Mike Shinoda
Michael Kenji Shinoda was born on February 11, 1977, to a Japanese father and a Russian-Hungarian mother, in Agoura Hills, California. He is a relative of the Romantic-era composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Shinoda was raised a liberal Protestant but it is unknown as to whether or not he continues to practice his religion. He is best known for his roles as the emcee, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist for the alternative/nu metal band Linkin Park, as well as for his role as the mastermind behind the Linkin Park hip hop side-project Fort Minor.
Shinoda's first exposure to the music business came during his middle-high school years, when he attended a concert featuring Anthrax and Public Enemy. After that, he began taking piano lessons, studying classical piano techniques and later moved on to jazz and hip hop. Shinoda attended the Agoura High School with his fellow Linkin Park bandmates Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon, as well as with members of the bands Incubus and Hoobastank. In high school, he experimented with hip hop beats using an old beat machine. Following his graduation, he formed a band called Xero with Delson and Bourdon, which would later become Linkin Park.
Following high school, Shinoda attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he majored in illustration. While attending the college, Shinoda met Joe Hahn, who would later join Xero as the DJ. Shinoda's concentration on graphic design in particular resulted in him getting a job as a graphic designer straight out of college. He has stated that the most prominent moment in his life would always be the moment that he received his diploma. With his experience as a graphic artist, Shinoda ended up designing all of Linkin Park's artwork with Hahn, and has even designed the album cover for Styles of Beyond's debut album, 2000 Fold.
In 2003, Shinoda launched his own record label with Delson as an imprint of Warner Brothers Records. The newly-formed Machine Shop Recordings would then go on to sign artists such as Styles of Beyond, Holly Brook, Simplistic and No Warning. (Simplistic has since broken up.)
In late 2004, rumors were abound that Shinoda was going to release a solo record. Its release was confirmed in early 2005 as going to be released under the moniker "Fort Minor."
In a recent interview [1], Shinoda explained the name of his project:
"Fort" represents the more aggressive side of the music. "Minor" can mean a few things: if you're talking about music theory, the minor key is darker. I wanted to name the album rather than having my name on the cover, because I want people to focus on the music, not me.
The debut album from Fort Minor was released on November 22, 2005, and debuted at #60 on the Billboard Charts, only selling 28,000 copies in its first week [2]. The record features guest appearances from Styles of Beyond, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Black Thought of The Roots, John Legend, Holly Brook, Jonah Matranga and features Shawn Carter as an executive producer.
Shinoda has also produced albums for Lupe Fiasco and Styles of Beyond, as well as producing several of Linkin Park's albums, including Reanimation, Meteora and the collaborative EP with Jay-Z, Collision Course. He has also produced all of Linkin Park's Linkin Park Underground CDs.
Shinoda, alongside Lil Jon, was asked to score the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. This was huge for Shinoda because it was the first time in the show's history that artists were given the chance to score the show. Shinoda contributed five short tracks to the score: "100 Degrees," "Saturday," "Montreal," "Hype" and "Madison." They are all instrumental pieces.
He now resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Anna, whom he married on May 10, 2003.
One year after his marriage, Shinoda has also been featured on Punk'd; he was tricked into thinking he was fined $5,000 for parking next to a fire hydrant.
References
- [3] fixins.com interview with Mike Shinoda
- [4] mtv.com article discussing chart positions for the week of November 22 to November 28
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