Released: January 15, 2001

Songwriter: Mr. Hahn Brad Delson Mike Shinoda

Producer: Mike Shinoda

[Intro: Lee Cadena, Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda]
"You know what I mean?
You could put a label on a life
Put a label on a lifestyle." (Sometimes…)
"You know, put a label on how you wake up every morning
And go to bed at night." (Hybrid)

[Verse 1: Mike Shinoda]
I've been diggin' into crates, ever since I was livin' in space
Before the rat race, before monkeys had human traits
I mastered numerology and big bang theology
Performed lobotomies with telekinetic psychology

Invented the mic so I could start blessin' it
Chin-checkin' kids to make my point like an impressionist
Many men have tried to shake us
But I twist mic cords to double-helixes
And show them what I'm made of

I buckle knees like leg braces
Cast a spell of instrumental-ness on all of you MCs who hate us
So you can try on, leave you without a shoulder to cry on
From now to infinity, let icons be bygones

I firebomb, ghostly notes haunt this
I tried threats, but moved on to a promise
I stomp sh-, with or without an accomplice
And run the gauntlet with whoever that wants this

[Chorus: Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington]
(High voltage) This is the unforgettable sound
(High voltage) Bringin' you up and takin' you down
(High voltage) Comin' at you from every side
(High voltage) Makin' the rhythm and rhyme collide

[Verse 2: Mike Shinoda]
(Akira)
I put a kick in the backbones of clones with microphones
Never satisfy my rhyme jones
Sprayin' bright day over what you might say
My blood type's Krylon, Technicolor Type-A

On highways, bright with road rage
Pages of wind in cages of tin that bounce all around
(Surround sound) Devouring the scene
Subliminal gangrene paintings, overall the same thing

Sing-song karaoke copy bull-
Break bones verbally with sticks-and-stone tactics
Fourth dimension combat convention
Write rhymes at ease while the track stands at attention

Meant to put you away with a pencil pistol official
Sixteen-line, the rhyme missile
While you risk your all, I pick out all your flaws
Spittin' rah blah blah blah, you can say you saw

[Chorus: Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington]
(High voltage) This is the unforgettable sound
(High voltage) Bringin' you up and takin' you down
(High voltage) Comin' at you from every side
(High voltage) Makin' the rhythm and rhyme collide
(High voltage) This is the unforgettable sound
(High voltage) Bringin' you up and takin' you down
(High voltage) Comin' at you from every side
(High voltage) Makin' the rhythm and rhyme collide

[Interlude: Lee Cadena, Chester Bennington]
"And like the rock and rap, you know what I mean?
People actin' like, you know, "Wow, that's a new invention!"
That sh- ain't new
We're constantly evolving
It is constantly changing." (Sometimes)
"There's a lot of change
Everybody's always tryna to put labels on…
There ain't no label for this shit
They always gonna try to put a label on it
Try to create somethin' so they could water it down"

[Bridge: Chester Bennington]
Sometimes, I feel like a prophet
Misunderstood, under the gun like a new disease
Sometimes, I feel like a prophet
Misunderstood, under the gun like a new disease

[Chorus: Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington]
(High voltage) This is the unforgettable sound
(High voltage) Bringin' you up and takin' you down
(High voltage) Comin' at you from every side
(High voltage) Makin' the rhythm and rhyme collide
(High voltage) This is the unforgettable sound
(High voltage) Bringin' you up and takin' you down
(High voltage) Comin' at you from every side
(High voltage) Makin' the rhythm and rhyme collide
(High voltage) This is the unforgettable sound
(High voltage) Bringin' you up and takin' you down
(High voltage) Comin' at you from every side
(High voltage) Makin' the rhythm and rhyme collide
(High voltage) This is the unforgettable sound
(High voltage) Bringin' you up and takin' you down
(High voltage) Comin' at you from every side
(High voltage) Makin' the rhythm and rhyme collide

[Outro: Lee Cadena]
"You know what I mean?
You can't put a label on a lifestyle."

Linkin Park

Hybrid Theory isn’t just the title of Linkin Park’s chart-topping debut album, but a career mission statement.

From day one, the same six players (lead vocalist Chester Bennington, drummer/percussionist Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave ‘Phoenix’ Farrell, DJ/Programmer Joe Hahn, and keyboardist, guitarist, and co-lead vocals Mike Shinoda) built the band by fusing all their favorite styles of music into one unmistakable signature sound. With each album, Linkin Park defiantly challenges themselves and their fans by blasting into new musical territory. After setting the template for rock that incorporated hip-hop influences with Hybrid Theory and Meteora, they shifted gears completely and defied expectations with the polychromatic Minutes to Midnight, and again with the esoteric A Thousand Suns, before melding a piece of them all into 2012’s LIVING THINGS. With their 2014 release and heaviest offering in years, The Hunting Party, Linkin Park manage to capture their ever-innovative spirit with a hunger seldom seen in bands on their seventh album. One More Light (2017) is an interesting personal album, filled with a lot of emotion.

Unfortunately, on July 20, 2017, Chester unexpectedly died by suicide, shocking and saddening both fans and his own band members alike.

more tracks from the album

Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition)