Mike Shinoda , guitarist, singer, and a key member of Linkin Park , shared his opinions regarding the band's influence on music, and also on making it less white.
In an interview with Metal Hammer , the artist spoke extensively about Linkin Park's defining album, Hybrid Theory , which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020 , and stated that the fusion of genres present on the album was "part of the progression towards breaking down boundaries between musical styles."
He also commented on his perception of the genre in relation to the diversity of sounds and members, “90% of what I listened to was rap, so I looked at a lot of rock bands and thought, ‘this is too white.’ That was one of the things that turned me off, especially Hair Metal. Hair Metal seemed like very white music and I was growing up in a very diverse city, so I didn’t like it. It didn’t connect with me. And it wasn’t just about race. I’m not referring to skin color. It’s more about the culture itself.”
Mike also highlighted Nu Metal, and some bands that changed the game and inspired him to do the same with Linkin Park, “When Nu Metal started right at the beginning, it was a very diverse place. There was a time when this term, Nu Metal, and what it meant, was really cool. It's almost impossible to imagine! I remember when Korn came Deftones albums were released, and whatever you think about a band like Limp Bizkit , their first album is really heavy.”
Recently, Sevendust frontman Lajon Witherspoon spoke about racism in the music industry and how he, as a Black artist in metal, feels and positions himself on it.
