Fort Minor

Hip-hop project instigated by Mike Shinoda (b. Michael Kenji Shinoda, 11 February 1977, Los Angeles, California, USA) of rapcore outfit Linkin Park. With his main band taking a temporary hiatus from the music scene following the release, in late 2004, of the Jay-Z collaboration Collision Course, Shinoda enlisted the help of a number of leading figures from the rap mainstream, alongside a few lesser-known names. The most prominent artists to appear on Fort Minor's debut album were Jay-Z, Common, Ghostface Killah, John Legend and Black Thought of the Roots. Also appearing were rappers Kenna and Lupe Fiasco, the LA-based underground rap duo Style Of Beyond, and singer-songwriter Holly Brook. Shinoda wrote, produced and played all of the instruments on The Rising Tied, which was released in November 2005. Sales of the album were boosted by the unexpected success of the Brook collaboration "Where'd You Go", which reached the US Top 5 in summer 2006.