Mike Shinoda

At 47 years old, Mike Shinoda has this physical status:

Michael Kenji Shinoda (, born February 11, 1977) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and graphic designer.

He co-founded Linkin Park in 1996 and is the band's rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter, keyboardist, producer, and co-lead vocalist.

Shinoda later created a hip-hop-driven side project, Fort Minor, in 2004.

He has also served as a producer for tracks and albums by Lupe Fiasco, Styles of Beyond and the X-Ecutioners. Born in Panorama City, California and raised in Agoura Hills, Shinoda formed Xero, which later became Linkin Park, with two of his high school friends: Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon in 1996, later joined by Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell and Mark Wakefield.

Chester Bennington replaced Wakefield as the lead vocalist.

The band later signed a record deal with Warner Bros Records. Shinoda is also the co-founder of Machine Shop Records, a California-based record label.

Outside of music, Shinoda is an artist and graphic designer.

He has painted several pieces of artwork, some of which have been featured in the Japanese American National Museum. On January 25, 2018, Shinoda released the Post Traumatic EP, which contained three songs about his own feelings at the aftermath of Chester Bennington's death on July 20, 2017.

In March 2018, Shinoda announced through social media that he was working on a new solo album under the same name; the record was released on June 15, 2018.

Personal life

Shinoda is a third-generation Japanese American (sansei). His grandfather and aunt were both interned in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II.

Shinoda married the author Anna Hillinger in 2003, and together they have three children.

Shinoda was awarded with the Japanese American National Museum's Award of Excellence in 2006. In 2009, Shinoda received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) from the Art Center College of Design. East West Players honored him with a Visionary Award and a dinner in 2010. In September 2012, he started writing articles for The Big Issue in the UK and was the publication's U.S. election correspondent.

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Life and career

Shinoda was born in Panorama City, California, on February 11, 1977, and he was raised in Agoura Hills, California. His father, who is a Japanese-American, is Japanese. Jason, he has a younger brother. He was raised as a liberal Protestant. When he was six, Shinoda's mother encouraged him to take classical piano lessons. By 13, he had expressed an interest in playing jazz, blues, and hip hop. During his middle school and high school years, he added guitar and rap-style vocals to his repertoire.

Years later, he told an interviewer:

Shinoda earned a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration in 1998 and went on to work as a graphic designer.

In 1996, Shinoda and Brad Delson formed Linkin Park. They finally brought in turntablist Joe Hahn, bassist Dave Farrell, and vocalist Mark Wakefield. Xero was the band's earliest incarnation. The band was limited in funds, and they first performed and recorded music in Shinoda's bedroom, resulting in the release of a four-track demo tape titled Xero in 1997. Wakefield and Farrell left the band to pursue other musical ambitions when the band was unable to find a record deal, although Farrell's resignation was temporary. Chester Bennington was recruited by the band later, and the band later secured a historic contract with Warner Bros Records. Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park's first studio album, went on to become a worldwide sensation and helped the band win.

Shinoda is closely involved in the band's recordings' technical aspects, and its role has continued to grow over the years. Shinoda, along with guitarist Brad Delson, engineered and produced the band's Hybrid Theory EP, and she appeared on the band's Hybrid Theory album. On the majority of Linkin Park's songs, he has played a role. Despite the fact that Bennington was most popular on Linkin Park, he occasionally performed with Shinoda. Bennington had a more polished and emotional style of performing, whereas Shinoda had a baritone hip-hop style. Shinoda produced and directed the band's first remix album Reanimation in 2002, incorporating his own creation of remixes made in his home studio for "Crawling" and "Pushing Me Away." Shinoda created Reanimation's artwork in collaboration with graffiti artist DELTA, graphic designer Frank Maddocks, and bandmate Joe Hahn. Mike worked with the Flem, Delta, James R. Minchin III, Nick Spanos, and Joe Hahn on the artwork for the band's second studio album Meteora. Shinoda produced the album alongside his bandmates and Don Gilmore, which was his first time in production. Shinoda's involvement in the production of the albums continued to rise after the introduction of the Jay-Z and Linkin Park joint mashup EP, Collision Course, in 2004. He produced and mixed the album, which received a Grammy Award for "best rap/band collaboration" in 2006.

