Throwback Thurs: Fort Minor - Tools of the Trade

Thought I'd mix it up a bit and throw a 2-0 curveball with a little Fort Minor aka Mike Shinoda aka that guy who raps in the Linkin Park tracks. On this track he proves all it takes is a little creativity to make a great beat. On this beat he uses a paper, toothbrush, lighter, bottle of beer, bottle opener and a pot from the kitchen to create the backdrop for the track. Queue the grandfatherly "I remember when I had to walk 4 miles in the snow to school" except throw in basic everyday items and the word beats. Sure he eventually adds in some kick/snare, guitar and heavy bass, but the ingenuity is noted. Makes me really wonder sometimes if all the fancy 808 drums and MPCs are always needed to survive in Hip Hop these days.

If you haven't given a full listen to Fort Minor's only full length album, Rising Tied, you're doing yourself a disservice and really missing out on a classic album. He's a big reason why Linkin Park is so dynamic of a group and has such a devoted following, the way he weaved an element of Hip Hop into an already great Alt Rock sound the band has. You may not be aware that Linkin Park has a new album coming out titled A Thousand Suns, due out in mid-September. What's notable is that legendary producer Rick Rubin (ya gotta love the old man winter beard) produced half the album, while the other half was produced by none other than @m_shinoda. Their first single is called The Catalyst and you may have already heard it since it was released recently. Check the video with lyrics below...

Yep...count me in on looking forward to that new album. You can hear the Shinoda production on the above track with the kick...gotta love it

Oh and don't forget about his other mystical creation below that I'm guessing you never heard back in 2007...

Fort Minor - Tools of the Trade (ft. Styles of Beyond, Celph Titled and Cheapshot)
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