If you have had the opportunity to see Limp Bizkit's lead singer, Fred Durst, in person while not perfoming, then you would have recognized him as an intellectual individual who will gain your respect. Such is the individual who played true to the famous quote: "Mistakes are opportunites to learn", capitalized on his first album's mistakes, by correcting them on this, his sophomore album. In a musical world where so few artists are able to put out a second album that puts their debut set to shame, Limp Bizkit leaves me awestruck.

Limp Bizkit sells itself by taking on a style bordering on that of KoRn and Rage Against The Machine, but tints it with a hip hop feel unparalleled by any other artist. They masterfully mix grunge, hip hop, electronica, metal and hard rock all into one album. Diversity is the name of their game, followed by success and surely fame.

The first single, "Nookie" is most definitely not the best song on the album, but it's still really good. It's got a really catchy beat to go along with a grunge grind, halts the grunge to a stop, lets the DJ do his thing, and Fred Durst puts his lyrics down with clarity and catchiness. This song will grow on you, it gets kinda boring near to the middle, but outside of that it's great. "Break Stuff" will have the line 'he said, she said...' stuck in your head. Not to mention it's got the best heavy metal feel to it of all the songs. It is the best song on the album. "N 2 gether now" features rap guru Method Man and renown producer DJ Premier. You can definitely feel the hip hop appeal on this blazing track. The chorus is catchy, Meth's lyrics draw you in, Fred Durst's lyrics draw you in, you just can't lose.

Limp Bizkit gains marks for the clarity of his lyrics... a large step from his debut "Three Dollar Bill Yall." He is so close to mastering his musical art, producing a style that ought to take the world by storm for it's diversity. Hopefully Fred Durst will be able to find flaws with this album, so that the next will amaze me even more. "Significant Other" is a necessity to any KoRn or Rage Against The Machine fan. As well, anybody who enjoys energy-filled hip hop and heavy metal will love this album. The only down side of this album is the enhanced cd portion. It features a link to a website that doesn't exist, instructions on how to set your computer's background to be Limp Bizkit, and a video of someone painting while "Nookie" plays in the background. It is the weakest enhanced cd since Kiss' aweful attempt. But don't let that stop you from buying this cd. It's a must get!

www.brockwayent.com

(Originally posted on HipHopCanada.com)

This review was written July 4, 1999