Among all the American rock bands, Limp Bizkit is one of the most popular. Three Grammy nominations have contributed to her worldwide success. Aggressive lyrics and their presentation, experiments with sound, vibrant concert shows - these are just some of the reasons that contribute to the continuous increase in the army of fans of the group.
What is the group famous for?
Over its more than twenty-year history of existence, Limp Bizkit has repeatedly won medals in various musical nominations. According to music critics, its uniqueness lies in the skillful combination of rock music, rap and nu-metal elements, which appeared as a result of many years of experiments with sound and using a wide variety of instruments.
It is worth noting bright concert programs, during which the members of the collective devote themselves entirely to the process: they actively work with the audience, perform their compositions as close as possible to the original and make each of their shows different from the previous one. Each year, the group gives more than 50 concerts around the world, and sometimes it is simply impossible to get tickets for them.
How was the team formed?
The idea of creating the Limp Bizkit group belongs to its soloist - Fred Durst, who always dreamed of working in a team whose work would combine rock and hip-hop. At the beginning of 1993, he was immediately in three little-known projects, each of which did not bring him any creative satisfaction. That is why he alternately left them, deciding to create something completely different.
In December of that year, Fred contacted bassist Sam Rivers, with whom he worked in one of his former projects, and offered him cooperation. Sam seriously became interested in the idea of creating a new group and then called his cousin John Otto, who knew how to play drums well. The hardest thing was with the guitarists, they changed quite often until the appearance of Wes Borland, who became one of the band's calling cards.
Members of the group
The composition of Limp Bizkit practically did not change throughout the existence of the team. The main participants are: Fred Durst (vocals), Sam Rivers (bass, keys, backing), John Otto (drums), Wes Borland (guitar, backing) and DJ Lethal (keys, sampling), the last two left the group in 2001 and 2012, respectively, but after a break of several years they nevertheless returned, to the delight of their fans.
The musicians thought for a very long time about the name of the band, there were many ideas, but all of them were rejected by Fred. Sam could not stand such a brainstorming and said that his brain looked like a soft cookie (limp biscuit), after some adjustments the name “Limp Bizkit” appeared, its translation remained the same. At one time, the members of the group were Mike Smith, Terry Balsamo and Rob Waters, all of them also became famous figures in show business.
Band frontman
The soloist of Limp Bizkit Fred Durst was born in a poor family, his biological father left her when the musician was only a few weeks old. For a couple of years, Anita, Fred's mother, tried to earn and solve a huge number of problems, they had to live in the attic of the church, where she and her child were sheltered by ministers. Soon, the woman married Bill, a police officer who raised Durst as his own son. As a teenager, Fred listened to heavy music and tried to write rap, this helped him get rid of negative emotions.
After graduation, he decides to go to Gaston to feed himself, he has to work in fast food, parks, clubs, but nowhere does he stay for long. In 1988, he decides to go to serve in the Navy, after which he marries. The marriage turns out to be fleeting, the only positive memory of Fred about him is the daughter of Hadrian. Later, cohabiting with Jennifer Revero, Durst becomes a father for the second time - the girl gave birth to his son Dallas. Later, the musician returned to Gastonia, where he formed a new group stylized as Vanilla Ice, but to no avail.
Real luck began in Durst's life after returning to Jacksonville, where he met his future Limp Bizkit colleagues. Now the musician is married to the Russian woman Ksenia Beryazeva, a native of the Kemerovo region. In his recent interviews, Durst noted that he would like to officially become a citizen of Russia, but so far this has only remained in the plans.
LB: 1994-2005
The entire history of the Limp Bizkit group can be divided into two stages. The first of them began in 1994 and lasted until 2005. Initially, the group gained popularity as an underground group, but after several concerts it became clear that without the presence of their own “chips” it would not be possible to break into the big stage. By 1996, the team already had its own style, and a year later got a producer and its own team on the label.
A huge number of tours, concerts and filming seriously affected all members of the group - they became more serious, which affected the quality of texts and music. The team has been repeatedly criticized for its shocking behavior, as well as for restraint in relation to colleagues in the workshop. However, Durst and his team ignored the caustic remarks and continued to do their job to the delight of the fans.
The period from 2001 to 2004 was quite controversial for Limp Bizkit, and the absence of Wes Borland, the results of his release on the absence of the album Results May Vary, crushed the critics to pieces. It was comforting to the musicians that the disc was successful from a commercial point of view. In the group, disputes begin on the need to continue working together, as a result of which the team members decide to take a break.
LB: from 2009 to the present
The pause benefited the collective: Limp Bizkit music during this time not only did not lose its relevance, but also became a kind of guide for young people. In 2009, the group visited Russia and many other countries as part of their tour, after which they settled in the studio to record a new album. It took about two years to work, a significant increase in the number of keyboards helped the musicians finally achieve the favor of critics.
Despite leaving DJ Lethal in 2012, the musicians continued their successful touring activities, alternating with filming clips and recording new material. As of 2018, the group is busy recording their seventh album, in March of this year, the DJ who left her 6 years ago returned to the group, which should also have a significant impact on the disc.
Video tracking
Another key feature of the Limp Bizkit group is the clips, the first time you look at them, it seems that they make absolutely no sense. It is this impression that arises from the video sequence created for the very first song of the group - Counterfeit, directed by Fred Durst. The frontman of the group directed almost all the clips, thanks to this it was possible to achieve maximum integrity of the picture and sound.
Russian fans found out about Limp Bizkit by watching a clip for the Faith song, created from video archives accumulated during the tour. The friends of the group Korn also appeared in the video sequence, also here the images of the alter ego of the team leaders Fred Durst and Wes Borland were first involved. Some of the creations of the collective were banned in a number of states because of the ambiguous texts of the compositions, accompanied by a kind of video sequence.
The song Rollin` was a turning point in the career of “Limp Bizkit”, the clips that appeared earlier did not have any semantic load. This video is most remembered for the fact that it was shot in the infamous New York towers, while it is considered one of the highest budget in the history of rock music. In the future, the group spoiled fans of the video not so often, and most often it was just cuts from the tours.
Musical style
The founder of the band Fred Durst initially suggested that the group would combine a huge number of different musical styles. The leading ones at the moment are alternative metal, nu metal, rap, funk, rock, in parallel with this, musicians constantly include elements of post-grunge, hard rock, heavy, progressive, as well as alternative rock in their compositions. All compositions are processed using a variety of techniques, resulting in an unusual sound that has no analogues.
Most of the lyrics were written by Durst, they often contain absurd vocabulary, saturated with aggression and are associated with the characteristics of society. Some songs make fun of society and mimic media personalities, in recent years there has been a trend when the texts reflect the personal experiences of the group's vocalist and his position regarding certain political events.
Should I go to the show?
Perhaps the songs “Limp Bizkit” would not be so popular if it were not for the carefully thought-out concerts that the band is famous for. All show programs consist of stage productions combined with visual effects. One of the most striking is the 1999 Family Values Tour, when members of the group used a model of an alien ship to perform.
The "calling card" at the concerts is Wes Borland's costumes , frightening and bewitching fans. Wes himself comes up with them and pays special attention to body painting, painting his body in a wide variety of colors. In an interview, the musician repeatedly said that for some performances he uses only shoes and underwear, and the rest of his body is completely covered with paint.
Scandalous image
The image of hooligans and rowdy has stuck to the group since its first performance. After the release of the video for the song Rolling ("Rowling"), they began to write about "Limp Bizkit" in the press as musicians who were not shy about expressing their opinion on any issue. The group members did not shy away from quarreling with their colleagues. In particular, we are talking about Eminem, with whom the musicians were first friends, but later the relationship deteriorated when the band refused to support the rapper in a conflict with Everlast.
Perhaps the most famous is the scandal associated with the Slipknot group, when Fred in one of his interviews did not speak too well about her fans. The drummer of the project threatened Durst with physical violence if such statements were repeated. The latter replied to the group’s official website that he was happy that Slipknot hates Limp Bizkit, because of this their music only gets better.
Team Hits
Despite the fact that the band became popular thanks to its own songs, some listeners remembered only one song “Limp Bizkit” - “Behind blue eyes” (Behind blue eyes). The cover of the song of The Who with a remodeled melody and added electronic sounds for several months held the first positions in the leading musical charts of the planet. Some fans of the group were surprised to learn that this composition was created by other musicians, and not “Limp Bizkit”, “Blue Aiz” - that is how they initially called the song.
The list of the most recognizable songs of the group also includes tracks: Nookie, Break Stuff, Combat Jazz, Shotgun and a number of others. Not so long ago, the team released a new single, called Ready to Go, which should be included in the group's new studio album. Fans love rhythmic songs that can be danced at concerts, the group tries to take into account their opinion and release as many of these creations as possible.
Discography
It’s hard enough to find a group that could be closer in sound to “Limp Bizkit”, the musicians have released six albums, and now they are recording the seventh. The first of them - Three Dollar Bill, Y'all $ - was released in 1997, during its preparation the team was guided by the principle by which names were used that would repel listeners and evoke negative emotions. Original effects and a well-built rhythm section helped Limp Bizkit to release an album, which, although criticized by various music observers, was still sold well.
Albums Significant Other, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water and Results May Vary, released in 1999, 2000 and 2003, respectively, only strengthened the collective's position in the music market. The last Limp Bizkit album was released in 2011, fans have been waiting for seven years for a new disc, which is known nothing but the title - Stampede of the Disco Elephants.
Group Achievements
Limp Bizkit has existed for more than 20 years, except for a four-year hiatus, during which time the team was nominated three times for the most prestigious music award on the planet - the Grammy, and also received a huge number of prizes. The band received its first award, the Billboard Music Awards, in 1999 for the Nookie music video, which was also repeatedly nominated for a number of other prizes.
More often than not, the group was allocated by the MTV television channel, aimed at a young audience that respects rock and alternative music. In 2009, the team was included in the “Kerrang! Hall of Fame!” For its achievements and the formation of a progressive audience that loves rock music.