KNAC.COM Compatriot Jeff Watson Delves Deep Into The Mind Of Linkin Park Guitarist Brad Delson To Discover The Method To Their Brand Of Rap-Rock Madness

"It's a bunch of white boys that act like they're black."

"You're either a rock band or you're not."

"Rap is a lot of bullshit and has nothing to do with pure rock!!"

Every time a band that adds elements of hip hop into the metallic stew is mentioned on KNAC.COM, the rants come flying. They're so predictable in fact, that I have a sneaking suspicion that they are actually created by the RapIsCrap Rant Generator, a computer program that randomly ties phrases together like "fuck rap," "hip hop faggots," and "wigger" and posts 'em automatically.

However, complaining about rap's infusion into the rock world is as about as timely and relevant as bitching about America's involvement in WWII it's already happened and there ain't much you can do about it. In fact, it's been here for over 30 years. When George Clinton first threw hard rock guitars over his funky brew of beats n' bass on Funkadelic's self-titled debut back in 1970, he opened a door for a musical cross-breeding that gave birth to classics like Aerosmith/Run-DMC's "Walk This Way" and the Anthrax/Public Enemy version of "Bring The Noise." These days, it's now widely accepted as the "nu-metal." Purists may rant and rave about the death of pure rock, but the reality is that rap-rock is just as ubiquitous as Starbucks.

Still, the venom reserved for the hybrid genre makes sense, especially with artistically-blunted acts like Limp Bizkit clogging up the airwaves and generally stankin' up the joint (attention Fred Durst: start getting ready for your imminent Where Are They Now VH-1 special). But for every smelly yin, there's always a fragrant yang. Hence Linkin Park, a band of five guys with wildly divergent CD collections that have mixed their influences to craft a blistering debut full-length album that's full of rap swagger and rapid-fire riffs that can peel paint. Since its release in late 2000, Hybrid Theory has stormed up the charts, gaining platinum status and a legion of devoted fans.

"Our thing is that we didn't grow up just listening to one style of music," explains guitarist Brad Delson. "We listened to everything from Run-DMC to the Deftones from the Beastie Boys to the Roots to Depeche Mode." He theorizes that Linkin Park's immediate success is due to the group's refusal to adhere to one genre of music. "Our vibe is to combine as much as possible because I think that's what's fun and interesting. I think a lot of kids want to hear that kind of stuff because genres have been breaking down and there's no reason to just play a style of music that people have been playing for the last 20 years. That's not appealing to anybody."

While just about every high school talent show band combines rap with rock these days, most of 'em miss out on the key element for a good record strong songs and hooks. Hybrid Theory expertly welds hardcore rhyming with downtuned, volcanic guitars and hammering industrial rhythms, but Linkin Park are also damn fine songwriters. Emo-crunchers like "With You" and "A Place For My Head" sail with melodies that'll stick in yer head like a blood clot lookin' for an artery, while Molotov cocktails like "In The End," "Cure For The Itch," and "Papercut" recall post-proggers Tool and their winding arrangements and jackhammer riffs. Chester Bennington's vocals are almost choirboy sweet in parts, but Brad's fiery fretwork and Mike Shinoda's blazing MC skills keep the band rooted in buzzsaw sonic aggression.

"Our vibe is to combine as much as possible because I think that's what's fun and interesting. I think a lot of kids want to hear that kind of stuff because genres have been breaking down and there's no reason to just play a style of music that people have been playing for the last 20 years. That's not appealing to anybody." The band recently performed at the Dragon Festival in San Bernardino along side hardcore rap artists and heavy rock acts. "It was great to play with such a diverse lineup of artists" Brad enthuses. "It went from GZA and Mixmaster Mike to Taproot. Our idea when we started this band was to combine our love of rap and hip hop with harder alternative rock and electronic music. I think that in a lot of people's minds we sound like a rock band but really our hybrid theory is to combine those elements as well as possible and we try to appeal to a pretty broad base of music listeners."

Produced by Don Gilmore, (Pearl Jam, Eve 6, and, I swear to God, the soundtrack to National Lampoon's Senior Trip), Hybrid Theory works as a seamless, cohesive album – not just a collection of singles stitched together. "Our whole idea to make a record and not have just a couple of singles to go to radio with and the rest of the record's crap. I hate that. I like albums like Pretty Hate Machine where you can listen to the whole thing and it's clearly a record. That was our vibe on our record because we wanted every track to be strong."

Part of Linkin Park's appeal is their tough-as-nails approach to hardcore rapping. "A lot of bands come at it from a rock perspective and it's cool that they wanna rhyme but it takes a lot of practice and skill to become a good MC," says Brad. "And if you're not a good MC, you're definitely not going to attract hip hop fans who have been listening to people who have been practicing all their lives."

Originally known as Hybrid Theory (the name was changed for legal reasons), the band started without any aspirations to rock stardom. "We started just making songs for fun we never thought we were gonna get signed. We were all going to college and it just happened on its own. We're really grateful for how well the record's done so quickly since its been released."

"Our idea when we started this band was to combine our love of rap and hip hop with harder alternative rock and electronic music. I think that in a lot of people's minds we sound like a rock band but really our hybrid theory is to combine those elements as well as possible and we try to appeal to a pretty broad base of music listeners." However, a lucky shot put the band on the way to platinum status. "I was actually interning at a music company and my boss came by our show," Brad recalls. "He was blown away by it and offered us a deal that night. After we got that, we realized that it was more serious than we planned. "

Once the publishing contracts were locked, the band turned their attention to getting a record deal. "We probably showcased for every major label except Warner and no one really gave us a shot. They thought that what we were doing was too different. A lot of bands are coming out doing rap and rock, but a lot of A&R guys made a bad assumption that there's only one way to do it. For instance, our music's not really that 'party-oriented'; we're drawing from different elements in hip hop like Black-Eyed Peas, the Roots, Common and Mos Def a little more dark, a little more intellectual."

Although the band has seemingly come out of nowhere to dominate the airwaves, Brad insists that it hasn't been exactly an overnight Cinderella story. "We've been working really hard for years, so it's definitely been a process. We've been touring for almost a year now, even before the record came out, so by the time it was released, we had already kinda paid some dues and were used to living on a vehicle."

Now that Linkin Park is getting national attention, they're starting to find odd items of theirs on Ebay. "It's funny – people will come up to you at shows and will ask you sign stuff," Brad explains. "We'll say, 'Who should we make it out to?' and they'll say, 'Oh, don't worry about it. Just leave it blank!" and you're like, 'Uh…okay…that's going on Ebay!'"

With mega-success often comes mega-creepy fans. "We've had people show up and tell us that they're now going to be on tour with us for the next three weeks. I swear to you. I'd say, 'What do you mean you're going on tour with us?' and they'd come back with, 'Oh well, we quit our jobs and we're gonna now follow your bus around the Midwest in the freezing cold for three weeks.' So, apparently we're turning into the Grateful Dead of rap-rock."

Linkin Park will be heading out on the road with their heroes, the Deftones in March. "That's one of my favorite bands. We're blown away at how cool that is and are really excited to be going on that tour." After that, the band will be heading out of the mother of all rock tours, Ozzfest 2001. "I went there a couple of years ago and I never thought I'd be on it, let alone the main stage!"

Hopefully, they'll squeeze some sleep in there somewhere. "That's my superpower," says Brad. "I can sleep for 16 hours every day."