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🇺🇸 United States · 1982–present

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Red Hot Chili Peppers forged a distinctive sound in Los Angeles starting in 1982, energetically fusing elements of alternative rock, funk, punk, hard rock, hip-hop, and psychedelic rock. This particular blend not only defined their own proposal but also left a mark on genres such as funk metal, rap metal, and nu metal. The band, with Anthony Kiedis on vocals, Flea on bass, John Frusciante on guitar, and Chad Smith on drums, has sold over 120 million records worldwide and holds records on the U.S. Alternative Songs charts, including fifteen number-one singles and a total of ninety-one weeks accumulated in that position.

The band's origins date back to 1982 in Los Angeles, when Kiedis, Flea, guitarist Hillel Slovak, and drummer Jack Irons, classmates from Fairfax High School, came together for a first performance at the Grandia Room on Hollywood Boulevard. Although Slovak and Irons initially had commitments with another group, the energy of the new project led them to change their name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in March and sign a seven-album deal in 1983. However, for their 1984 self-titled debut album, the guitar was handled by Jack Sherman and the drums by Cliff Martinez. Slovak returned for Freaky Styley in 1985, and Irons for The Uplift Mofo Party Plan in 1987, the only studio album recorded by the four founding members together. Irons' departure in 1988, following Slovak's passing, paved the way for the incorporation of John Frusciante and Chad Smith, a lineup that would record Mother's Milk in 1989 and their first major commercial success, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, in 1991, marking a turning point in their career.

Alternative rock Funk funk metal funk rock Pop rock 1980s

2 Albums

34 Songs

7,4M Listeners/mo

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Essential songs

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The Power of Equality

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

4:04 02

If You Have to Ask

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

3:37 03

Breaking the Girl

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

4:55 04

Funky Monks

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

5:23 05

Suck My Kiss

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

3:37 06

I Could Have Lied

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

4:04 07

Mellowship Slinky in B major

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

4:00 08

The Righteous & the Wicked

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

4:08 09

Give It Away

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

4:43 10

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991

4:31

2 album|s · 1991 — 1999

Full discography

1999 ★ Essential

Californication

17 song|s · Rock alternativo

1991 ★ Essential

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

17 song|s · Rock alternativo

Share stage, decade and obsessions

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Biography

The sudden popularity of Blood Sugar Sex Magik led Frusciante to leave the band during a tour in 1992. After a period with several guitarists, Dave Navarro joined for the album One Hot Minute in 1995, which did not achieve the same impact as its predecessor. The 1990s were a time of personal challenges for Frusciante and Kiedis. In 1998, Navarro departed and Frusciante returned, leading to Californication in 1999, which became their most commercially successful work, selling over sixteen million copies. The albums By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006) continued this streak of success, with the latter being their first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Frusciante bid farewell again in 2009 to focus on his solo career, being replaced by Josh Klinghoffer, who participated in I'm with You (2011) and The Getaway (2016). Finally, Frusciante rejoined the band in 2019, and in 2022 they released two new albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' career has been recognized with their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022.