Sammy Siegler before entering a hiatus. In 2009, the band reunited with Borland playing guitar and began touring, culminating with the recording of the album Gold Cobra (2011), after which they left Interscope and later signed with Cash Money Records, but DJ Lethal was asked to leave the band soon after. They are currently recording their sixth studio album, Stampede of the Disco Elephants.

Formation and Early Years
Fred Durst grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where he took an interest in breakdancing, hip hop,  and heavy metal. He began to rap, skate, beatbox and deejay. While mowing lawns and working as a tattoo artist, he developed an idea for a band that combined elements of rock and hip hop.[2]  Durst played with three other bands, Split 26, Malachi Sage, which were unsuccessful, and 10 Foot Shindig, which Durst left to form a new band.[3]  Durst told Sam Rivers, the bassist for Malachi Sage, "You need to quit this band and start a band with me that's like this: rappin' and rockin'."[3]  Rivers suggested that his cousin, John Otto, who was studying jazz drumming at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and playing in local avant garde bands, become their drummer.[3]  Durst, Rivers and Otto jammed and wrote three songs together, and Wes Borland later joined as a guitarist.[3]

Durst named the band Limp Bizkit, because he wanted a name that would repel listeners. According to Durst, "The name is there to turn people's heads away. A lot of people pick up the disc and go, 'Limp Bizkit. Oh, they must suck.' Those are the people that we don't even want listening to our music."[3]  Other names that were considered by Durst included Gimp Disco, Split Dickslit, Bitch Piglet, and Blood Fart.[4]  Every record label that showed an interest in the band pressured its members to change its name.[3]  Limp Bizkit developed a cult following in the underground music scene, particularly at the Milk Bar, an underground punk club in Jacksonville. The band's local popularity was such that Sugar Ray, who had a major label contract, opened for a then-unsigned Limp Bizkit at Velocity with hip hop group Funkdoobiest.[3]  Milkbar owner, Danny Wimmer, stated that Limp Bizkit "had the biggest draw for a local band. They went from playing [for] ten people to eight hundred within months. Fred [...] was always marketing the band. He would go to record stores and get people involved, he was in touch with high schools."[3]  However, the band knew that to achieve national success, they would have to distinguish themselves in their live performances.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  Attracting crowds by word of mouth, the band gave energetic live performances, covering George Michael's "Faith" and Paula Abdul's "Straight Up", and featuring Borland in bizarre costumes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  Borland's theatrical rock style was the primary attraction for many concert attendees.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-10" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Durst unsuccessfully tried to attract attention from A&R representatives at various labels by pretending to be the band's manager.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  Later, when Korn performed in town as the opening act for Sick of It All, Durst invited Korn to drink beer and tattoo them. Although Durst's tattoos were unimpressive, he was able to persuade Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu to listen to a demo, consisting of the songs "Pollution", "Counterfeit" and "Stuck". Korn added a then-unsigned Limp Bizkit to two tours, which exposed the band to a new audience.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-amg_5-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[5]  The band attempted to expand their sound by auditioning an additional guitarist, but Borland soon determined that another guitarist was not the answer, and DJ Lethal, formerly of the hip hop group House of Pain, joined the band as a turntablist after a successful practice performance. Joining the band gave Lethal an opportunity to experiment with his turntable technique in ways that hip hop had not allowed him to do, helping shape the band's style. However, Borland left the band due to creative differences.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]

