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fort-minor.jpg Fort Minor

  • Genre: Rock
  • Representative Album: “The Rising Tied”

Biograph

Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda debuted as a solo artist with Rising Tied, an ambitious collection credited to his alter ego, Fort Minor, that blended hip-hop with electronics and rock elements. The set was exec-produced by Jay-Z, who had previously collaborated with Shinoda and Linkin Park on 2004’s Collision Course. Tied also featured plenty of guests like Common and John Legend, as well as newer artists from Shinoda’s Machine Shop imprint. The album was a labor of love for the Linkin Park MC. Not only did he produce and mix it, but Shinoda played 99 percent of the instruments; did all the sequencing and programming; and wrote some very personal raps about his life, youth, and family. “Kenji” was a standout, exploring the experience of Japanese-American internees during World War II. The track featured recordings of Shinoda’s relatives discussing their experiences in the camps. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Fort Minor is a hip-hop side project created by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park. The group’s first album is entitled The Rising Tied.

Music

Mike’s goal for the project is to have fun with his friends, rather than to showcase the hottest names in underground and mainstream hip-hop.

“It’s called Fort Minor, instead of my name because there are a bunch of other people involved in the project. But I only wanted to work with family and friends; people that I feel are really close to me and we see eye-to-eye.” — Mike Shinoda, BallerStatus.

The music also has almost no focus on materalism, which often saturates modern hip hop, and instead focuses on regular life and issues.

Some contributors to the project are:

  • Black Thought: The lead vocalist/emcee of Philadelphia hip-hoppers The Roots. Widely renowned for their unique live performances, The Roots have been making music since the late ’80s, and are still going strong to this day. He features on the song “Right Now” on The Rising Tied.
  • Common: The highly influential figure in rap’s underground during the ’90s and known for the classic song “I Used to Love H.E.R.”, his style is characterized by sophisticated lyrical technique, socially conscious content, and flowing syncopations of jazz-rap. He features on the song “Back Home” on The Rising Tied.
  • Kenna: Born in Ethiopia (but raised in both Cincinnati and Virginia Beach), alt-funk artist Kenna became captivated by the sounds of U2 and Stevie Wonder early on. He features on The Rising Tied in the songs Red to Black and The Hard Way on The Rising Tied Special Edition.
  • Lupe Fiasco: First widely heard on the underground remix of the Kanye West song “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”, Lupe Fiasco, like Common, is from Chicago’s hip-hop scene. He features on the song “Be Somebody” on the Special Edition of The Rising Tied and “Spraypaint & Ink Pens” on the DJ Green Lantern mixtape Fort Minor: We Major.
  • John Legend: Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend combines the raw fervor of contemporaries Cody ChesnuTT and the burning precision of D’Angelo. He features on the song “High Road” on The Rising Tied.
  • Styles of Beyond: Since 1995, the LA-based hip-hop duo of Ryan Maginn (aka “Ryu”) and Takbir Bashir (aka “Tak”) has compiled an extensive discography in the underground hip-hop scene. They feature on the songs “Remember The Name”, “Right Now”, “Feel Like Home”, “Back Home”, “Believe Me,” and “Red To Black” on The Rising Tied.
  • Jay-Z: One of the largest names in mainstream hip hop throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, Jay-Z has steadily built the reputation with his company Roc-a-Fella Records, which he co-founded with former friend Damon Dash. He and Shinoda became friends during the course MTV Mash-Up Collision Course which mixed together classic Jay-Z and Linkin Park songs such as “99 Problems” and “One Step Closer”. He is not performing on The Rising Tied but is an executive producer. He appears on the remix to the Linkin Park song “Nobody’s Listening” on the Green Lantern mixtape Fort Minor: We Major.
  • Holly Brook: It’s not a musical approach one might expect from the first artistsWhere’d You Go” on signed by hard rock kingpins Linkin Park. The band’s guitarist, Brad Delson, loved Holly’s demo and offered her a deal with the group’s label Machine Shop Recordings, which will release her album LIKE BLOOD LIKE HONEY in early 2006. Now Holly Brook is fulfilling her dream. “Music and performing are what I love,” she says. “If I can do that for the rest of my life, I’ll be happy.” She features on the song “The Rising Tied and on “Be Somebody” on The Rising Tied Special Edition.
  • Ghostface Killah: Member of the seminal hip-hop group, The Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah has had a prolific career as an emcee, with over 6 solo albums and a numerous guest appearances in other songs. He features on the song “Spraypaint & Ink Pens” on the DJ Green Lantern mixtape Fort Minor: We Major
  • Eric Bobo (Cypress Hill): Mike Shinoda has a love for Latin percussion, which is played by Bobo on the track “Believe Me”.
  • Jonah Matranga: Former singer of the 90s emo/metal band Far, a major influence on Linkin Park, he has continued as solo musician under both the name Onelinedrawing (on Jade Tree Records) and under his own name. He also was recently the singer of emo/power-pop band Gratitude, and is well-known for his previous collaborations with the Deftones. He appears on The Rising Tied in the songs “Where’d You Go” and “Red To Black”.

