Linkin Park started rising to fame when they released ‘Hybrid Theory’ on October 24, 2000. Little did we know that the record label wanted to record the breakthrough album without Mike Shinoda. Here’s Chester Bennington’s take on this fact.
Bennington Thinks This Decision Was Funny
Warner Bros. Records signed Linkin Park and wanted Shinoda out. It may sound impossible, but the reason behind this was that the record label and Shinoda disagreed on several things during the ‘Hybrid Theory’ recording sessions.
The conflict had a climax when Warner Bros. Records threatened to fire Mike Shinoda from the band. They didn’t have enough confidence in Linkin Park’s work, but the band members were very confident about what they were doing.
During an interview with Metal Hammer magazine in 2016, Chester Bennington looked back on the time. Bennington said this was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard since Linkin Park wouldn’t exist without Shinoda:
“This was a time when no one really knew what was fuck*ng going on. I mean, the label tried to get rid of Mike, which is probably the funniest thing in the world. Looking back, I was just thinking ‘Wow, this is insane, this is a wild ride.'”
Linkin Park proved the record label wrong by releasing the best-selling debut album since Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Appetite for Destruction’ back in 1987. Talk about a clapback.
