Fred Durst, bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, and DJ Lethal formed Limp Bizkit in Florida, alluding to a pot smoker's brain, in 1994. Durst was a tattoo artist at the time he met the members of Korn in Jacksonville and made connections with Fieldy and Head. Durst played a demo for them and they passed it on to producer Ross Robinson who was fiercely impressed by their music.
Their name was out in the underground music scene and they secured themselves a spot on the House of Pain and Deftones tour. Limp Bizkit signed a contract with Flip/Interscope and released the group's debut, Three Dollar Bill Ya'll. They created a new version of George Michael's 'Faith', which popped high in the charts. Their music was considered to be a mix of metal, hip-hop, and punk and by 1998 they further toured with Faith No More and Primus, but their biggest break was a place on that summer's Family Values tour.
'Nookie' released on Significant Other in 1999 sold over 4 million copies in a year and had their fans begging for more. The album topped the charts for three straight weeks. It also included hits 'Break Stuff' and 'Re-arranged', selling over seven and a half million copies in the U.S. alone. That same year they were awarded two MTV Music Video awards. Proving his capability, Durst was offered a go at senior vice president at Interscope Records and was rumored to be seen with actress Carmen Electra on numerous occasions. Later at Woodstock 1999, the band was criticized for encouraging a rowdy crowd to further violence: among the violence included at least one mosh-pit rape.
Unfazed, they headlined 2000's Family Values Tour where Durst spawned more controversy by repeatedly tangling with tour-mates. 'Bizkit was also involved with the Napster controversy and decided to tour for free in an effort to support Napster and online music trading. Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water was released shortly after in 2000. Also in '02, they were nominated for two Grammy's in the categories of Hard Rock Performance and Best Rock Album. They also won Best Rock Video for 'Break Stuff.' The next year, New Old Songs was released, with hit single 'Like a Chump'.
Limp Bizkit has sold over 30 million records worldwide and is known for touring all over: from outdoor fairs and concerts to indoor arenas with every seat or space filled. They travel to Germany, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand and, of course, all over Canada and the U.S.
