Biography

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Fred Durst grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where he took an interest in breakdancing, hip hop, punk rock 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. Durst told Sam Rivers, the bassist for a band called Malachi Sage, "You need to quit this band and start a band with me that's like this: rappin' and rockin'." 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. Durst, Rivers and Otto jammed and wrote three songs together, and Wes Borland later joined as a guitarist.

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." Other names that were considered by Durst included Gimp Disco, Split Dickslit, Bitch Piglet, and Blood Fart. Every record label that showed an interest in the band pressured its members to change its name. 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 Funkdubious. 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." However, the band knew that to achieve national success, they would have to distinguish themselves in their live performances. Attracting crowds by word of mouth, the band gave energetic live performances, covering George Michael's "Faith" and Paula Abdul's "Straight Up".

Durst unsuccessfully tried to attract attention from A&R representatives at various labels by pretending to be the band's manager. 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. 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.

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. 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". 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".

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.

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. The completed album featured an abrasive, angry sound which Limp Bizkit used to attract listeners to their music. After the band completed recording, they toured with Korn and Helmet.

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." However, Robert Christgau panned the album. Despite the minimal response to his band's album, Durst was appointed Senior Vice President of A&R at Interscope.

Limp Bizkit joined the Warped Tour, performing alongside the bands Pennywise, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sick of It All, Lagwagon and Blink-182. Preceding their first tour with DJ Lethal, Otto became familiar with Lethal's contributions to collaborate with him better on stage. 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.

In 1998, Limp Bizkit toured with Soulfly and Cold on Soulfly's first European tour. 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. In July, Snot singer Lynn Strait was arrested after he emerged nude from Limp Bizkit's prop toilet, and was charged with indecent exposure. Because Limp Bizkit's fans would often break through the barricades, the band was almost kicked off the tour after two days. 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.

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. Borland stated in an interview that George Michael, the writer of the song, hated the cover and "hates us for doing it".

Following the radio success of "Faith", the band was determined to record the follow-up to their first album in order to show that they weren't a Korn soundalike or a cover band; the band began writing an album which dealt with issues deriving from their newfound fame. Terry Date, who had produced albums for Pantera, White Zombie and Deftones, was chosen to produce the album. The band allowed Durst and Lethal to explore their hip hop origins by recording a song with Method Man. The song was originally titled "Shut the Fuck Up", but was retitled "N 2 Gether Now" for marketing purposes. Durst also recorded with Eminem, but the collaboration, "Turn Me Loose",  was left off the album. The album also featured guest appearances by Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, Korn's Jonathan Davis and Staind singer Aaron Lewis, and interludes by Les Claypool and Matt Pinfield.

Significant Other saw Limp Bizkit reaching a new level of commercial success; the band was featured on the covers of popular music magazines, including Spin, and now found themselves repeatedly mobbed for autographs; the band was allowed to interact directly with their fans on a website established by Dike 99. Durst also moved from Jacksonville to Los Angeles. Significant Other was seen as an improvement over their debut, and was generally well received by critics with mixed to positive reviews.

The band promoted the album by playing unannounced concerts in Detroit and Chicago, as radio stations received a strong amount of requests for the album's first single, "Nookie". Significant Other climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 643,874 copies in its first week of release. In its second week of release, the album sold an additional 335,000 copies. On the opening night of the band's Limptropolis tour with Kid Rock, Sam Rivers smashed his bass in frustration over the venue's poor sound, cutting his hand. After his hand was stitched up at a hospital, Rivers returned to finish the set.

In 2000, Durst announced that the band's third studio album would be titled Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. The press thought he was joking about this title. The album title is intended to sound like a fictional band; the phrase "Chocolate Starfish" refers to the human anus, and Durst himself, who has frequently been called an "asshole". Borland contributed the other half of the album's title when the band was standing around at a truck stop, looking at bottles of flavored water, and Borland joked that the truck stop didn't have hot dog or meat-flavored water.

In the summer, Limp Bizkit's tour was sponsored by the controversial file sharing service Napster, doing free shows with a metal cage as the only thing separating them from the audience. Durst was an outspoken advocate of file sharing. They also did a "Guerrilla Tour" which involved the band setting up illegally and impromptu public gigs on rooftops and alleyways, some being shut down by the police. During the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, Durst performed "Livin' It Up", a song from the upcoming album, as a duet with Christina Aguilera.

Released on October 17, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water set a record for highest first-week sales for a rock album with over one million copies sold in the US in its first week of release. 400,000 of those sales happened during the first day, making it the fastest-selling rock album ever, breaking the record held for 7 years by Pearl Jam's Vs. Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water was certified Gold, Platinum and six times Multi-Platinum. The album received mixed reviews.

Later in 2001, numerous hip-hop artists including P. Diddy, Timbaland, Bubba Sparxxx and Everlast remixed famous songs from the band into hip-hop versions adding their own styles and modifications. The album was called New Old Songs.

In October 2001, Durst released a statement on their website stating that "Limp Bizkit and Wes Borland have amicably decided to part ways. Both Limp Bizkit and Borland will continue to pursue their respective musical careers. Both wish each other the best of luck in all future endeavors." Durst also stated that the band would "comb the world for the illest guitar player known to man" to replace Borland.

After holding a nationwide audition for a new guitarist, called "Put Your Guitar Where Your Mouth Is", the band recorded with Snot guitarist Mike Smith, but later scrapped their recording sessions with Smith. Durst told a fan site that he had a falling out with Smith, saying "We are the type of people that stay true to our family and our instincts and at any moment will act on intuition as a whole. Mike wasn't the guy. We had fun playing with him but always knew, in the back of our minds, that he wasn't where we needed him to be mentally."

