"Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" is an album by the American Nu Metal band Limp Bizkit. Released on October 17, 2000, it marks the band's third studio album, following 'Significant Other' that came out in 1999. The title is a scatological reference slang coined by the band's lead vocalist, Fred Durst.
The album was produced by the band along with Terry Date and recorded at various studios. Hyperbolic and confrontational in expression, the album integrates several elements from multiple genres, including rock, hip hop, and metal.
Some of the stand-out tracks from the album include "My Generation," "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)," "Take a Look Around," which was famously tied with the film Mission Impossible 2, and "Boiler."
Commercially successful, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling around 1.05 million copies in its first week. As a result, this made it one of the fastest-selling rock albums in the United States.
Critically, "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" was met with mixed reviews. Some critics praised the album's bombastic and unapologetically entertaining direction, but it also received criticism for being juvenile and forcefully rowdy. Despite the split opinion, the album has had a considerable cultural impact, contributing significantly to the Nu Metal genre popular during the late 90s and early 2000s.
"Takes a Look Around" and "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" were awarded Grammy nominations, earning the band greater recognization. As of 2021, the album had been certified 6x platinum by the RIAA for over 6 million copies sold in the United States. The album's controversial nature and success serve as a testament to its lasting impact on the music of the new millennium.
