Rage Against the Machine

About

Rage Against the Machine is an American rap-rock, funk metal band hailing from Los Angeles, California. Consisting of frontman and vocalist Zach de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk, the band is well-known for their left-wing revolutionary political lyrics, Tom Morello's psychedelic and innovative guitar play, and influence on rap-rock and nu-metal over their nine-year run in the '90s.

History

Formation and Discography

Morello, De la Rocha, Commerford, and Wilk formed Raged Against the Machine in 1991 and signed to Epic Records. They released their debut, self-titled album in 1992, which went triple platinum in the United States off of the success of the lead single "Killing in the Name." In 1996, they would release their second studio album, Evil Empire, hitting number one on the Billboard 200 and also achieving triple-platinum status. In 1999, they would release their third studio album, The Battle of Los Angeles, which would also hit number one on the Billboard 200 and achieve double-platinum status. They would release one more studio album, Renegades, an album consisting of cover songs, that would go on to achieve platinum status.

Breakup and Reformation

Rumors of the band's breakup floated around since before the release of their second studio album. However, following a string of publicity stunts altercations by members of the group, rifts in the relationships between the members began to form. These stunts include an altercation on the set of their music video for "Sleep Now in the Fire" and bassist Tom Commerford climbing the 2000 MTV Music Award set scaffolding as a protest after the award for "Best Rock Video" went to the band Limp Bizkit. These moments, including infighting among the members of the group, caused frontman and lead vocalist Zach de la Rocha to make a public statement that he was leaving the band.

After years of multiple side projects among the members of the band, rumors circulating of Rage Against the Machine's reformation were confirmed on January 22nd, 2007, where they headlined the final day of Coachella 2007. They would go on to tour worldwide from 2007 to 2011, before going back on hiatus.

Public Service Announcement Tour

On November 1st, 2019, reports confirmed that Rage Against the Machine was reuniting for a tour. On February 10th, 2020, they announced the dates for their worldwide tour, originally scheduled from October 2020 to August 2021, with hip-hop duo Run The Jewels joining. They were expected to appear at the 2020 Coachella Music Festival as well, but both the announced tour and festival appearances were pushed back due to the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.

Online Presence

On August 14th, 2012, Rage Against the Machine launched an official Facebook ^[1] page. Within 10 years, the account as amassed more than 4 million likes and followers.

In March 2010, the Twitter ^[2] account @RATM launched, garnering more than 180,000 followers in a little over a decade. However, the account is not verified and is run by fans. According to the account, the account has the blessing of the band.

On February 28th, 2012, Redditor ^[5] lasercow launched the /r/RageAgainstTheMachine subreddit. In a little over eight years, the group amassed more than 2,400 readers.

"Until Your Political Opinions Came Out" Tweet

On June 9th, 2020, Twitter^[3] user @scott_castaneda tweeted at Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, " I use to be a fan until your political opinions come out. Music is my sanctuary and the last thing I want to hear is political bs when i’m listening to music. As far as i’m concerned you and Pink are completely done. Keep running your mouth and ruining your fan base." The tweet was the subject of a Ratio, receiving more than 9,500 comments, 1,000 and 445 retweets before being deleted (shown below, left).

Morello responded,^[4] "Scott!! What music of mine were you a fan of that DIDN’T contain “political BS”? I need to know so I can delete it from the catalog." The tweet received more than 114,000 likes and 19,000 retweets in less than two days (shown below, right).

Related Memes

Fuck You, I Won't Do What You Tell Me

Fuck you I Won't Do What You Tell Me is an iconic lyric from their song "Killing in the Name." The line expresses disgruntlement with authority in the same way as Fuck the Police.

Killing In the Name No. 1 Single Christmas Campaign

In 2009, a campaign was launched in the UK to get the song "Killing in the Name" to number one on the UK singles chart over X-Factor talent Joe McElderry in protest of the X-Factor show monopolizing the number one spot during the Christmas season for the past previous years.

This Song Makes Me Want To X

This Song Makes Me Want to X is a snowclone utilized in the comments section of multiple Rage Against the Machine songs on YouTube, often expressing opposition to mundane actions or edgy implications.

External Links