10 FUN FACTS about HYBRID THEORY by LINKIN PARK

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Did you know that Chester Bennington of Linkin Park wanted to punch label executives at Warner Bros in the face when producing the band's debut album? Or that the band was rejected by 45 record labels prior to finally being signed? What about the hit song that Chester originally hated and didn't want to include on the album?

10 Fun Facts About Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park

1. Not First Choice

Linkin Park began in 1996 as a rap rock group performing under the name of Xero. The name was changed to Hybrid Theory when lead vocalist Chester Bennington joined the band. However, complications with a European electronic music duo who already went by Hybrid caused the band to go with Linkin Park. Their debut full length album would receive the name Hybrid Theory. Which was actually a reference to the band's combination of different musical genres.

2. Bad Tour Buddies

Chester Bennington and company scoffed at early criticism that Linkin Park was "nothing more than a nu metal boy band" and played with a chip on their shoulder. Stating that the band wanted to put on a show that went so hard that nobody would want to invite them on tour.

“It gave us something to prove and drove us on, for sure... There was a lot of false perception about us but what we did, instead of talking about it, was make it our mission that when we played, we wanted everyone who played after us to go, ‘Fuck!’ We wanted to be the band that no one wanted to tour with because we would turn up, crush the fucking crowd and then everyone would want to leave after us. We wanted to kick people in the face.” - Bennington, The definitive story of the biggest selling debut album.., Tomas Doyle, Metal Hammer (Oct 24, 2022)

3. Hard Work Pays Off

The band worked incredibly hard just to get their early demo tapes noticed. The group auditioned and were declined by at least 45 record labels, according to Bennington. However, good fortune paid off when the band's A&R manager landed a job at Warner Bros. Negotiating a contract with the label where part of his terms would allow Linkin Park to be his first signing.

“We showcased for every fucking label there was... and they all turned us down.” - Shinoda, The definitive story of the biggest selling debut album.., Tomas Doyle, Metal Hammer (Oct 24, 2022)

“No one wanted us, but we knew we had something fucking special... We just kept pushing. Most bands probably try out in front of three labels, get rejected and give up. We played in front of 45 but our attitude was, ‘These guys are fucking stupid if they can’t see what we’ve got.’ We knew what we had and never doubted it.” - Bennington, The definitive story of the biggest selling debut album.., Tomas Doyle, Metal Hammer (Oct 24, 2022)

4. Give Him The Boot

Although the band were lucky to have a new connection at Warner Bros, they still had to fight tooth and nail with the label in order to maintain their creative vision for the band. Including pressure to remove songwriter and vocalist Mike Shinoda.

However, Chester stood-up for his creative partner.

“These guys sat me down and were like, ‘Oh, you’ve got such an amazing voice, you could be such a shining star...' They wanted to see if I would pull a coup to get Mike out... They told me I’d be the face of the band and that Mike had no story ’cos he was just some kid from Agoura... They wanted some fucking rapper from New York who no one knew to come and do vocals on the record.