By
Phil Leckman
Grade: C-
Limp Bizkit, the band that broke rap-metal out of the box with its second album, Significant Other, is back with a follow-up. Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water arrives with expectations as big as its title. These expectations are not met.
This is not to say that the album is without merit. DJ Lethal's well-used beats and samples greatly contribute, as usual, to the music's mood and energy. The guitars are also commendable - guitarist/space cadet Wes Borland churns out cutting-edge rhythms and sounds while maintaining the heavy, droning edge that neo-metal fans expect.
But while the rhythm section delivers, singer-songwriter Fred Durst falls flat on his face, adding to his growing reputation as one of the worst lyricists in either rap or rock. Durst's lyrics on Significant Other did not get much more sophisticated than rhyming "nookie" with "cookie," and he does no better here, relying entirely on the most obvious and childish rhymes. "Hot Dog," for instance, is essentially nothing more than an experiment to see how many times the word "fuck" can be used in one song.
Some might find this subject matter offensive, but what is really offensive is that Durst continues to sell records with such an incredible lack of talent. Starfish's most telling moment comes during a hip-hop remix of "Rollin'," the band's current single. The track features Method Man, Redman and DMX - some of rap's biggest and most talented stars, and clearly people Durst regards as his peers. But the addition of these real hip-hop artists only shows up Durst's ineptitude. Next to these real rappers, this would-be crown prince of rap-rock comes off like an obnoxious, squawky middle-schooler.
