Nearly a year after frontman Chester Bennington’s death, Mike Shinoda, the rapper from Linkin Park, released a solo album. When I first heard that he was releasing a solo album I got mad because it seemed like Chester’s death did not affect him. However, upon listening to the album, I realized that Chester’s death affected him in ways that listeners will never be able to fully grasp.

The first song on the album, “Place to Start,” Shinoda sings about how he doesn’t know where to go after Chester’s death but he needs to start over. This song is relatable for everyone because everyone has had something that affected them deeply and must find a way to start over. At the end of the song, he plays voicemails in which members of Linkin Park are calling Shinoda making sure he is okay. This adds more impact to the song showing that friends are there to help through grieving times.

In the second song, “Over Again,” he talks about Chester’s death and how deeply it has affected him. Shinoda discusses that he doesn’t get to say goodbye once, he has to say it over and over again. Shinoda also talks about how people mention how tough it is going to be to figure out what to do to now that Chester is gone, like Shinoda has no idea about how hard it will be.

Not every song on Mike Shinoda’s album is about Chester’s death but the first few songs are focused on Chester. Mike Shinoda is definitely an underrated rapper in today’s age, but more people should start listening to him. He actually raps from the heart instead of what the so-called rappers of today are doing. All in all, I give Mike Shinoda’s debut solo album a 10/10 and will continue to listen to it, because the album is relatable even though I have not lost anyone close, and the album is impactful.