| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step Up | Hybrid Theory EP | 3:55 | 1999 | 1999 | |
| Step Up | In The End (CD 2)
Hybrid Theory EP (Re-Issue) In The End (JP EP) |
3:55 | 1999 | October 9, 2001 |
|
| "Step Up" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Hybrid Theory | |
| from the album Hybrid Theory EP | |
| Recorded: | 1999 |
| Released: | 1999 |
| Format: | Digital, CD |
| Length: | 3:55 |
| Stems: | Akai MPC 1000 |
| Live debut: | September 12, 2001 |
| Last performed: | March 2, 2002 September 11, 2004 (Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down) |
| Writer: | Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, Brad Delson |
| Producer: | Mike Shinoda |
| Label: | Mix Media Entertainment |
| Hybrid Theory EP tracklist | |
"Step Up" was a song written by Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, and Brad Delson. It was originally released on the Hybrid Theory EP in 1999 and was later used as a b-side of the "In The End" single in 2001. Samples of "Step Up" were reused on "It's Goin' Down" and "Kyur4 Th Ich".
On the the song, Mike is calling out other "wannabe" emcees in his verses. Despite not having a songwriting credit, Chester Bennington is on the bridge of the song. Kyle Christener is credited for bass on the original EP but his name was removed from subsequent issues. He originally claimed that his bass tracks weren't used in the EP,[1] but later retracted that statement. "Though Christner was once under the misimpression that his bass parts were re-recorded on the EP after he left the band, he has, upon closer review, identified his bass playing on the edition of the EP included in the box set," his 2023 lawsuit reads.[2][3]
Background
In Jeff Blue's book "One Step Closer: From Xero to #1: Becoming Linkin Park", he explained that "Step Up" was originally a Xero song. It was included on a demo CD from November 17, 1998. Tracks included on the CD were: "Rhinestone", "Esaul", "Pictureboard", "Fiends", "Stick N Move", "Carousel", "Slip", "Pointillism" and "Step Up." He describes Mike Shinoda's notes about the song, "Step Up" was written in response to the trend of sticking hip hop into heavy alternative music in a careless way. Mike felt that artists should strive to represent themselves and their music with authenticity, originality, and respect for hip hop. He went on to write that he didn’t consider himself a hip hop expert but the band needed to push themselves harder than they were, because hip hop was not a moniker to be thrown into a song for the sake of street credibility."[4]
It was re-recorded for the Hybrid Theory EP when Chester Bennington joined the band.
Mike recorded and then heavily edited two sampled speeches of his own voice for the song: "Using the waves of sound, the true master paralyzes his opponents, leaving him vulnerable to attack" before the second chorus, and "After years of pain staking research by the world's leading sound scientists, we here at the sound institute have invented a reliable audio weapons system. Actual movement of musical sound in space used to carefully attack and neutralize the cellular structure of the human body, and the question must be asked" on the bridge.
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step Up (Live) | Somewhere I Belong
Meteora (Mastered For iTunes) |
3:15 | February 23, 2002 | March 17, 2003 |
|
| Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down (Live) | LP Underground 4.0 | 4:57 | July 18, 2004 | November 22, 2004 |
|
| Step Up | Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition) | 3:53 | February 23, 2002 | October 9, 2020 |
|
| Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down (Live) | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | 4:57 | July 18, 2004 | April 7, 2023 |
|
| Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | June 15, 2004 | April 7, 2023 |
| |
| Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | August 30, 2004 | April 7, 2023 |
|
Live
"Step Up" became a signature track towards the end of the Hybrid Theory touring cycle. It is possible the song was performed while the band was still under the moniker Hybrid Theory, but its first known appearances were on the Hybrid Theory European Tour in the Fall of 2001. During a press conference prior to the tour, Brad claimed the band would be using their soundcheck time on the tour to rehearse older songs for the upcoming tour (the Family Values Tour), mentioning "My December" and "Carousel" as songs being rehearsed (the latter of which never ended up being performed). He also added, "I'm using two extra Boss effects pedals, the Auto-Wah and the Phaser, to re-create the guitar sounds on another old song we'll be playing called “Step Up".[5] When performed, it was played as the second song in the encore, preceding "One Step Closer", moving down to the mid-set by the end of the tour. It maintained this position on the following Family Values Tour. It returned to its encore spot on the Countdown To Revolution tour briefly before being moved back down to the mid-set on the string of holiday festivals at the end of 2001. In 2002, it was performed mid-set with the addition of an extended bridge and ending.
