Deftones almost changed their name before signing first record deal

nme.com:

Deftones nearly changed their band name before signing their first record deal.The news was shared via a new update from former Roadrunner Records executive Monte Conner, in which he reflected on his time working with the band before they were signed.In a now-deleted post on Facebook, Conner recalled how he nearly signed the band when they were first emerging on the rock scene, and nearly convinced them to abandon the name Deftones.“In the summer of 1993, I was sent a Deftones demo by their manager Dave Park… I was instantly blown away; their music was like nothing I had ever heard before,” he began (via The PRP). “While these days the band are commonly grouped with Korn as the founders of Nu Metal, I never viewed their sound as similar to Korn, or any of the other bands that very quickly put Nu Metal on the map as a genre.

The Deftones had their own unique sound right from the start.”According to the outlet, Conner was ready to sign the band to Roadrunner after hearing the demo – but only on the condition that they continue under a different band name.

His reasoning was that the ‘Def’ part of the name was heavily associated with Rick Rubin at the time, who had recently rebranded his label Def American Recordings to American Recordings.Similarly, he had concerns that the latter part of the word ‘-tones’ would make them feel like they were a part of the popular ska movement at the time.“In 1993, after seeing ‘def’ added to the dictionary, Rick Rubin, the arbiter of all things hip, decided the word had lost its cool factor, and made the bold move of changing the name of his highly successful record label,” he explained.