On May 14, 2007, the band's new album, Minutes to Midnight, was released. Shinoda also gave a credit to longtime producer Rick Rubin on this album. This was also the first time Shinoda, the country's top rap artist, performed a featured vocal on their previous two albums. Shinoda appeared in "In Between" and "No Roads Left" and the B-side album "No Roads Left," as well as rapping and singing in the songs "Bleed It Out" and "Hands Held High." Despite the rarity of Shinoda-fronted singing tracks, music publication Hit Parader ranked him at number 72 of the Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time, ranked him at number 72.

Shinoda and Rubin extended their production credit for Linkin Park's fourth album, A Thousand Suns, which was released on September 14, 2010. This album featured more of his singing than rapping. Shinoda performs in three songs, notably "When They Come for Me," "Wretches and Kings" and his second single "Waiting for the Conclusion," while he appears on several songs (specifically verses), including "Burning in the Skies," "My Love in the Mountains," "Blackout," "Wolvest," "No One," "Under Siege," "Burning in the Skies," "Walking for the Cata On "The Catalyst," "Jornada del Muerto" and "Robot Boy," Bennington and Shinoda performed together, while "Iridescent" features all band members performing together.

On June 26, 2012, Linkin Park unveiled their fifth album, Living Things. Shinoda's latest album was described as more "rap-centric" on this album than the previous two albums. Whereas there were songs like "Skin to Bone," "Roads Untraveled," and "Castle of Glass" that featured Shinoda's singing vocals and had folk music, as well as Dylan's inspirations. Shinoda's album is described as "a fitting soundtrack for elderly rap-rockers who are confident in their skin but not so restless at heart." On October 29, 2013, Recharged, a remix album of original songs from Living Things, was released. Shinoda resurrecting some songs from Avicii, as well as Steve Aoki while working on "A Light That Never Comes" to remix some songs for the album. "Castle of Glass" and "Vivictimized" were two Shinoda reinterpreted songs. On the record, he worked with his old pals, DJ Vice and Ryu.

Shinoda's sixth studio album, The Hunting Party, was released on June 17, 2014. The album is the first to feature artists including Page Hamilton of Helmet, Rakim, Daron Malakian of System of a Down and Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello. "Guilty All the Same," the band's first non-remix song, instead of Shinoda, is the first non-remix song to feature rap by a guest artist rather than Shinoda.

During The Hunting Party Tour by Shinoda on his phone, the pre-production of their seventh studio album began in mid-2015. Shinoda revived their collaboration with Delson on One More Light in 2017. The album is the first to feature other songwriters rather than the band itself. Shinoda's album includes singing, but a few songs have rap in them. Shinoda, Stormzy, and Pusha T's "Good Goodbye" is a song that features rapping from Shinoda, Stormzy, and Pusha T.

Shinoda initiated Fort Minor, which he used as an avenue to better showcase his hip-hop experience in 2004. In an interview, he explained the source of the project's name.

Following the introduction of Collision Course in November 2004, Shinoda began recording songs for this side project. We Major was a mixtape produced by Shinoda and DJ Green Lantern to advertise his forthcoming studio album. In November 2005, the Rising Tied, Fort Minor's debut album, was released. The first video "Petrified" by Robert Hales was released the previous month.

The Rising Tied, Fort Minor's debut album, was released on November 22, 2005. Styles of Beyond, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Black Thought of the Roots, John Legend, Holly Brook, Jonah Matranga, and Celph Titled were among the album's musical collaborations on the album. Jay-Z, who had previously worked with Linkin Park on the 2004 album Collision Course, also served as the album's executive producer. Shinoda told MTV News that he imposed on himself a deadline to play all the instruments and write all of the songs, except for the strings, percussion, or choir parts. Critics applauded the Rising Tied's reception. "Where Does It Go," the album's most popular track, debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. When they were used as the soundtrack for NBA Overtime on TNT, other songs, such as "Petrified" and "Remember the Name," gained traction. "Kenji," a Japanese-American family's experience during World War II's Japanese American internment, describes its lives.