Three Dollar Bill, Y'all$
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">After their performance opening for Korn at the Dragonfly in Hollywood was well received, Limp Bizkit signed with Mojo, a subsidiary of MCA Records. While heading to California to record their first album, the band wrecked their van. As a result of the near death experience, Durst made amends with Borland, who rejoined the band.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-14" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  After a dispute with Mojo, Limp Bizkit signed with Flip, a subsidiary of Interscope Records. Arvizu persuaded Ross Robinson to listen to the demo. Robinson neglected to listen to it until it was appraised by his girlfriend. Impressed by the band's motivation and sound, Robinson produced Limp Bizkit's debut, which was recorded at Indigo Ranch. Durst's problems with his girlfriend inspired him to write the song "Sour".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-15" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  The mood and tone set by Robinson in the studio allowed the band to improvise; a recording of the band improvising appeared as the last track on the album, "Everything".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-16" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Despite the success of live performances of the band's cover of the song "Faith", Robinson was opposed to recording it, and tried to persuade the band not to play it on the album. However, the final recording, which incorporated heavier guitar playing and drumming, as well as DJ scratching, impressed him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-17" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  Robinson also bonded with Borland, who he perceived as not taking the band seriously.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-18" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  The progressive metal band Tool provided a strong influence in shaping the album's sound, particularly in the song "Nobody Loves Me", which contains a breakdown in which Durst imitated the singing style of Maynard James Keenan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-19" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Continuing the band's policy of using names that would repulse potential listeners, the band named the album by using part of the phrase "queer as a three dollar bill" and adding the word "Y'all" for Florida flavor, naming the album, Three Dollar Bill, Yall.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-20" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  The completed album featured an abrasive, angry sound which Limp Bizkit used to attract listeners to their music.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-21" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  After the band completed recording, they toured with Korn and Helmet in 1997. Critics reacted unfavorably to performances of Korn and Limp Bizkit; Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel music critic Jon M. Gilbertson criticized Durst's performance, stating "The one attention-grabbing moment of Limp Bizkit's rap/thrash show was when the lead singer expressed a desire for gay men to be 'stomped'. Which isn't remotely rebellious. It's just puerile."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish21_3-22" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[3]  That same year, they also notably served as an opening act for Faith No More, a band often credited as paving the way for Limp Bizkit and the nu metalgenre.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[6]  The group's keyboardist Roddy Bottum later recalled "That guy Fred Durst had a really bad attitude. He was kind of a jerk. I remembered he called the audience faggots at one show when they booed him. Not a good scene."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[7] <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Interscope proposed to the band that the label pay $5,000 to guarantee that a Portland, Oregon radio station play the song "Counterfeit" fifty times, preceded and concluded with an announcement that the air time was paid for by Interscope.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MTVJuly1998_9-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[9]  The paid air time was criticized by the media, who saw it as "payola".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-MTVJuly1998_9-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[9]  The band's manager Jeff Kwatinetz later termed the plan as a "brilliant marketing move".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]  Durst stated, "It worked, but it's not that cool of a thing."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]  Following the release of "Counterfeit" as a single, Three Dollar Bill, Yall was released on July 1, 1997, and was met with minimal response. AllMusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "They might not have many original ideas [...] but they do the sound well. They have a powerful rhythm section and memorable hooks, most of which make up for the uneven songwriting."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ErlewineThreeDollarBill_10-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[10]  However, Robert Christgau panned the album.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Christgau_11-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[11] Despite the minimal response to his band's album, Durst was appointed Senior Vice President of A&R at Interscope.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish127_12-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[12]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Limp Bizkit joined the Warped Tour, performing alongside the bands Pennywise, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sick of It All, Lagwagon and Blink-182.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]  Preceding their first tour with DJ Lethal, Otto became familiar with Lethal's contributions to collaborate with him better on stage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]  In addition to touring with Primus and Deftones, Limp Bizkit headlined the Ladies Night in Cambodia club tour, which was intended to diversify the band's fanbase, which was largely male, by offering free tickets to female attendees. This plan successfully increased the band's female fanbase.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">In 1998, Limp Bizkit toured with Soulfly and Cold on Soulfly's first European tour.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]  Touring consistently increased Limp Bizkit's success, and the second single from Three Dollar Bill, Yall, a cover of George Michael's "Faith", became a successful radio hit, leading to a slot on Ozzfest, a tour organized by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]  In July, Snot singer Lynn Strait was arrested after he emerged nude from Limp Bizkit's prop toilet, and was charged with indecent exposure.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[13]  Because Limp Bizkit's fans would often break through the barricades, the band was almost kicked off the tour after two days.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-10" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]  In August, John Otto spent the night in jail in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon, after allegedly firing a BB gun and being arrested for carrying a switchblade.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">After completing Ozzfest, Limp Bizkit took a break from performing, and later performed on Korn's Family Values Tour. Durst also directed a music video for the band's single "Faith" in promotion for its appearance in the film Very Bad Things, but was unsatisfied with it, and directed a second video which paid tribute to tourmates like Primus, Deftones and Korn, who appeared in the video.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]  Borland stated in an interview that George Michael, the writer of the song, hated the cover and "hates us for doing it".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Devenish51_8-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;">[8]

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