Background
"Basquiat" was a demo started by Mike Shinoda after the recording of The Rising Tied and was worked on during the Minutes To Midnight sessions.
Its title is a reference to Jean‑Michel Basquiat, one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. Jay-Z, who worked on the Fort Minor album as executive producer, is a notable private collector of Basquiat's work.
The demo was released in November 2013 on the LP Underground XIII CD. On the booklet, Mike wrote: "This was a track I originally started just after I finished the Fort Minor album and was never really sure where to take it. After this, we moved into "Minutes To Midnight" and tried a few vocal ideas on it, but nothing really materialized. Maybe it was meant to be an instrumental."
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basquiat (2007 Demo) | LP Underground XIII | 3:22 | 2007 | November 18, 2013 |