DJ Lethal

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DJ Lethal
Background information
Birth name	Leor Dimant
Born	December 18, 1972 (1972-12-18) (age 35) Riga, Latvian SSR, USSR
Genre(s)	Hip hop Rapcore Nu metal Alternative metal
Occupation(s)	Turntablist, producer
Instrument(s)	Turntable, sampler
Years active	1989 – present
Label(s)	Past: Tommy Boy, Atlantic, Interscope, Geffen
Associated acts	Everlast House of Pain Limp Bizkit La Coka Nostra

Leor Dimant (Latvian: Leors Dimants; born December 18, 1972 in Riga, Latvia), better known as DJ Lethal, is a turntablist and producer. He is best known as a member of the band Limp Bizkit, and formerly a member of the Irish-American-influenced hip hop group House of Pain.

Currently, DJ Lethal is the main producer of hip hop group La Coka Nostra, which includes his former House of Pain mates Everlast and Danny Boy, among others. The group's debut album is expected to be released in September 2008.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early years 1.2 Everlast and House of Pain 1.3 Limp Bizkit 1.4 Features 2 Partial discography 3 External links 4 References

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years

Leor DiMant (a modification of his original surname "Dimants", which means "diamond" in Latvian) was born in Riga, Latvia, when this country was still part of the Soviet Union. His first contact with music was through his father, who, along with his friends, played guitar in a rock band.

In 1979, when DiMant was seven, he and his family illegally left the USSR for Italy, where they remained for a year until they obtained a visa. They were then allowed to go to either Toronto, Los Angeles, or New York City. His parents chose New York. There, his father performed in various Russian clubs and restaurants mostly in Brighton Beach.

DiMant and his parents lived in Jersey City for a time. Here, he also attended yeshiva, but was apparently expelled for misbehaviour.^[1] His family later moved to Los Angeles in 1987 when his father got a job at a new Russian restaurant there. His first introduction to hip hop was in Jersey City, when his school held a talent show with several students performing a rap song, and DiMant was amazed. Once he moved to Los Angeles, he quickly became interested in hip hop culture, including break dancing and graffiti. Before learning to DJ, he actually started off as a beatboxer. He later practiced DJing using his friend's turntables and mixer.

[edit] Everlast and House of Pain

By the late 80s, DiMant became friends with a female rapper who at that time dated rapper Everlast. When Everlast was about to go on a Europe tour with Ice T and Rhyme Syndicate, he mentioned that he'd like to hear DiMant beatbox, and they met. Everlast was impressed by his beatboxing skills, and he invited DiMant to be his DJ on the upcoming tour. DiMant, who was only 16 at the time, decided to do so and dropped out of school.

After the tour, in 1990, Everlast's first solo album, including a track featuring scratching by DiMant, was released to both critical and commercial failure.

Following that, Everlast and DiMant, now known as DJ Lethal, decided to start a group, and with the addition of Everlast's high school friend Danny Boy, House of Pain was formed. The group's 1992 self-titled debut album went multi-platinum and is best known for the DJ Muggs produced hit single "Jump Around" and the DJ Lethal produced "Shamrocks and Shenanigans". A second album was released in 1994.

In 1996, on the eve of the release of the group's third album, produced by Everlast and DJ Lethal, things began to go sour. DJ Lethal claims it started to become a hassle, and simply wasn't fun anymore. The day before the album came out, the group broke up.

[edit] Limp Bizkit

On House of Pain's final tour, Limp Bizkit, an up-and-coming band from Jacksonville, Florida was hired as a supporting act. DJ Lethal and the band became friends, and later, Limp Bizkit hired him to do some work on their recordings, eventually asking him if he wanted to join them. DJ Lethal accepted the offer, and the band became one of the most popular nu metal and rapcore groups during the late 90s and early 2000s, selling over 33 million records worldwide.

DJ Lethal wanted his contributions to the band recordings to be more original than typical DJs in bands at the time. "There are a couple of other rock bands that have DJs and they’re just like, [mimics a chirp scratch] “Hey, what’s going on? Let me spin around a couple of times and show off that I can spin two records.” So I definitely knew I didn’t want to be just another DJ in a rock band. I wanted to be another instrument—a part of the band, like another guitar player."^[1] On Limp Bizkit albums, he is credited for doing "sound development".

[edit] Features

Besides the work with his groups, DJ Lethal is producing records in his Hollywood based studio, working for artists such as Scott Harris, and is also preparing his long delayed solo album, which is set to feature will.i.am, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Chester Bennington, Kurupt, B-Real, Redman, Tha Alkaholiks, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Pharoahe Monch, Chino XL, Diamond D, Dilated Peoples, Method Man, Streetlife, Talib Kweli, Bun B and more, along with his La Coka Nostra bandmates.

[edit] Partial discography

For House of Pain records, see the group's main article.

For Limp Bizkit records, see the group's main article.

• Everlast - Forever Everlasting (1989)
• Funkdoobiest - Which Doobie U B? (1993)
• Sugar Ray - Lemonade and Brownies (1995)
• Funkdoobiest - Brothas Doobie (1995)
• Sepultura - Roots (1996)
• Tura Satana (aka Manhole) - All Is Not Well (1998)
• Soulfly - Soulfly (1998)
• Powerman 5000 - Tonight The Stars Revolt! (1999)
• Videodrone - Videodrone (1999)
• Rob Zombie - American Made Music to Strip By (1999)
• Rob Zombie - The Sinister Urge (2001)
• Run-DMC - Crown Royal (2001)
• Kurupt - Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey (2001)
• Shihad - Pacifier (2002)
• Slaine - The White Man is the Devil Vol 1 (2005)
• Evanescence - The Open Door (2006)
• Dead Celebrity Status - Blood Music (2006)
• DMC - Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll (2006)
• Main Flow - The Flowfessionals (2006)
• Jamie Kennedy & Stu Stone - Blowin' Up (Theme music) (2006)
• Ill Bill - Ill Bill is the Future Vol. II: I'm a Goon! (2006)
• Ill Bill - The Hour of Reprisal (2008)
• Street Drum Corps - Street Drum Corps (album) (2006)

[edit] External links

• http://www.myspace.com/djlethal official MySpace page

[edit] References

v • d • e La Coka Nostra Mr. White · DJ Lethal · Ill Bill · Slaine · Big Left · Danny Boy Albums A Brand You Can Trust (to be released) Related articles House of Pain · Non Phixion · Special Teamz · Soul Assassins

v • d • e Limp Bizkit Fred Durst · Sam Rivers · John Otto · DJ Lethal Wes Borland · Mike Smith · Rob Waters · Scott Borland · Terry Balsamo Studio Albums Three Dollar Bill, Yall$ · Significant Other · Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water · Results May Vary · The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) Demos Mental Aquaducts Compilation albums New Old Songs · Greatest Hitz Live albums Rock im Park 2001 Singles Counterfeit · Sour · Faith · Nookie · Re-Arranged · N 2 Gether Now · Break Stuff · My Generation · Rollin' · Take a Look Around · My Way · Boiler · Eat You Alive · Behind Blue Eyes · Almost Over · Build A Bridge  · Home Sweet Home/Bittersweet Symphony Related articles Discography · Black Light Burns

v • d • e House of Pain Everlast · DJ Lethal · Danny Boy Albums House of Pain · Same as It Ever Was · Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again EP's Who's the Man? · Legend Compilations Shamrocks & Shenanigans Related articles La Coka Nostra · Soul Assassins

Persondata
NAME	Dimant, Leor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	DJ Lethal
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Disc jockey
DATE OF BIRTH	December 18, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH	Riga, Latvia
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH