Greg Dona
03/27/06, 09:25 PM
Mike Shinoda proved himself with Linkin Park in the days of Hybrid Theory. The disc hit record store shelves with incredible force; the concept of a rap and rock hybrid both confused and pleased listeners, and the novelty of the band sold its albums as much as did their actual music. Meteora, a following release, catapulted the group into the revered pop culture mainstream and allowed for their touring of the world in the largest and highest end venues and arenas.
Why then would Mike Shinoda, star MC of rap-rock’s poster band, begin to put out music under the alternate identity Fort Minor? The answer, of course, is that he creates music for its artistic value as opposed to the notion that he and Linkin Park represented simply a band created by their label to horde cash and shun personal creativity. On The Rising Tied Fort Minor abandons the rock half of the rap and rock equation, focusing their work instead on Shinoda’s MC skills.
Shinoda, what with the unreasonable amounts of fame garnered through his Linkin Park endeavors, in all honesty could have gotten any of the world’s greatest producers to fine-tune his Fort Minor full length. Instead, he bears the vast majority of the burden on his own entrepreneurial back. His disgusting work ethic shines apparent in his determination to create the beats, MC the album, and produce the whole record as well.
Mike emits an exceptional flow as a rapper. His rhymes assume a borderline conversational tone and pace, as he sounds more relaxed than on Linkin Park tracks. No matter how well he performs, however, guest rappers such as Styles of Beyond members, Black Thought of the Roots, and Common consistently outshine Shinoda in alternating vocal renderings. This is not to suggest that Shinoda is lacking in skills, but rather that he manages to surround himself with persons excelling in ability even when compared to a talented MC such as the Linkin Park rapper.
Lyrically, much of Fort Minor’s work seems to be focused in releasing built up angers and gathering respect earned but not collected during the Linkin Park era. “Remember That Name,” “Where’d Ya Go,” “Cigarettes,” “Get Me Gone,” and “High Road” fit the bill of the aforementioned lyrical style most nearly for the record, and such songs flow nicely and naturally. Tracks like “Kenji,” chronicling and materializing the fearful reality of Japanese persons in the United States shipped off to internment camps, however noble in their intentions, lack a certain element of genuineness in their delivery and thus fall short as musical pieces.
Mike Shinoda and Fort Minor came into The Rising Tide with something to prove; he sought to prove his existence as an artist as opposed to simply a leach off of the rap and rock formula. He does so in convincing fashion on this release, one which showcases both his abilities as an MC and a producer. Although regularly stood up by his surrounding artists, Mike reigns supreme in the hip hop world as a whole. Versatility took him to the top with Linkin Park, and it does again with Fort Minor.
Why then would Mike Shinoda, star MC of rap-rock’s poster band, begin to put out music under the alternate identity Fort Minor? The answer, of course, is that he creates music for its artistic value as opposed to the notion that he and Linkin Park represented simply a band created by their label to horde cash and shun personal creativity. On The Rising Tied Fort Minor abandons the rock half of the rap and rock equation, focusing their work instead on Shinoda’s MC skills.
Shinoda, what with the unreasonable amounts of fame garnered through his Linkin Park endeavors, in all honesty could have gotten any of the world’s greatest producers to fine-tune his Fort Minor full length. Instead, he bears the vast majority of the burden on his own entrepreneurial back. His disgusting work ethic shines apparent in his determination to create the beats, MC the album, and produce the whole record as well.
Mike emits an exceptional flow as a rapper. His rhymes assume a borderline conversational tone and pace, as he sounds more relaxed than on Linkin Park tracks. No matter how well he performs, however, guest rappers such as Styles of Beyond members, Black Thought of the Roots, and Common consistently outshine Shinoda in alternating vocal renderings. This is not to suggest that Shinoda is lacking in skills, but rather that he manages to surround himself with persons excelling in ability even when compared to a talented MC such as the Linkin Park rapper.
Lyrically, much of Fort Minor’s work seems to be focused in releasing built up angers and gathering respect earned but not collected during the Linkin Park era. “Remember That Name,” “Where’d Ya Go,” “Cigarettes,” “Get Me Gone,” and “High Road” fit the bill of the aforementioned lyrical style most nearly for the record, and such songs flow nicely and naturally. Tracks like “Kenji,” chronicling and materializing the fearful reality of Japanese persons in the United States shipped off to internment camps, however noble in their intentions, lack a certain element of genuineness in their delivery and thus fall short as musical pieces.
Mike Shinoda and Fort Minor came into The Rising Tide with something to prove; he sought to prove his existence as an artist as opposed to simply a leach off of the rap and rock formula. He does so in convincing fashion on this release, one which showcases both his abilities as an MC and a producer. Although regularly stood up by his surrounding artists, Mike reigns supreme in the hip hop world as a whole. Versatility took him to the top with Linkin Park, and it does again with Fort Minor.