The American rapper and singer, now 53, showed off a completely new look as he took to the stage at Download Festival.
5
5
5
Fred Durst looked worlds away from when he found fame in the rap rock band Limp Bizkit.
Performing at the festival in Derby, the star ditched his neat goatee and is now sporting a long grey beard.
Limp Bizkit formed in Jacksonville in 1994 and originally consisted of Fred, Wes Borland, Sam Rivers, John Otto, and DJ Lethal.
Their breakout came with the release of their second album, Significant Other in 1999, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
This success was propelled by hit singles such as Nookie and Break Stuff.
Their follow-up album, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over one million copies in its first week.
In 2001, guitarist Wes left the band briefly before returning in 2004.
The band attempted a comeback with the release of The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) in 2005 but it failed to reignite their previous level of success.
Following this, Limp Bizkit went on a hiatus.
They returned in 2009 with the original lineup and embarked on a series of reunion tours.
Since then, Limp Bizkit has continued to tour sporadically and perform at festivals.
They have even hinted at new music multiple times, and in 2021 they released the album Still Sucks.
Besides continuing to tour and perform with the band, Fred has made a mark as a film director with movies like The Education of Charlie Banks and The Longshots.
More recently he directed the film The Franatic in 2019 which starred John Travolta.
Fred tends to keep a lower profile compared to his peak years but still makes headlines for his personal life and public appearances.
According to the frontman, this choosiness is all part of his plan to keep a varied creative profile.
Speaking to LA Weekly, he said, “I still perform and manage Limp Bizkit. We’re very selective of where we play.
“I think I’m gonna be releasing some new material. But my film directing is about to be in a very wonderful place.
“I’ve been working on it for a long time, making sure that I’m in the ‘no’ business. I say ‘no’ a lot.”
He added that his “main focus” is now “being creative and enjoying life.”
5
5