Rising Tied, The

Fort Minor, the side project and solo debut for Mike Shinoda of multiplatinum, Grammy-winning Linkin Park, returns the emcee to his roots-making hip-hop. The Rising Tied, produced by Shinoda, who wrote every track and played nearly every instrument was executive produced by Jay-Z. Featuring guest appearances from Common, the Roots Black Thought, John Legend, Linkin Park DJ Joe Hahn, alt-funk rocker Kenna and two acts signed to Linkin Park's Machine Shop Recordings, Style of Beyond and Holly Brook, The Rising Tied raises the standard for unique, unadulterated hip-hop.

Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda steps out for a wall-to-wall hip-hop project on which he faces his critics ("High Road"), gets autobiographical ("Remember the Name"), shares family history ("Kenji") and emerges as a hip-hop reformist ("Cigarette"). Standing shoulder to shoulder with, among others, John Legend, members of The Roots and Styles of Beyond, The Rising Tied shines brightest in its earliest moments, where the beats and rhymes feel and sound freshest and where the positive message feels most sincere. A limited edition includes two documentary footage that follows the album's evolution, and Shinoda during the making of the video for "Petrified," all of which ultimately provides fans with interesting insights into the album and the artist himself. -–Jedd Beaudoin