Fort Minor

In November 2005, Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda stepped forward as a solo act by issuing Rising Tied under the Fort Minor moniker. The album merged hip-hop with electronics and rock textures in an ambitious package. Jay-Z served as executive producer, building on his earlier work with both Shinoda and Linkin Park for the 2004 release Collision Course. Guests on Rising Tied included Common and John Legend alongside emerging acts signed to Shinoda’s Machine Shop label. The Linkin Park MC treated the project as a deeply personal endeavor, handling production, mixing, sequencing, and programming while performing 99 percent of the instruments himself and crafting lyrics that addressed his own life, youth, and family. One highlight, “Kenji,” examined the wartime internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and incorporated audio of Shinoda’s relatives recounting their time in the camps.