Michael Kenji Shinoda, born in 1977, is an American musician best known as the co-founder and co-lead vocalist of Linkin Park. In addition to his roles as guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer for the band, he launched the hip-hop side project Fort Minor in 2004. Shinoda has produced music for artists like Lupe Fiasco and Styles of Beyond, and co-founded the California-based label Machine Shop Records. Beyond music, he is also a visual artist, with work featured in the Japanese American National Museum. In 2018, he released his debut solo album, Post Traumatic, inspired by the loss of his Linkin Park bandmate Chester Bennington.