Rising Tied sales increased by 56% from the week of April 26, 2006, the first chart position climbed 89 positions to No. 89. On the Billboard 200, there are 104 on the Billboard 200." At the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, "Where'd You Go" was named Ringtone of the Year. Fort Minor performed at the Summer Sonic 2006 with Linkin Park in mid-August 2006.

Fort Minor's "Where'd You Go" released a video in November 2006. Shinoda has said that the film was a good wrap-up for Fort Minor. Fort Minor will go on an indefinite suspension as a result of his service to Linkin Park, which was revealed in November. Fort Minor (along with Holly Brook and Jonah Matranga) were ranked at No. 1 in the Billboard One-hit Wonders of the 2000s, with Holly Brook and Jonah Matranga at No. 69. 19 thanks to the popularity of "Where'd You Go" (since it was Fort Minor's only single that made it to the top 25). Shinoda said in a 2014 interview that there could be a possible Fort Minor album in 2015.

Shinoda officially announced Fort Minor's return on June 21, 2015, with a status update and the debut of a new single, "Welcome." On Monday, June 22, Fort Minor was also the musical guest on TBS' late-night talk show Conan. During Linkin Park's touring schedule, Fort Minor appeared on a few shows.

Shinoda released the Post Traumatic EP on January 25, 2018, a collection of three songs about his own emotions in the aftermath of Chester Bennington's death on July 20, 2017. Rather than under his own name, Shinoda released the EP under his own name rather than under his name, Fort Minor.

Shinoda revealed on social media on March 8, 2018 that he was working on a new solo album. He also said he was in Los Angeles filming a music video and invited followers to participate in the film, which also included a map of the old Tower Records in Hollywood, California. Shinoda appeared in Los Angeles on May 12 as part of Identity LA, one of his first performances since Bennington's death. The 2018 Reading & Leeds Festivals roster was revealed on March 28, 2018, with Shinoda included. He appeared on August 25 and 26, as part of the Reading & Leeds Festivals, performing artists and bands like Post Malone, Panic! Travis Scott, John Williams, Dua Lipa, Brockhampton, and Robert Scott were among the featured performers at the Disco; Fall Out Boy, Kendrick Lamar, and Kings of Leon were among the performers on the stage. Shinoda's upcoming studio album, Post Traumatic, was released on June 15. Shinoda's single "Crossing a Line" was debut on radio on March 29, 2018. "About You" by Shinoda on April 26, 2018, a hip hop artist, Blackbear. About a month after he revealed that he would be releasing "Running From My Shadow," which featured Grandson, he announced that he would be releasing a new song called "Running From My Shadow." Just a few weeks after "Running From My Shadow" was released, another single was released. "Ghosts," the new single from the Post Traumatic brand, was released on June 7, 2018, just 6 days before the introduction of Post Traumatic.

Shinoda revealed on October 30, 2019, a two days later, "Fine."

Shinoda began broadcasting new music live from his home studio in March 2020. After the COVID-19 pandemic, he called these tracks, CoronaJams. These songs were later released on three separate albums, starting in July: Dropped Frames, Vol. 2. Vol. 1, a Dropped Frames. Vol. 2, and Framed Frames. 3.

Shinoda released "Happy Endings" on February 19, 2021. The album features guest vocals from Iann Dior and Upsahl. Shinoda also remixed the Deftones' "Passenger," which earned him a Grammy Award at the 2022 Grammy Awards for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.

Shinoda has played a part in the production of Linkin Park's images, which include album art, band logo, web design, and on-stage performance art. He supervised the cover art for Styles of Beyond's debut album, 2000 Fold, Saukrates' debut album, The Underground Tapes, and DJ Frane's debut album, Frane's Fantastic Boatride, which were released in 1999. He has worked on several art shows throughout his career.