The song did not return in full during the Meteora touring cycle, but it did appear in another form. During the International Tour in the summer of 2004, the Hip-Hop Medley debuted, which mashup up parts of "Step Up", "Nobody's Listening", and "It's Goin' Down". It was dropped once the cycle ended, but verses of "Step Up" occasionally appeared during the extended intro of "Points Of Authority" during the Minutes To Midnight touring cycle.
Though he never did the song in full, Mike incorporated part of "Step Up" into his set near the end of the Post Traumatic touring cycle. In London, he rapped the first verse and chorus over the bridge of "Sorry For Now", and would later do just the chorus in addition to other verses in Milano and Zurich. Once "Lift Off" was added to the set, Mike would use the chorus of "Step Up" as a refrain and later rap the first verse in Jakarta. At the final two shows of the cycle, "Step Up" was mashed up with "It's Goin' Down".
Variations
Linkin Park
Last Updated: August 12, 2016
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge | Instrumental repeated | January 29, 2002 | February 24, 2002 |
| Ending | Jam outro featuring Mr. Hahn | January 29, 2002 | February 24, 2002 |
| Alternative | Hip-Hop Medley (Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down) | June 3, 2004 | September 11, 2004 |
Mike Shinoda
Last Updated: May 3, 2020
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mashup | w/ 'It's Goin' Down' | September 6, 2019 | September 8, 2019 |
Personnel
- Rob Bourdon
- Joseph Hahn
- Kyle Christner
- Brad Delson
- Chester Bennington
- Mike Shinoda
Production
- Produced and mixed by Mike Shinoda
- Mastered by Pat Kraus
Lyrics
Yo
Watch as the room rocks
Mentally moonwalk
Mixed media slang
Banging in your boom box verbal violence
Lyrical stylist
In a time when rock hip hop rhymes are childish
You can't tempt me with rhymes that are empty
Rapping to a beat doesn't make you an MC
With your lack of skill and facility
You're killing me
And a DJ in the group just for credibility
I heard that some of you are getting help with your rhymes
You're not an emcee if someone else writes your lines
And rapping over rock doesn't make you a pioneer
'Cause rock and hip hop have collaborated for years
But now they're getting randomly mixed and matched up
All after a fast buck and all the tracks suck
So how does it stack up? None of it's real
You want to be an emcee you've got to study the skill
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
So you pick up a pen and write yourself a new identity
But mentally you don't have the hip hop energy
With a tendency to make up stories (bullshit)
Sounding like the only hip hop you've heard is top 40 (Top 40)
And your record company is completely missing it
All the kids are dissing it for not being legitimate
So in a battle you can't hack it
React with whack shit
And get smacked with verbal back flips
Get your ass kicked by fabulous battle catalysts
It's taken decades for emcees to establish this
You're new to hip hop and welcome if you're serious
But not on the mic
Leave that to the experienced
(Using the waves of sound, the true master paralyzes his opponents, leaving him vulnerable to attack)
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
Step up
(After years of pain staking research by the world's leading sound scientists, we here at the sound institute have invented a reliable audio weapons system. Actual movement of musical sound in space used to carefully attack and neutralize the cellular structure of the human body, so the question must be asked.)
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
Step up
(Step up to the microphone)
(And you do it like this)
(And you do it like this)
(Step up to the microphone)
(And you do it like this)
(Step up to the microphone)
(And you do it like this)
(Step up to the microphone)
(And you do it like this)
External Links
References
- ↑ Hybrid Origins: A Look Back At The Early Days - Linkin Park Live, June 2021
- ↑ Linkin Park Sued by Bassist Seeking Unpaid Royalties From 1999, November 09, 2023
- ↑ LINKIN PARK Sued By Former Bassist Over 1999 Recordings - BLABBERMOUTH.NET, November 09, 2023
- ↑ Blue, Jeff (2020). One Step Closer: From Xero to #1: Becoming Linkin Park. Permuted Press. ASIN: B08LMZLXTJ
- ↑ Linkin Park's Magic Mix, January 01, 2002