Releases

The Rising Tied

The Rising Tied is the first project from Fort Minor, the album was released on November 22, 2005 through Machine Shop Recordings. As of May 14, 2006, the album has sold 189,000 copies.

Recording the solo album late into 2004, and first words came in December, when he mentioned the album out of context in interviews. In addition to the confirmed artists already on the bill for the album, Mike is rumoured to have met with Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Musiq and more.

As well as producing the CD, Mike played every instrument on all the tracks that make it into the final cut (minus the strings). An exclusive listening party of 5 of the impending tracks was held on April 13, 2005 with an audience of all the most credible online hip-hop press.

All of the music on The Rising Tied was composed, produced and mixed by Shinoda alone. Only two other members of the Linkin Park band are involved with The Rising Tied; guitarist Brad Delson helped do the A&R work for the album and DJ Joe Hahn was featured on one song. The Rising Tied was released on November 22, 2005 with the song “Petrified” believed to be the lead single in the U.S.; as for the UK & Australia, “Believe Me” was the single.

The following is the confirmed tracklisting on The Rising Tied:

  1. Introduction
  2. Remember The Name (featuring Styles Of Beyond)
  3. Right Now (featuring Black Thought and Styles Of Beyond)
  4. Petrified
  5. Feel Like Home (featuring Styles Of Beyond)
  6. Where’d You Go (featuring Holly Brook and Jonah Matranga)
  7. In Stereo
  8. Back Home (featuring Common and Styles Of Beyond)
  9. Cigarettes
  10. Believe Me (featuring Eric Bobo and Styles Of Beyond)
  11. Get Me Gone
  12. High Road (featuring John Legend)
  13. Kenji (with vocal samples from Mike’s father and aunt)
  14. Red To Black (featuring Kenna, Jonah Matranga, and Styles Of Beyond)
  15. The Battle (featuring Celph Titled)
  16. Slip Out The Back (featuring Joe Hahn)

Bonus Tracks

Chart Placing

The Rising Tied debuted at #60 on the US charts, peaking at #57. The album debuted at #55 on the Australian ARIA albums charts and at #7 on the Australian ARIA urban chart and has since gained a gold status in Australia. The first single, “Believe Me” placed #31 on the Australian HMV charts in its first week and peaked at #43 on the Australian ARIA top 100 singles. Both failed to chart in the United Kingdom. Although “Believe Me” did well in the Euro Top 20, “Where’d You Go” was the #1 most added song at its format on U.S. radio for the first two weeks, the song is currently #5 in the Billboard Hot 100. Recently, “Where’d You Go” was released as a single in Australia and debuted at #49 on the ARIA charts, peaking at #41. The National Basketball Association is currently using Remember the Name as the theme song for the 2006 NBA Playoffs.

CD Singles

Vinyl Records

On August 20, 2005, a song from the album, “Remember The Name” was leaked onto the Internet. The song, which was planned to be the first single, received positive feedback from Internet communities. The song “Petrified” was also ‘leaked’, though it was done officially by the Fort Minor team as part of a marketing strategy. On October 3, 2005, “Believe Me” was released as part of the Fort Minor Producer Player deal. Each week for 6 weeks, samples of Remember the Name’s chorus would be posted on the player (drums, vocals, strings, etc). When the 6th week arrived, the vocals were released, and a new song called “Believe Me” was released. Mike Shinoda sings the chorus (albeit with a voice that was warped in post production, but nonetheless marking the first time since Linkin Park’s demo tracks that Shinoda has sung on a studio track) of this song, with his good friends from Styles of Beyond backing him up on the song.

A special edition has been confirmed and will contain a DVD with Behind-The-Scenes footage, and the “Petrified” Music Video.

The album artwork, created by Mike Shinoda, was released on October 3, 2005, resembling his artwork on DC shoes.

In October 4, 2005, the singles “Remember The Name” and “Petrified” were released to digital music stores including iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, and countless others.

Fort Minor Street Team Sampler Mixtape

This is a mixtape put together by DJ Cheapshot released with various other promotional items to members of the U.S. Street team.

Tracklisting of the sampler :

  1. Intro
  2. Remember The Name (featuring Styles of Beyond)
  3. Dolla (featuring Styles of Beyond)
  4. Get It (Styles of Beyond Track)
  5. Petrified

Fort Minor: We Major

This is a mixtape released in October by DJ Green Lantern in conjunction with Mike Shinoda.

Mixtape tracks are as follows:

  1. Green Lantern Intro
  2. 100 Degrees – Fort Minor
  3. Dolla – Fort Minor & Styles of Beyond
  4. Bloc Party – Apathy, M. Shinoda, & Tak of S.O.B.
  5. S.C.O.M. – Ryu of S.O.B., Juelz Santana, & Celph Titled
  6. Remember The Name (The Funkadelic Remix) – Fort Minor feat. Styles of Beyond
  7. Bleach (Jimi Remix) – Styles of Beyond
  8. Spraypaint & Inkpens – Ghostface, M. Shinoda, & Lupe Fiasco
  9. Petrified (Doors Remix) – Fort Minor
  10. Get It – Styles of Beyond
  11. Be Somebody – Fort Minor feat. Lupe Fiasco and Holly Brook
  12. Respect 4 Grandma – Fort Minor, Styles of Beyond, & Celph Titled
  13. There They Go (Green Lantern Remix) – Fort Minor feat. Sixx John
  14. All Night – Apathy, Tak of S.O.B., & Celph Titled
  15. Nobody’s Listening (Green Lantern Remix) – Mike Shinoda
  16. Cover and Duck – Fort Minor feat. Styles of Beyond
  17. [Bonus] Remember The Name (Album Version) – Fort Minor feat. Styles of Beyond
  18. [Bonus] Petrified (Album Version) – Fort Minor
  19. Outro
  20. [Bonus] Where’d You Go (Album Version) – Fort Minor

The mixtape title, “We Major” was a pun made by DJ Green Lantern (based on Kanye West’s song of the same name). Shinoda liked the idea of the title contrasting with the name “Fort Minor”.

The mixtape was purposely leaked over the Internet; it was, besides being a creative and innovative showcase of Shinoda’s posse’s skills, a promotional tool: members of the Fort Minor Street Team (formerly Foot Soldiers) obtained these in the mail to give away to DJ’s, hip hop stores, concerts, or anywhere else that they could distribute them. The We MajorDJ Green Lantern‘s website for sale, and still are. mixtapes were also available on

Video Clips

In October 6, 2005, the music video for the song “Petrified” made its online debut on the Fort Minor website. Alongside with Mike Shinoda, various other members of Fort Minor were also featured in the video.

And so far, four music videos have been confirmed; the songs can be heard on the Be A Fort Minor Producer page on fortminor.com:

Fort Minor Militia Tracks

  1. “Do What We Did”
  2. “Tools of the Trade” (An alternate less serious version of the original is available to listen to at DJ Cheapshot’ MySpace Page)
  3. “Kenji (Interview Version)” (Also available for streaming on the Fort Minor Official Website)
  4. “Where’d You Joe” (“Where’d You Go” Remix by Joe Hahn)
  5. “Strange Things” (According to Mike Shinoda, this is the first “Fort Minor” song he wrote)

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simple-plan-1.jpg Simple Plan

  • Genre: Rock
  • Active: 2000s
  • Major Members: Chuck Comeau, Sebastien Lefebvre, David Desrosiers, Jeff Stinco

Biography

The Montreal-based punk-pop group Simple Plan is comprised of high school pals Pierre Bouvier (vocals), Jeff Stinco (guitar), David Desrosiers (bass), Sebastien Lefebvre (guitar), and Chuck Comeau (drums). The five-piece initially came together when Comeau and Bouvier founded Reset at age 13. Reset was a modest success in Canada, touring the country with fellow punkers MxPx, Ten Foot Pole, and Face to Face. A debut album followed in 1997, however Comeau bowed out quietly to attend college. Two years later, Comeau let his studies take a back seat in order for he, Stinco, and Lefebvre to start making music.

At the same time, Bouvier was still in charge of Reset, but growing tired of being both a frontman and a guitarist. He and Comeau reconnected at a Sugar Ray show in late 1999 and soon Bouvier was back with Comeau and the rest of his motley crew. Desrosiers, who replaced Bouvier in Reset, was asked to join Comeau and his pals, and Simple Plan was born. They landed show dates with the annual Vans Warped Tour in 2001 as well as spots with Toronto’s Snow Jam. By now, Simple Plan had a spunky, energetic punk sound, textured like Cheap Trick, but raw like Pennywise. In 2002, Simple Plan headed into the studio to make a record. Good Charlotte‘s Joel Madden and Mark Hoppus of blink-182No Pad, No Helmets…Just Balls, which was released in spring 2003 on Lava. The group took home a 2003 MuchMusic Video Award for People’s Choice “Favorite Canadian Group” in June. Their Bob Rock-produced second album Still Not Getting Any… followed the next year and did quite well, scoring the hits “Crazy” and “Welcome to My Life.” In 2005 Simple Plan issed Live from the Hard Rock. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide joined Simple Plan during those sessions and the end result was the fiery, fun

Discography

Live from the Hard Rock

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Live from the Hard Rock [CD & DVD]

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Still Not Getting Any…

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Still Not Getting Any… [Alternate Cover #1]

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Still Not Getting Any… [Alternate Cover #2]

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Still Not Getting Any… [Bonus DVD]

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No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls

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No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls [Bonus Tracks]

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For the 1993 novel and 1998 film, see A Simple Plan

Simple Plan
Simple_Plan.jpg
Origin Montreal, Canada
Years active 1999–present
Genre(s) Pop punk
Label(s) Lava/Atlantic
Members Jeff Stinco – Lead guitar
Chuck Comeau – Drums
Pierre Bouvier – Lead vocals
Sébastien Lefebvre – Rhythm guitar
David Desrosiers – Bass

Simple Plan is a pop punk band that formed in 1999 in Montreal, Canada—all five members were born in and grew up in the province. The band has released two original albums: No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls (2002) and Still Not Getting Any (2004); as well as two live CDs: Live in Japan (2002) and MTV Hard Rock Live (2005).

History

Simple Plan came about in stages that began with the founding of the band Reset in 1995, a Canadian punk pop band, by high-school friends Pierre Bouvier, Charles-Andre (Chuck) Comeau and Adrien White. Reset toured around Canada with bands such as MxPx, Ten Foot Pole, and Face to Face, but only managed to gain modest popularity. The debut album was released in 1997. Comeau soon left to go to college, but two years later he hooked up with Jean-Francois (Jeff) Stinco and Sébastien Lefebvre, and again started making music. It was coincidence that brought Comeau and Bouvier back together at a Sugar Ray concert in late 1999, and Bouvier soon left Reset and joined his old friends. David Desrosiers replaced Bouvier in Reset, but when asked to join the foursome, he too left the band and joined the four friends.

The origin of the band’s name is obscure. Band members have given various responses on this point, including a liking for the movie A Simple Plan; that the band was their simple plan to avoid getting a “real” job; and that the name was only intended to be temporary, but they never thought of anything better.