He created a collaborative "remix" shoe for DC Shoes in 2003, remixing the word "Clientele" in a different way. He reworked the shoe's color and materials, as well as creating all the packaging and print ads. He also created a kid robot "Munny" doll for a charity auction the following year. Shinoda and DC Shoes partnered on their second DC Remix Series project later this year. The latest collaboration featured a "perfect match of Shinoda's unique influences: accomplished artist versus recording-breaking singer, and American upbringing versus Japanese heritage." Xander and Pride are two of the MS/DC limited edition remixes – Xander and Pride. When the sneaker first came out on August 1, 2008, approximately 2000 pairs of the limited edition shoes were available for purchase.

Shinoda created a series of ten paintings in 2004, which became the basis of Fort Minor's debut album, The Rising Tied. The collection became the backbone for the album's packaging, and it was featured in Shinoda's first public art exhibition "Diamonds Spades Hearts & Clubs." The show included thirteen more original creations and five collaborative works in addition to the ten Fort Minor pieces. On Sunday, November 19, 2006, "Diamonds Spades Hearts & Clubs" opened in Gallery 1988. Shinoda established a college scholarship at Art Center College of Design in order to assist future illustration and graphic design students. It is named the Michael K. Shinoda Endowed Scholarship and is based on financial need and merit. For the first time in 2006, the scholarship was awarded for the first time. The scholarship fund is made possible by the selling of his original artwork on his website, art shows, and his DC Shoes projects.

"Glorious Excess (BORN)," Shinoda's second public art exhibit "Glorious Excess (BORN) opened at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles on July 11, 2008. Nine new pieces were on display, with a limited opening night. The show appeared on August 22, 2009, as part of the two-part "Glorious Excess" series. Shinoda spoke about the inspiration behind the Glorious Excess sequence, saying, "It Comes to a point where the perplexion of 'celebrity news' worried me." It seemed that it had stepped out of its niche into areas where it doesn't belong. I'd be following the news and wondering, 'of all the events going on in the world right now, why is nobody covering so-and-so's breakup?' It didn't make sense to me. Adding to that, I'm supposed to somehow 'belong' to this particular group — and in a lot of ways, I don't think I do—and you can see how the subject got to be so fascinating to me. My attempt at finding answers on the Glorious Excess (BORN) display was my way of delving into those topics. It follows a central 'celebrity' plot, which is filthy, marginally violent, and not well known without having a particular skill or talent."

On the Berlin Wall, Shinoda and Hahn created an artwork on November 6, 2014.

Shinoda has also worked as a music producer for a number of other artists and groups. Shinoda and Joe Hahn joined the X-Ecutioners in 2002 to produce and perform on their single "It's Goin' Down" from the X-Ecutioners. Shinoda and Brad Delson's first name, Machine Shop Recordings, was created in 2002. Food & Liquor, Lupe Fiasco's 2006 debut, was he co-founded. Styles of Beyond helped create Reseda Beach from 2009 to 2012, which also includes his musical and vocal contributions. Shinoda appeared on the MTV VMA's in 2005 and later collaborated with Ramin Djawadi to score the Medal of Honor: Warfighter. In 2011, he worked with Joseph Trapanese to compile the score for the American release of The Raid: Redemption.

"Enjoy the Silence" was a remastered single and animated music video of 1990 Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" on television in 2004. Shinoda performed the Rock Phenomenon mixtape/remix CD with DJ Vlad and Roc Raida in 2005. The CD is the first (and to date only) in DJ Vlad's Rock Phenomenon series (which is a spin-off of Vlad's Rap Phenomenon mixtape series), and it includes a mashup of Linkin Park's "Papercut" and "Like a Pimp (Remix)" from David Banner's "Love a Pimp". Shinoda and Brad Delson produced the mashup track of "Numb/Encore" and "Yesterday" by the Beatles, which will be performed live by rapper Jay-Z, Linkin Park, and former Beatles singer Paul McCartney for the 2006 Grammy Awards. In October 2008, Shinoda teamed up with former bandmate Mark Wakefield to record and debut "Barack Your World."

Shinoda performed on the soundtrack for CNN's original documentary television series This Is Life with Lisa Ling. Shinoda created the name for the American television series Into the Badlands. Shinoda also produced and performed the theme song for Noor Tagouri's A Woman's Job.

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