Old-school hip-hop, traditional classic rock, and spooling electronic vibes were the initial factors behind the building of the alternative metal quintet Linkin Park. The band's Southern Californian musical roots were also an underlying basis, for drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, and MC/vocalist Mike Shinoda formed a tight friendship while still in high school. Shortly after graduation, art student and DJ Joseph Hahn hooked up with bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Shinoda for the band Xero. Hybrid Theory came later, but the band opted on the name Linkin Park when singer Chester Bennington was the last piece added to the band in 1999. Soon the band became a noticeable face at the Whisky as well as favorites in and around Los Angeles. Zomba Music's Jeff Blue was one of the few who didn't turn the band down for a contract at the turn of the millennium.

The band's first full studio album, Hybrid Theory, released in 2000, was a huge success, selling 24 million copies worldwide as of October 2006. Among its singles were One Step Closer, Crawling, and the band's highest-selling single, In the End. A remix album, Reanimation was released in 2002, and was based around Hybrid Theory songs.

The band's second studio album, Meteora (released 2003), was not as successful as "Hybrid Theory". Still, it sold 10 million copies worldwide, spawned the worldwide hit Breaking the Habit, and was the first Linkin Park album that was not fully rap driven.

A limited edition live album and DVD came next: Live in Texas. It was an opportunity for fans who have not been to the band's gigs to see them perform live.

Linkin Park and Jay-Z would then release Collision Course in which previously-released songs from the two artists were mixed together. Some believe this was a major label attempt to combat the success of illegal mashup albums popular in 2004 and 2005, most of which also used Jay-Z's Black Album a capellas. The album introduced fans of both artists to each other and marked the beginning of Jay-Z's return from retirement.

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