MTV Asia
Despite Linkin Park's commercial success, Mike Shinoda remains faithful to his hip-hop roots. With the help of Jay-Z and friends, The Rising Tied is indeed one of the best hip-hop/rap albums in 2005
Michael Kenji Shinoda A.K.A. The Glue/Mike Shinoda certainly knows how to keep it real in the music business. From designing Fort Minor's cover artwork to making The Rising Tied, this 28-year old rapper is one creative soul with heart.
After the success of Jay-Z/Linkin Park's Collision Course, Mike Shinoda reunites with executive producer Jay-Z on his first solo project. Instead of rhyming alongside Jigga, Mike decides to invite the label mates of Linkin Park's established Machine Shop Recordings that includes Holly Brook and Styles of Beyond, an L.A.-based hip-hop group made up of Ryu and Takbir.
The rap vocals of Styles of Beyond and Mike Shinoda blend perfectly in six tracks, notably in the catchy first single "Believe Me," the heart-pounding "Remember The Name," and the bouncy "Feel Like Home". Holly Brook, the only female vocalist featured on The Rising Tied, lends her soothing vocals in "Where'd You Go?" -- a ballad that is reminiscent of the Eminem/Dido collaboration on "Stan."
The Rising Tied also showcases the familiar faces of hip-hop, such as John Legend, Common, Kenna, and Black Thought of The Roots. The most prominent name of all, however, has to be Linkin Park's DJ Joe Hahn who contributes to the track "Slip Out The Back." Like Linkin Park's Grammy-nominated instrumental track "Session," Joe Hahn creeps up on his listeners again in Mike Shinoda's solo project. Linkin Park fans will be exhilarated to hear "Red To Black" as it has Linkin Park's influences written all over it and singer Jonah Matranga also incorporates the singing style of Chester Bennington.
The verdict? The Rising Tied is one of the best hip-hop/rap albums to explore in 2005. There are two editions of The Rising Tied: the regular edition with artwork and the limited CD/DVD edition with the red-bolded band initials "FM." Don't be a scrooge this holiday season. Spend a few more bucks on the limited edition as it contains Fort Minor's videos and three bonus tracks "Be Somebody", "There They Go," and "The Hard Way."