With the album's lead single "Again & Again" gaining heavy exposure through MTV2, the band's mainstream rise gained momentum. The band released their debut album Gift on June 27, 2000. All the luck, brother, fuck you." (The message left by Fred Durst on Stephen Richards' answering machine) Gift and Welcome (2000–2004)
TAPROOT GIFT SONGS HOW TO
You're learning right now exactly how to ruin your career before it gets started. Don't fucking show up at my shows cause if you do, you're gonna get fucked. You need to be associated with somebody in this business, to put you out there and believe in you. You're gonna fucking learn from this time right here I hope you let your band know that you just fucked yourself. Your manager slings our name around, he's gonna be blackballed and probably be erased, and you will, too. Your association with Limp Bizkit doesn't exist. Took you under my wing, brought you to my house, talked about you on FM radio and press, and you embarrassed me and the Interscope family. You don't ever bite the hand that feeds in this business, bro. Something More Than Nothing (1998), Mentobe (1998) and Upon Us (1999). Taproot later went on to independently release three albums. In retaliation, Durst also kicked System of a Down off the 1999 Family Values Tour. He also put some blame on System of a Down, who assisted Taproot in securing the Atlantic deal. Durst heavily cursed the band on vocalist Stephen Richards' answering machine. However, after extended negotiations, Taproot looked elsewhere, where they finally landed a lucrative record deal with Atlantic Records. Impressed with their material, he offered to get them a recording contract through Interscope Records. In 1997, Taproot sent their demo to Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. History Formation and independent releases (1997–1999) 1.8 Besides and anniversary shows (2016–present).1.7 Gift 's 13th anniversary, Fredell and DeWolf's departure (2013–2015).1.1 Formation and independent releases (1997–1999).Armed with the solid, if fluctuating voice of Stephen Richards (one of nu-metal’s more interesting vocalists) and a solid rhythm section, it wasn’t long before the band started hitting up huge tours with some of the biggest bands in the scene back then. Buoyed by singles “Again and Again” and “Smile”, among other standout tracks, it was a solid opening act for the young band, who were once courted by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst before a much-publicized falling out. While not reaching a coveted Platinum or even Gold certification, the record still managed to sell a couple hundred thousand copies to date. It’s with that being said that their 2000 debut full-length, Gift, was a solid success story. Collectively having sold millions of records worldwide can’t be considered a failure, and the band’s first two albums saw them playing festivals like Ozzfest, too. A fairly tried and true nu-metal band that came along right when bands like Limp Bizkit and Korn were hitting on their commercial promise, Taproot never quite achieved what many of their peers did, at least in a commercial and critical sense, but that doesn’t make their career unsuccessful. Of course, Taproot’s debut full-length Gift wasn’t necessarily revolutionary. From the likes of Radiohead’s Kid A to Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory, the year showcased no shortage of records that were influential over the next two decades. Boy bands had taken over the world (again!), rap and pop music were leading the charts, and the dawn of a new millennium brought some interesting albums along.
In the year 2000, music was at a very interesting time, to be certain. Taproot during K-Rock’s 2002 Claus-Fest Concert at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York, United States.