DJ Lethal
Behind every great American band of the 21st century is a funky, often overshadowed turntabilist with equally great skill and ability as the stars he (or she) is supporting at gigs across the world.
Leor Dimant, whose family illegally left the USSR when he was seven, is no stranger to the limelight, big stars, and surviving the turbulent music business. DJ Lethal as he's known in the industry has backed such phenomenons as Limp Bizkit and House of Pain. Like so many music men, his first influences in sound came from his guitar-playing father, Grisha Dimant.
Upon his family's arrival to America, Leor was heavily influenced by the new, gritty hip-hop genre that was transcending the urban community and reaching suburban youth across America. Watching closely, he decided very early that he would not only be a part of the great bands he encountered as the DJ, he would be an integral piece to the puzzle as a key instrument himself.
By the late 80's a female rapper and friend of DJ Lethal introduced him to Everlast who was on his way to Europe to tour with rap icon Ice-T. DJ Lethal's beat boxing skills and turntable ability landed the 16 year old a spot on the tour in Europe. The commercial and critical acclaim for Everlast's first solo album in 1990 which featured scratching by DJ Lethal. Everlast and Lethal decided to form a band that would later explode onto the hip-hop scene for its bold lyrics, up-tempo flare, and its Irish-headed MC's. The group, known as the House of Pain releases two projects before 1996, going multiplatinum along the way and paving the way for other MC's with a unique racial background.
In 1996, during House of Pain's final tour, an opening act, Limp Bizkit became friends with DJ Lethal, eventually hiring him to do work on some of their recordings. DJ Lethal was asked to join the group and the rest is music history. Limp Bizkit, with DJ Lethal on the tables went on to sell over 35 million copies worldwide throughout the 90's and early 2000's. DJ Lethal again found himself spearheading a successful, non-traditional music outfit.
His unbridled desire and attention to detail landed him gig after gig, year after year, including his work with Limp Bizkit, House of Pain, Cypress Hill and La Coka Nostra, his new band mates. Unlike many of his record spinning counterparts, DJ Lethal's genre work extends well beyond the typecast. His fusion of nu metal, hip hop, and rock along with his ability to spin across genres has brought about success in the form of millions of records sold and the ultimate respect among industry elite and his own peers. Throughout his career DJ Lethal has worked with greats in rap and rock, from Kurupt to Evanescence and the arguably the most DJ-driven recording group of hip-hop history, Run DMC. His latest work includes a solo album with prime-time features from the likes of pop sensation will.I.am, rap legend Method Man and soulful hip-hop spokesman Talib Kweli, presenting a work that is as eccentric and everlasting as his own track record.
DJ Lethal been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards including Best Hard Rock Performance ("Nookie"), Best Rock Album (Significant Other), and Best Hard Rock Performance ("Take A Look Around") along with 3 American Music Awards for Favorite Alternative Artist winning one of them in 2002. In 1999, the band won the Maximum Vision Award at the Billboard Music Video Awards for their music video "Nookie". At the 2000 and 2001 Blockbuster Awards, the band won the Favorite Group (Rock) award.
That year also saw Lethal winning a MuchMusic Award for Best International Video, honoring their video for the song "Break Stuff." At the 2001 ECHO Awards, Lethal won the Best International Metal Band award. At the 2009 Kerrang! Awards, Lethal won the Hall of Fame award. Further expanding upon the Lethal's achievements and popularity, as a memeber of Limp Bizkit they were also the first group inducted into MTV's Total Request Live "Hall of Fame" on May 26, 2001.