The band tours intensively, and in the period March 2005-March 2006, covered all six inhabited continents, plus Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and New Zealand. It has announced plans for a third original CD, to be released most likely in the fall of 2006.

Mark Hoppus of blink-182 and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte each can be heard singing briefly on No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls – Mark is the easier to hear, as Joel only sings back up on a song.

Criticisms

Although Simple Plan maintains a devoted following and has produced two multiplatinum records with numerous hit singles, it has received its share of criticism.

Some followers of the punk movement, as well as some fans of “true” new wave, are especially hostile towards the band as they see them as co-opting their culture. Moreover, the juvenile subject matter of some of their work prompts further accusations due to the fact that its members are in their mid-twenties. Some identify Simple Plan as evidence of the shameless corporatization of music in the relentless efforts of record companies to exploit every possible commercial demographic.

Nevertheless, the members of Simple Plan have stated quite clearly that they enjoy the backlash of critics, as they believe in the old adage, “all publicity is good publicity,” and they will never stop doing what they love.[1]

Role Model Clothing

Role Model Clothing, the label that Bouvier and Comeau are often seen sporting, was actually formed before Simple Plan by Comeau, Bouvier, and their friend Patrick Langlois, who is now responsible for merchandising and distribution via the web, as well as being videographer for the band. Langlois and Lefebvre also have their own side project, a label called Man of the Hour, which is just starting out.

Patrick’s appearances

Patrick (Pat) Langlois (Cunningham), the band’s webmaster, videographer, merch guy, and best friend, has appeared in every Simple Plan video to date except that for “Crazy.” His appearances are often painful: He was kicked in the crotch in “I’d Do Anything”, had a bowling ball dropped on him and his apartment destroyed in “Addicted”, and was knocked down by the band in “Don’t Wanna Think About You.” He is also seen giving a thumbs up in “Perfect”, as a valet in “Shut Up”, in the crowd in the gym in “I’m Just a Kid”, getting out of a car in “Welcome To My Life”, and as an emergency services worker in “Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?)” – (In the video for “Untitled” David, Chuck, Seb & Jeff also play emergency service workers, and only Pierre appears to be in the video unless you are familiar with the band members’ faces.)

Discography

Studio albums

  • No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls (2002) #35 US [2x Platinum], #29 AUS, #8 CAN [4x Platinum], #1 JP (2x Platinum)
  • Still Not Getting Any… (2004) #3 US [Platinum], #6 AUS [2x Platinum], #1 CAN [3x Platinum], #6 JP [Platinum], France #12
  • 3rd Studio Album (title not yet known) (most likely 2006)

Live albums

  • Live in Japan 2002 (EP) (Japanese Import) (2002)
  • MTV: Hard Rock Live (CD/DVD) (2005)

Singles

From No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls.

From Still Not Getting Any…

Soundtracks

Other releases

  • A Big Package for You (DVD) (2003)
  • MTV Hard Rock Live (DVD) (2005)

Trivia

  • Simple Plan has had their videos “Addicted” and “Untitled” retired on TRL.
  • Simple Plan have contributed 3 notable songs to the recent Scooby Doo revival – Grow Up is featured on the soundtrack to the first film, Don’t Wanna Think About You was written exclusively for the second film, and they perform the theme song to What’s New Scooby-Doo?. They also appeared in an episode of the show, entitled Simple Plan And The Invisible Mad Man
  • Simple Plan’s song “The Worst Day Ever” can be vaguely heard in an episode of the television show, King of the Hill.
  • “Me Against The World” was also briefly heard in an episode of the television show “Desperate Housewives”.
  • Simple Plan’s “Grow Up” was the original choice for the theme song for popular show The Suite Life Of Zack and Cody.
  • The Motley Crue song If I Die Tomorrow was originally written by Simple Plan for Still Not Getting Any… but it was never put on the album. Producer of the new Motley Cru album, Bob Rock, passed the song onto them with SP’s permission – Rock prodeuced Still Not Getting Any..

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