During the mid to late-‘90s, the music landscape was being taken over by pop music groups like the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, and N Sync. While there is no doubt that that trend was incredibly popular since there are still lots of devoted fans who want to see the Spice Girls reunite, that doesn’t mean everyone enjoyed it. With that in mind, it makes sense that in the same era there was another music trend that was becoming incredibly popular, Nu Metal.
At the height of Nu Metal’s popularity, groups like Korn, Papa Roach, Disturbed, System of a Down, and Drowning Pool rose to prominence. Of course, some of those groups are still celebrated to this day. For example, there are loads of devoted Linkin Park fans who love looking back at the group’s journey. Despite that, there is still no denying that most Nu Metal acts are now considered very passé.
Of all the Nu Metal bands, it could be argued that Limp Bizkit has the most fascinating legacy. After all, if you turn on “Nookie” for a crowd of people who were around during Limp Bizkit’s heyday, the majority of them will smile and sing along. However, there is still no denying that a lot of people see Limp Bizkit as a joke. Unfortunately, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst once committed a crime that is no laughing matter.
Current Controversy
Roughly two decades ago, Woodstock ’99 was held and things went so dramatically wrong that it became one of the most talked-about events of the year. On the last night of the event, some members of the festival crowd started a fire that quickly spread and resulted in a lot of damages. As bad as that was, things only got worse from there. After all, in the days the followed the festival, the world learned that a lot of disgusting and tragic things happened during Woodstock ’99.
Sadly, one Woodstock ’99 festival-goer named David DeRosia lost their life after they suffered a seizure. Ultimately, the autopsy ruled that DeRosia passed away due to hyperthermia, an enlarged heart, and obesity. The family of DeRosia sued the Woodstock ’99 promoters for negligence due to the lack of available water and adequate medical care. On top of the Woodstock ’99 fatality, the police investigated four cases of sexual assault. Based on the coverage of the event, many, many more similar assaults went uninvestigated.
In the aftermath of Woodstock ’99, there were a few people who got blamed for how far off the rails the event went. Of course, it should go without saying that the promoters got most of the blame for pretty obvious reasons. However, some people who aren’t familiar with what happened at the event may be surprised to learn that Limp Bizkit was blamed by a lot of people as well, especially Fred Durst.
The reason why so many people were upset with Fred Durst following Woodstock ’99 is that he intentionally got the crowd all riled up even though things were already out of control. Unfortunately for Durst, people got angry with him all over again in 2021 when the documentary Woodstock 99: Peace Love and Rage put the spotlight on the problematic music festival again.
A couple of years before people got mad at him again, Fred Durst addressed the Woodstock '99 controversy while talking to Variety in 2019. During the interview, Durst pointed out that Limp Bizkit was hired to put on an energetic show and that is what they did. “Limp Bizkit is an easy target so bring it on. It’s easy to point the finger and blame [us], but they hired us for what we do — and all we did is what we do. I would turn the finger and point it back to the people that hired us,”
Durst’s Crime
Since most celebrities get followed with cameras wherever they go, it is amazing to think that stars can sometimes get away with things without the world knowing about it. Despite that, there are loads of examples of fans who have no idea about the awful things celebrities did in the past. For example, virtually all Limp Bizkit fans have no idea that Fred Durst once committed an extremely serious crime.
Many years after Fred Durst rose to fame, the singer got arrested and found himself in serious legal peril. Ultimately, Durst pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanors including assault, battery, and reckless driving. As a result, Durst wound up being sentenced to 120 days in jail, ordered to pay $1,500, and perform 20 hours of community service. Thankfully for Durst, he got out of his time behind bars as that part of his sentence was suspended.
Based on the fact that Fred Durst’s sentence was suspended, some people may assume that his crime wasn’t serious. However, that isn’t the case as Durst admitted in court that he deliberately rammed his car into a vehicle with two people inside of it. Considering that car crashes involve fatalities far too often and Durst’s actons were risking that, it is amazing that Durst got off with a slap on the wrist.