Mike Shinoda has had it very rough when it comes to losing those who are close to him. How could anyone forget the sudden loss of Chester Bennington? It’s still a tragedy that many Linkin Park fans can’t wrap their heads around. Sadly, Mike has now lost another friend.
It was recently announced that the former touring drummer for Fort Minor, Jermaine “King Beat” Mac has sadly passed away. Mike and the rest of the band are currently reeling after the shocking passing.
After the passing of Chester, Mike admitted how hard it was to make music again.
He said: “A week after Chester passed, the idea of the studio was scary,” he said. “And it wasn’t just the idea of attempting to make a song and being overwhelmed by those memories. There’s another layer of fear for artists in this situation that is, ‘What if I can’t make anything good [without that person]?’”
He may run into the same issue with the passing of Jermaine as it’ll bring a lot of feelings back to the surface.
He explained: “Those hurdles start to accumulate, whether that’s fear or depression or the chaos of the outside world, it creates an echo chamber of anxiety”.
Shinoda then revealed that he did “make some stuff”, despite its quality, to overcome the many hurdles presented by Bennington’s death. These tracks came in the form of “bad ’90s grunge songs” and rap.
Shinoda closed: “I was making bad ’90s grunge songs, making bad rap songs… and then I made something good,” he expressed. “I’d make all these different things with no intention of putting them out, but just diving into some of the ideas that were already in my head”.
A very sad loss for everyone and we truly hope that those affected find the peace that they need.
According to @TherealRyu, Jermaine "King Beat" Mac (also known as Beatdown) has passed away today. He toured with @fortminor as the band's drummer during The Rising Tied touring cycle from 2005 to 2006. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/TzeYDObTBt
— Linkin Park Live (@LPLive) September 29, 2022
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