Korn released Follow the Leader through Immortal and Epic on 18 August 1998. The official digital edition carries 14 songs, including Got the Life and Freak on a Leash, and credits Epic Records as the original rights holder.
Fieldy's percussive bass, David Silveria's hip-hop-influenced drumming and Head and Munky's scraping guitars stayed central. Guests Ice Cube, Tre Hardson, Fred Durst and Cheech Marin helped take that sound further across scenes.
The cover warned against following
Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo created the cover, with colour by Brian Haberlin. The child leading a line towards a cliff gives the title a literal warning about following others. McFarlane carried that visual style into the animated parts of the Freak on a Leash video.
Korn TV and the Korn Kampaign
Korn let fans watch parts of the recording process through Korn TV, then promoted the album with the fan-facing Korn Kampaign. The first Family Values Tour followed in September, connecting Korn, Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube, Incubus, Orgy and Rammstein inside one travelling bill.
Freak on a Leash won the Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video in 2000. The videos, artwork and live shows had become a huge part of how people encountered Korn.
Why the groove mattered
The album's success opened doors for nu metal. Musically, the groove was the point: the bass and drums could lead, silence could build tension, and hip-hop rhythms could shape the whole song.
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