Fort Minor
Mike Shinoda performing in 2019
Mike Shinoda performing in 2019
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 2004–2006
  • 2015–2017
Labels
Past membersMike Shinoda
Websitefortminor.com

Fort Minor was a hip hop side project by American musician Mike Shinoda, who is better known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, producer, and rapper of the rock band Linkin Park. The project's only album, The Rising Tied, was released in 2005. The album's fourth single "Where'd You Go" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]

History

Formation and The Rising Tied (2004–2006)

Mike Shinoda created Fort Minor in 2004. Shinoda uses the name Fort Minor for his collaborations with Ryan Patrick Maginn (Ryu) and Takbir Bashir (Tak), who themselves hail from 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.[3] 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.[4] Jay-Z, who had previously collaborated with Linkin Park on the 2004 album Collision Course, was the executive producer for The Rising Tied.[5] 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.[6] "Where'd You Go", its fourth single, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while second single, "Remember the Name", reached No. 66.[7] Another track, "Kenji" describes the experiences of a Japanese-American family during the Japanese American internment of World War II.[8]

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.[9] "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.[10]

The third track on the album, "Right Now", is featured in the trailer of The Family That Preys by Tyler Perry.[11]

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, an episode in the second season of TV show Numb3rs, and the film The Smurfs 2. The song also received attention on HBO's Hard Knocks, where NFL star J.J. Watt was filmed rapping the song during a workout.[12]

Indefinite hiatus (2006–2015)

In November 2006, Fort Minor released a video for "Where'd You Go". Shinoda has stated he felt the video was a nice wrap-up for Fort Minor.[11] Also in November, Shinoda stated that Fort Minor was currently on hiatus, because of his dedication to Linkin Park.

In 2006, Skylar Grey released an exclusive version of "Where'd You Go" to radio stations, made by herself. Shinoda does not appear on this version.[13]

In the Billboard One-hit Wonders of the 2000s, Fort Minor (along with Holly Brook and Jonah Matranga) were listed at No. 19, due to the success of "Where'd You Go" (since it was Fort Minor's only single that reached the top 25).[14] 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 is not over, hinting at a second studio album.

"Welcome" single (2015) and second hiatus

On June 21, 2015, Shinoda released a new, non-album single titled "Welcome".[15][16] Fort Minor also appeared as the musical guest on the TBS late-night talk show Conan on June 22, 2015.[17] No new announcement has been made and the future of Fort Minor is currently unknown. However, ever since Chester Bennington's suicide on July 20, 2017, Shinoda has been performing and releasing songs as a solo act under his real name.

Status of Fort Minor (2020)

In September 2020, Shinoda addressed the status of Fort Minor on the podcast The Green Room with Neil Griffiths, saying "I'm Fort Minor the way Trent Reznor is Nine Inch Nails. Like, Nine Inch Nails is a group effort, but if Trent doesn't do it, it's not a thing."[18]

He added that there is "no answer" about what's next for Fort Minor. "With Fort Minor I brought different people in to do different things and had some amazing features. I still believe that one of Black Thought's best verses of all time is on Right Now on the Fort Minor record, and it just happens to be on my record. That would have been one of my favourite verses he's ever done, whether or not it was for that record. For me, there's a bit of a high bar. I don't know why."[19]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, selected details, chart positions and certifications
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[20] 		AUS
[21] 		AUT
[22] 		FRA
[23] 		GER
[24] 		NLD
[25] 		NZ
[26] 		SWI
[27] 		UK
[28]
The Rising Tied 51 55 37 151 25 79 22 42 142

Mixtapes

EPs

Instrumental albums

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[33] 		AUS
[34] 		AUT
[35] 		FIN
[36] 		FRA
[37] 		GER
[38] 		NLD
[39] 		NZ
[40] 		SWI
[41] 		UK
[28]
"Petrified" 2005 — — — — — — — — — — The Rising Tied
"Remember the Name"
(featuring Styles of Beyond) 		66 — — — — — — — — —
"Believe Me"
(featuring Eric Bobo and Styles of Beyond) 		— 43 47 5 — 29 58 — — 92
"Where'd You Go"
(featuring Holly Brook and Jonah Matranga) 		2006 4 41 29 8 24 18 15 14 62 —
"Welcome" 2015 — — — — — — — — — — Non-album single
"Already Over (Fort Minor Mix)"
(with Mike Shinoda featuring Dom McLennon) 		2023 — — — — — — — — — — The Crimson Chapter
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Fort Minor Militia exclusive tracks

Militia is the debut studio EP for 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 (Interview Version)" and "Believe Me (Club Remix)", 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.

