Fred Durst facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fred Durst
Durst in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Frederick Allen Mayne III
Also known as	William Frederick Durst
Born	(1970-08-20) August 20, 1970 (age 54) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Origin	North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Nu metal rap rock rap metal
Occupation(s)	Musician rapper singer songwriter director actor
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1990–present

William Frederick Durst (born Frederick Allen Mayne III; August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter for the nu metal band Limp Bizkit. The band started in 1994, and they have released six studio albums.

Since 2006, Durst has also worked on many independent films. He acted in Population 436. In 2007, he directed his first movie, The Education of Charlie Banks. He also directed The Longshots in 2008. His most recent film as a director, The Fanatic, came out in 2019.

Early Life and Interests

Fred Durst was born in Jacksonville, Florida. When he was one year old, he moved to a farm in Cherryville, North Carolina. Later, in fifth grade, his family moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where he finished high school.

When he was about 12, Durst became very interested in different music styles. He liked breakdancing, hip hop, punk rock, and heavy metal. He started to rap, skate, beatbox, and even DJ. After a couple of years in the Navy, Durst returned to Jacksonville. There, he worked as a landscaper and a tattoo artist. He also started thinking about forming a band that would mix rock and hip-hop music.

Music Career

Starting Limp Bizkit (1994–1998)

In 1994, Fred Durst teamed up with bassist Sam Rivers and Rivers' cousin, drummer John Otto. They played music together and wrote three songs. Later, guitarist Wes Borland joined them. Durst chose the name Limp Bizkit because he wanted a name that would make people curious.

Limp Bizkit became popular in the underground music scene. Their unique covers of songs like George Michael's "Faith" and Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" drew many fans to their concerts.

The band Korn helped Limp Bizkit gain more attention. Durst invited Korn to his house, and he convinced their bassist to listen to Limp Bizkit's demo songs. Korn then invited the unsigned Limp Bizkit to join them on two tours. This helped Limp Bizkit reach a much wider audience. DJ Lethal, who used to be in the hip hop group House of Pain, joined the band as their turntablist.

In 1997, Limp Bizkit signed with Flip Records. They released their first album, Three Dollar Bill, Y'all. Around this time, Durst also helped other bands. He was very impressed by the band Staind and helped them get a record deal. He even co-produced their album, Dysfunction.

Durst also worked with other famous musicians. He appeared on the song "Bleed" by Soulfly, a band started by Max Cavalera from Sepultura. He also sang on the song "All in the Family" on Korn's album Follow the Leader.

Durst started to direct music videos for Limp Bizkit. He directed the video for their single "Faith".

Becoming Famous (1998–2005)

Durst at a film festival in 2008

Limp Bizkit became very famous with their albums Significant Other (1999) and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000). In 1999, Durst was made a Senior Vice President at Interscope Records. This job allowed him to find and sign new bands. He helped bands like Cold, Staind, and Puddle of Mudd get record deals.

In the summer of 1999, Limp Bizkit played at the huge Woodstock '99 festival. About 200,000 people were there. During their performance, especially during the song "Break Stuff", some people in the crowd became very rowdy.

In 2000, Limp Bizkit's tour was sponsored by Napster, a popular file sharing service. Durst openly supported file sharing.

In 2003, Limp Bizkit joined the Summer Sanitarium Tour with bands like Metallica. At one show in Chicago, some people in the crowd were very rude to Durst. After a few songs, Durst became upset and left the stage.

In May 2005, the band released The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1). Durst wanted this album to be released without much advertising. It still sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Durst later explained that he felt his music was being misunderstood. He didn't like seeing people use his music to be mean to others. This feeling was one reason the band took a break. He also said that the "guy in the red cap" was a character he created. He felt that this character became so popular that people sometimes confused it with his real self.

Starting a Film Career (2006–2009)

Durst with Limp Bizkit at Sonisphere in 2011

While Limp Bizkit was on a break, Durst started working on independent films. In 2006, he acted in the movie Population 436. The next year, he directed his first movie, The Education of Charlie Banks. This film starred Jesse Eisenberg.

In 2008, he directed another movie called The Longshots, which starred Ice Cube. That same year, Durst also appeared as a bartender in two episodes of the TV show House, M.D.

Limp Bizkit Reunion (2009–Present)

In 2009, the original members of Limp Bizkit got back together and started touring again. Durst announced that they were recording a new album called Gold Cobra. It was released in June 2011.

In 2012, Lil Wayne announced that Limp Bizkit had signed with his record label, Cash Money Records. Durst confirmed this news. A few months later, Durst was featured on a song called "Champions" with Lil Wayne and Birdman.

In 2014, Durst directed three commercials for the website Eharmony. In 2018, he began filming The Fanatic, a movie he directed that starred John Travolta.

Personal Life

Fred Durst has been married four times. He has a daughter named Adriana, born in 1990, and a son named Dallas, born in 2001.

In 2015, Durst showed interest in getting a Russian passport. He said that Vladimir Putin was "a great guy." Because of these comments, he was banned from entering Ukraine for five years starting in November 2015. Ukraine said this was to protect their country's security. Durst later said that he never actually asked for Russian citizenship.

During the 2018 California wildfires, Durst's house burned down. He lost most of his belongings in the fire. His bandmate, Wes Borland, also lost some music equipment that was stored at Durst's home.

Durst is often seen wearing a red New York Yankees baseball cap.

Selected Discography

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Fred Durst para niños