Good evening all. I’m sure you’ve all heard the news about Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park. Much has already been written about his struggles with depression, but here I’d like to talk about the music he created.
Hybrid Theory, LP’s first album dropped back in 2000, it was one of those few acts that even the most die hard hip hop fan could knock. It was fairly common to see CD collections that included LP, Nas, Jay-Z, and DMX. Some of us know it, and if you say otherwise, just stop. Who are you frontin for?
Who didn’t like “In the End”? While Linkin Park was ostracized as not being “real rock”- whatever that means, it’s signature sound produced content that reached out to everyone. The 2000’s were some angst ridden times, and LP songs encapsulates them quite perfectly. How many Dragon Ball Z mashup videos have we seen with Linkin Park acting as the soundtrack?
Although their later works didn’t set everyone ablaze like their first two albums(Reanimated as well, but it was more of a mixtape feel) , LP as a group were able to remain on the scene. They outlasted other Nu-metal acts, and broadened their sound.
All these songs are part of so many people’s internal struggles, and the power of Chester’ s voice resonated with so many. May he rest in peace.