8 nü-metal DJ memories

by Mark Teo

May 8, 2013

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While the Judgment Night, Godzilla, and Spawn soundtracks tried to mesh rap and metal to various (read: completely unsuccessful) degrees, during the late ’90s and early 2000s, some rapcore acts took their devotion to hip hop even further: they employed full-time DJs. And as nü metal has disappeared from the public eye—some have speculated that dubstep’s taken its place in the hearts of the angst-ridden—so, too, have its DJs. So, we decided to check in with a few our our favourites. 

(HED) PE’S DJ PRODUCT 1969

Even if Doug Boyce, a.k.a. DJ Product 1969, performed in one of rapcore’s most stereotypical acts—(Hed) PE, at points, employed the facepaint now more associated with the Fam, whoop whoop!—his personal life was anything but conventional: Now, along with creating wholesome graffiti, he’s a born-again member of the Uprising, a youth-focused ministry that blends extreme music, extreme sports, and extreme faith.

LIMP BIZKIT’S DJ LETHAL

Back when Fredo Bear and crew released 3 Dollar Bill Y’All, Lethal was the man who legitimized nü metal’s obsession with subpar turntablism: He was, after all, formerly House of Pain’s DJ. In 2013, it’s the opposite: He’s arguably better-remembered for his work with Evanescence and Coal Chamber, or by his work with Ill Bill and Jedi Mind Tricks’ Vinny Paz (or: rappers who are fetishized by nü metal-types), than his work on Same as It Ever Was. Sadly, he’s no longer part of Limp Bizkit: The Latvian-born DJ’s been booted twice thanks to his taste for drugs. As formal metal stars with excessive tastes go, though, things could be worse: At least he’s not ex-Obituary guitarist Allen West, who recently got busted for operating a meth lab.

CRAZY TOWN’S DJ AM

Though his work with the band was brief, eyebrow ring-core act Crazy Town were lucky to have DJ AM, who possessed breathtaking talent. He died from an overdose, after surviving a 2009 plane crash with Travis Barker. R.I.P 

MUSHROOMHEAD’S DJ ST1TCH

If we’re to believe his Facebook page, Mushroomhead’s longtime DJ, Rick Thomas, is still living the 1998 dream: He still posts heavily about his masks, which have achieved a certain degree of cult fame. Along with Mushroomhead, he’s started a similar-minded mask-core outfit in Ventana. He’s apparently “raising money for a lobotomy.” But most impressively, he’s made a career out of nu-metal beyond music—he also acts at Cleveland’s Fear Experience Haunted House, described as the Ohio area’s “only full contact haunted house.” Their disclaimer? The monsters—including “demented CLOWNS”—will touch you. Gross.

LINKIN PARK’S JOE HAHN

Linkin Park might’ve been rap-metal’s most enduring contribution to the pop-culture canon—Deftones outgrew the term, while Limp Bizkit and Korn are remembered as festival-destroying frat rockers. Still, Linkin Park’s nu-turntablist, Joe Hahn, made the most of the opportunity: He used the exposure to pursue a career in film and television, and his directorial work has extended to the X-Files, a trailer for the video game Medal of Honor and Vincent D’Onofrio’s The Mall. Give it to Hahn—his IMDB kicks the shit out of Wes Borland’s, whose most memorable film credit is Pauly Shore is Dead.

DEFTONES’ FRANK DELGADO

Where’s Frank Delgado gone? Nowhere, really. He’s been one of the key reasons that the Deftones have grown far beyond their rap- and nü-metal origins, using samples (and eventually keys) to flesh out the band’s signature soundscapes. Indeed, he’s been one of the reasons the ‘tones have been able to navigate post-metal, shoegaze, and even art-rock territories—and how many other nü-metal DJs can make similar claims? These days, he’s also part of a DecibelDevils, a collective with Team Sleep’s CrookOne.

SLIPKNOT’S SID WILSON

Sid Wilson’s Facebook page depicts a man split right at the core: On one hand, he’s a gas-mask toting psycho in prison digs. On the other, he’s a trucker hat-toting, blunt-huffing jungle DJ who, according to his citation-less Wikipedia page, is huge in Japan. (Also of note: Ozzfest still runs in Japan! Who knew?)

INCUBUS’S CHRIS KILMORE

From 1995’s Fungus Amongus, Incubus released “You Will be a Hot Dancer.” In 2013, DJ Kilmore and the fellas are less about hot dancers, more about playing hot-climate cruises with their broskis in 311. Check his solo work on his Soundcloud.

Tags: Music, Featured, Lists, News, Incubus, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Slipknot

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