Frustrated with being unable to truly explore his hip-hop side in Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda (at the advice of his peers) created a diverse but hip-hop oriented side project, known as Fort Minor. Executive produced by Jay-Z and Produced/Mixed by Mike himself, The Rising Tied (Fort Minor's debut album) explores Shinoda's roots in hip hop, and marks a return to the style of music that influenced him as a teenager. No Linkin Park members make an appearance on this record except for DJ Joseph Hahn who provided his skills on the closing track "Slip Out The Back"

*The limited edition release of this album featured three bonus tracks; "Be Somebody", the non mixtape version of "There They Go" and "The Hard Way".