After recording another album without Smith, the band scrapped the new sessions and assembled a new album combining songs from different sessions. During the album's production, the working title changed from Bipolar to Panty Sniffer, and was completed under the title Results May Vary. The album encompassed a variety of styles, and featured a cover of The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes", which differed from the original's arrangement in its inclusion of a Speak & Spell during the song's bridge. Results May Vary was released on September 23, 2003.

In August 2004, Borland rejoined Limp Bizkit, which began recording another album, The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1). In May, The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) was released. Sammy Siegler took over drumming duties for the band for much of the album, which featured a more experimental sound, described by Allmusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "neo-prog alt-metal". At Durst's insistence, the album was released as an underground album, without any advertising or promotion.

The album received mixed reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the music, calling it "a step in the right direction – it's more ambitious, dramatic, and aggressive, built on pummeling verses and stop-start choruses." However, he felt that the band was being "held back" by Durst. IGN writer Spence D. similarly gave it a mixed review, as he felt that the album lacked direction, but that showed potential for the band's musical growth. The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) sold over 37,000 copies worldwide, peaking at No. 24 on the Billboard 200. Following the release of the band's Greatest Hitz album, the band went on hiatus. Borland stated that it was unlikely that a sequel to The Unquestionable Truth would be produced and that "As of right now, none of my future plans include Limp Bizkit."

In 2009, Limp Bizkit reunited with Borland playing guitar and launched the Unicorns N' Rainbows Tour. Durst announced that they had begun to record a new album, which Borland titled Gold Cobra. Borland said that the title does not have any meaning, and that it was chosen because it fit the style of music the band was writing for the album. The band recorded a spoken intro written by Durst and performed by Kiss member Gene Simmons for the album, but it was left off the completed album. The band also recorded additional "non-album" tracks, including "Combat Jazz", which featured rapper Raekwon and "Middle Finger", featuring Paul Wall. "Shotgun" was released as a single on May 17, 2011. The song is noted for featuring a guitar solo by Borland, something that the band is not known for. "Shotgun" received favorable reviews, with Artistdirect writing, “Shotgun feels like Bizkit approached the signature style on Three Dollar Bill Y'All and Significant Other with another decade-plus of instrumental experience and virtuosity, carving out a banger that could get asses moving in the club or fists flying in the mosh pit."

Gold Cobra was released on June 28 and received mixed to positive reviews. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "a return to the full-throttled attack of Three Dollar Bill Y'All. IGN writer Chad Grischow wrote, "Though far from their best work, Limp Bizkit's latest at least proves that their 2005 Greatest Hitz album may have been premature." Metal Hammer writer Terry Bezer appraised the album, writing "Aside from the odd duff moment, Gold Cobra throws out the hot shit that'll make you bounce in the mosh pit over and over again." The band launched the Gold Cobra Tour in support of the album. A music video for the title track was released. Gold Cobra has sold nearly 80,000 copies in the United States alone and peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200; however, the band left Interscope after the album's release.

In February 2012, the band returned to Australia for the first time in 11 years, to perform at the Soundwave festival. Durst dedicated the shows to Jessica Michalik, who died during the Limp Bizkit performance at Big Day Out 2001. On February 24, Limp Bizkit signed with Cash Money Records, and revealed plans to release a new single, "Ready to Go", a full-length album, Stampede of the Disco Elephants, and an EP, The Unquestionable Truth (Part 2). Due to an internal dispute, DJ Lethal left the band in 2012. Fred Durst was featured in the song "Champions" by Kevin Rudolf, used as theme for WWE's Night of Champions. The song debuted on WWE Raw televised event on 3 September 2012. This is the first time Limp Bizkit has worked with WWE since 2001.

It was announced on October 26, 2012 on Fred Durst's official Twitter account that a video for the first Cash Money single with Lil Wayne, "Ready to Go" was currently being filmed. Limp Bizkit also "leaked" a new song on the web called "Lightz (City of Angels)" via YouTube. The band is currently recording their seventh studio album, Stampede of the Disco Elephants with producer Ross Robinson, who also produced the band's debut album, Three Dollar Bill, Yall, and their 2005 album The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1). On March 24, 2013, the first single from the album, "Ready to Go" (Featuring Lil Wayne) was released on limpbizkit.com and the accompanying music video was released on 22 July. On November 1, 2013 a new track, a cover of the Ministry song "Thieves" was released by the band via their official Facebook and Twitter accounts. On the 11th of December, the band released a new single, the previously leaked song, "Lightz" along with an accompanying music video.

The next track, "Endless Slaughter" was originally set to be released only on cassette and during concerts, beginning from June 2014 in Europe and culminating at Knotfest in Makuhari Messe, Tokyo, where Limp Bizkit will perform along with festival founders Slipknot, and Korn, Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium and In Flames, however the single was released on the bands website. In October 2014, Fred Durst revealed that the band had left Cash Money, and became independent again. The split was carried out amicably, and Fred says that "We really love the jam we did with Lil Wayne, though. We love that song."

The band started its 2015 activities with news: Stampede of the Disco Elephants is in the final stages of production, however as of 2016 no news had come of release of the album. A few days later, the band announced their major 2015 tour called "Money Sucks", a Russian 20-date tour to take place during October and November, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit was leading ShipRocked 2015 cruise from February 2 to 6. Other bands present were Chevelle, Black Label Society, P.O.D., Sevendust among others.

Before the band traveled to Russia for the "Money Sucks" Tour in 2015, Sam Rivers was diagnosed with a degenerative disease of the discs of the spine and that was complicated due to a pinched nerve, causing a lot of pain in such area, which has prevented him from being with the band. Through the Armpit.net forums Sam offers this statement, adding that he will have surgery, following for rehabilitation.

DJ Lethal returned to the band in 2018 as they kicked off their New Zealand and Australian Tour in March.