Date Title
November 2005 "Do What We Did" (Demo) (featuring Styles of Beyond)
December 2005 "Kenji" (Interview Version)
January 2006 "Tools of the Trade" (Demo) (featuring Styles of Beyond & Celph Titled)
February 2006 "Where'd You Joe?" ("Where'd You Go" Remix by Mr. Hahn) (featuring Holly Brook)
April 2006 "Believe Me" (Club Remix) (featuring Eric Bobo & Styles of Beyond)
May 2006 "Start It All Up" (Demo)
June 2006 "Move On" (Demo) (featuring Mr. Hahn)

Music videos

Date Title Director
January 12, 2005 "Petrified" Robert Hales
February 26, 2005 "Remember the Name" Kimo Proudfoot
December 12, 2005 "Believe Me" Laurent Briet
May 29, 2006 "Where'd You Go" Philip Andelman
June 22, 2015 "Welcome" Jeff Nicholas

Awards and nominations

MTV Video Music Awards
Year Award Nomination Result
2006 Ringtone of the Year "Where'd You Go" (featuring Holly Brook) Won

References

  1. ^ "Beck Leads Adult Alternative, Fort Minor & Disturbed Return to Charts". Billboard.
  2. ^ "Where'd You Go – Fort Minor (Chart History)". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  3. ^ Montgomery, James (March 4, 2005). "Mike Shinoda's Solo Album May Divide Linkin Park Fans". MTV News. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  4. ^ Moss, Corey (October 20, 2005). "Linkin Park MC Gets Director With Flair For Video With Flares". MTV News. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  5. ^ Loftus, Johnny (2006). "Fort Minor – Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  6. ^ Moss, Corey (November 22, 2005). "Mike Shinoda: Storyteller". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  7. ^ "Fort Minor > Charts & Awards". allmusic. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  8. ^ Jeffries, David (November 22, 2005). "The Rising Tied > Overview". allmusic. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  9. ^ Harris, Chris (April 26, 2006). "T.I., Pink, Shakira Can't Shake Rascal Flatts From Billboard #1". MTV News. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  10. ^ "Ringtone of the Year". MTV. September 2, 2006. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  11. ^ a b "FORT MINOR: The Other Side Of Music | Visionary Artistry Magazine". May 8, 2013. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  12. ^ "J.J. Watt Trolls Himself over Infamous 'Remember the Name' Rap from 'Hard Knocks'".
  13. ^ "Fort Minor Unofficial: Where'd Mike Go?". March 20, 2009. Archived from the original on March 20, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  14. ^ "One-Hit Wonders of the 2000s". Billboard. Billboard. 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  15. ^ "Mike Shinoda on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  16. ^ "Fort Minor on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  17. ^ "Conan Show Guests Schedule: June 22 – 25, 2015 @ TeamCoco.com". teamcoco.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  18. ^ Griffiths, Neil (September 10, 2020). "The Green Room With Neil Griffiths – Mike Shinoda". thePodcasts.com.au. Handshake Media Pty Ltd. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  19. ^ Griffiths, Neil (September 13, 2020). "'There's A Bit Of A High Bar': Mike Shinoda Reveals Status Of Fort Minor". theMusic.com.au. Handshake Media Pty Ltd. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  20. ^ "Billboard 200 – Fort Minor". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  21. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 106.
  22. ^ "Austrian Record Chart". austriancharts.at. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  23. ^ "French Record Chart". lescharts.com. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  24. ^ "German Record Chart". musicline.de. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  25. ^ "Dutch Record Chart". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  26. ^ "New Zealand Record Chart". charts.nz. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  27. ^ "Swiss Record Chart". hitparade.ch. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  28. ^ a b "UK Record Chart". Zobbel. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  29. ^ "American certifications – Fort Minor". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  30. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  31. ^ "Recording Industry Association of Japan". Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  32. ^ Evolution of Mike Shinoda - EP by Mike Shinoda, Fort Minor & LINKIN PARK, October 2, 2023, retrieved October 9, 2023
  33. ^ "Fort Minor > Awards". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  34. ^ "Discography Fort Minor". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  35. ^ "Discographie Fort Minor". austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  36. ^ "Suomen virallinen lista – Artistit". ifpi.fi. Musiikkituottajat ry. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  37. ^ "Discographie Fort Minor". lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  38. ^ Peak chart positions for singles in Germany:
  39. ^ "Discografie Fort Minor". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  40. ^ "Discography Fort Minor". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  41. ^ "Discography Fort Minor". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  42. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum: Fort Minor". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  43. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (enter "Fort Minor" into the "Search BPI Awards" box) on January 17, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  44. ^ "Fort Minor Feat. Styles Of Beyond "Remember the Name" | IFPI". ifpi.dk. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  45. ^ "Certificazioni – FIMI". www.fimi.it (in Italian). Retrieved April 25, 2022.

External links

Fort Minor
Mike Shinoda
Linkin Park
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