Fort Minor is a hip hop-based side-project of Mike Shinoda, who is better known as the
rapper, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and producer of the American rock band Linkin
Park. Shinoda's debut solo album as Fort Minor, The Rising Tied, was released on November
22, 2005. The album's fourth single, "Where'd You Go", propelled Fort Minor to stardom,
reaching No. 4 at the Billboard Hot 100.
History Formation and The Rising Tied
Fort Minor is a side project of Mike Shinoda. Shinoda uses the name Fort Minor for his collaborations
with Ryan Patrick Maginn and Takbir Bashir, who themselves form the underground hip hop
group Styles of Beyond. Shinoda began recording songs for this side
project following the release of Collision Course in November 2004. Fort Minor: We Major
was a mixtape by Shinoda and DJ Green Lantern to promote his upcoming studio album. The
Rising Tied, the debut album of Fort Minor, was released in November 2005. Robert Hales
directed its first video "Petrified", which was released the previous month. Jay-Z, who
had previously collaborated with Linkin Park on the 2004 album Collision Course, was the
executive producer for The Rising Tied. Shinoda told Corey Moss of MTV News that he imposed
on himself a requirement to play all the instruments and write all the lyrics to the album except
for the strings, percussion, or choir parts. "Where'd You Go", its fourth single, peaked
at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while second single, "Remember the Name", reached
at No. 66. Another track, "Kenji" describes the experiences of a Japanese-American family
during the Japanese American internment of World War II.
Due to the success of "Where'd You Go" during the week of April 26, 2006, sales of The Rising
Tied increased by 45 percent, and the album chart position went up 89 positions to No.
104 on the Billboard 200." Where'd You Go" was awarded Ringtone of the Year at the 2006
MTV Video Music Awards. In mid August 2006 Fort Minor performed at the Summer Sonic 2006
alongside Linkin Park. The third track on the album, "Right Now",
is featured in the trailer of The Family That Preys by Tyler Perry.
The song "Remember the Name" was used in promotional TV trailers for the 2006 movie Gridiron Gang,
as well as the trailer for the remake of the movie The Karate Kid and an episode in the
second season of TV show Numb3rs. "Indefinite hiatus"
In November 2006, Fort Minor released a video for "Remember the Name." Shinoda has stated
he felt the video was a nice wrap-up for Fort Minor. Also in November, Shinoda stated that
Fort Minor is currently on hiatus, because of his dedication to Linkin Park.
In 2006, Holly Brook released an exclusive version of "Where'd You Go" to radio stations,
made completely by herself. Mike does not appear on this version.
In the Billboard One-hit Wonders of the 2000s, Fort Minor were listed at No. 19, due to
the success of "Where'd You Go". Possible reunion
In an LPU Chat in early 2012, Mike Shinoda said there is a possibility for a new Fort
Minor album after Linkin Park's sixth studio album, which was planned for release in 2014.
In October 2013, on the Nick Catchdubs remix of Linkin Park's "Skin to Bone", Ryu from
Styles of Beyond stated that Fort Minor's mission isn't over, hinting at a second studio
album. Discography
Albums Mixtapes
2005: Fort Minor Sampler Mixtape 2005: Fort Minor: We Major
EPs 2006: Sessions@AOL
2006: Fort Minor Militia EP Instrumental albums
2005: Instrumental Album: The Rising Tied Singles
Fort Minor Militia Exclusive Tracks Militia is the debut studio EP for the Fort
Minor's official fan club, known as the "Fort Minor Militia". Subscribers were given exclusive
tracks for digital download that were never officially released with the exception of
"Kenji" and "Believe Me", which were later released to Linkin Park and Styles of Beyond's
official websites respectively. These tracks are sometimes referred to as the Fort Minor
Militia EP. Music videos
References
External links Fort Minor's Official Website