Limp Bizkit has its fair share of controversy. There’s little grey area when it comes to the nu-metal/rap stewards –you either love ’em or hate ’em. The mere mention of their moniker will lead to some impassioned responses.
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Using both positive and negative opinions to their advantage, the foursome generated a healthy amount of buzz in the late ’90s that catapulted them into the public eye. Though many would’ve probably bet against it back then, the group has become one of the most enduring of their era. Today, Fred Durst and co. are still ripping through their top hits for enticed crowds while the metal purists look on with arms crossed.
You know their music, but have you ever asked yourself, “What exactly is a Limp Bizkit?” If so, you can find the answer as we go through the origins of the moniker, below.
Behind the Band Name
There are conflicting stories as to where the name Limp Bizkit comes from. Some credit Durst’s dog named Bizkit who happened to have a limp while others look to a masturbatory game of the same name that involves a group of guys and a communal cookie—we will let you fill in the rest for yourselves.
Regardless of the inconclusive origins, Durst has claimed in the past that the name has no meaning at all and instead stands solely to be polarizing, “The name is there to turn people’s heads away. A lot of people pick up the disc and go, ‘Limp Bizkit. Oh, they must suck.’ Those are the people that we don’t even want listening to our music.”
Elsewhere, on a Reddit AMA, he said, “I wanted it to have the same roll off of the tongue as Led Zeppelin, but be so odd that you would have a hard time forgetting it. I remember things like Gimp Disco, Split Dickslit, Bitch Piglet, and somehow…Blood Fart. Plus, we never really took our name or purpose very seriously considering the chances of succeeding were slim to none at that point.”
The Story So Far
Limp Bizkit released its debut album, Three Dollar Bill Y’all, in 1997. Though the album saw a slow start, the band eventually garnered fame with a cover of George Michael’s hit “Faith.” Durst’s delivery of the song took the schmaltzy 1987 hit and gave it a hard edge.
In 1999, the group shared their second album, Significant Other. In the same year, they also made a controversial appearance at Woodstock ’99. During their set, fans began to tear plywood off the walls of the stage. There were also reports of multiple sexual assaults during the set. The band addressed the infamous set in the video for the single “Rearranged.”
Soon after, Durst got into several public feuds with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and with the band Slipknot. Durst was accused of using “mafia-style” tactics against Reznor after he made the claim, “Limp Bizkit sucks and everyone knows it.” Their controversy continued into the early ’00s during a tour stop in Australia where a young girl was crushed to death by fans rushing the stage. Durst was accused of urging the crowd on.
Their latest album, Still Sucks, was released in 2021. They premiered the album’s lead single during a performance at Lollapalooza, exciting fans with their first new material in seven years.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for KROQ)
