Red Hot Chili Peppers

Through tragedy, drug addiction, and mass success, alt-rock titans Red Hot Chili Peppers rose from the strip bars of Hollywood to become free-spirited, stadium-filling superstars. Inspired by the fearsome LA punk scene, their breakneck collision of funk psychedelia and full-throttle rock 'n' roll quickly built a loyal live following, and they were soon snapped up by EMI. Working with funk legend George Clinton on second album Freaky Styley (1985) helped to refine their unique sound, but when guitarist Hillel Slovak died from a heroin overdose in 1988, the school friends were forced into a re-think. The recruitment of John Frusciante brought out a more melodic style, and it was their poignant hit single "Under the Bridge" (1992) – written about vocalist Anthony Kiedis's own drug problems – that proved to be their commercial breakthrough. The impact of classic fifth album Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) led to John Frusciante's departure in 1992, but he returned to mastermind albums Californication (1999) –the band's Rick Rubin-produced blockbuster that spawned a Grammy-winning single in "Scar Tissue" – By the Way (2002), and Stadium Arcadium (2006). After a five-year gap between albums, the Red Hot Chili Peppers returned in 2011 with their 10th studio LP, I'm with You, which was also produced by Rick Rubin and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. John Frusciante was notably absent on I'm with You and subsequent album The Getaway (2016), with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer stepping in to temporarily fill his shoes. However, he returned in 2019 to put his distinctive stamp on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 12th studio album, Unlimited Love, which became the band's first chart-topper since 2006 and also saw Rick Rubin return to the production controls for the first time since 2011. The LP's first single, The first single, "Black Summer", gave the band their fourteenth number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. Multiple accounts of alleged sexual harassment and assault have been directed at the band over the years. In 2016, former music executive Julie Farman wrote an essay in which she described being sexually harassed by two members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1991. In his autobiography Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis admitted to having had sex with a 14-year-old girl. He was also convicted of sexual battery and indecent exposure in 1990. The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 31, 2022.

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