As most should be able to see by now, Rancid is my favorite punk band, but not every one feels the same way. Now I'm not trying to make them YOUR favorite band I am just expressing my opinion, on why a lot of people seem to hate them now.

1 reason people don't like them, may be cause they think they aren't punk enough any more, like they play to much ska or something. Remember Operation Ivy, which was pretty much Rancid in the first place, they were the one of the first if not the first punk/ska bands, and when they would play a punk song, then a ska song, no one would care. But now when Rancid play a punk song then a ska song, they are bitched at for not being punk anymore. Ya see ska has always been in Rancid, back from Operation Ivy anyways. If you would bother to listen to Rancids newest album, you would notice that there are some great punk songs on there as well, like "Bloodclot", "1998", "New Dress" etc.

Another reason why some people don't like Rancid, is because they think they are "sell-outs" that has gotta be the worst most annoying excuse, since most people have nothing to back it up with, except to say "Well they play em on Mtv!" I know Mtv sucks, but it seems people only just started to notice that Rancid are rarely played on Mtv. Since Rancids first album they have been played on Mtv, and that was back in 1993! Nobody called them sell-outs then. Most people who use the words "sell-out" don't even know what it meens, I can't say that my way of explaining it is the same way you all think, but, from how I see it, it means to *in music terms* would maybe to sell yourself to a bigger record lable just to make money, or just to change your style of music so it would fit todays trendy crap. Now Rancid have changed music format, but none of it can even be compared to the crap thats played now. Plus Rancid have stayed on Epitaph records *a punk lable* and Tim and Lars *i think* have started Hell Cat records another punk lable, it releses ska to. Even after being offered large sums of money they have stayed on Epitaph.

In conclusion, I hope that you learned something from this, I doubt many people will, but the next time someone says they hate Rancid ya should ask them why, and if all they can say back is "Sell-Outs!" then I will have proven my self correct. I understand if you don't like rancid just cause ya don't like the sound of there music. (new or old) But there really is no need to make up a bunch of shit about them, they are doing what they want to do, something they love, it can take a lot of balls to do something you really want to do with your life.