Rage Against The Machine

They were militant musical geniuses that fused hip hop and heavy metal, which would for a time be a considerable part of the mainstream during the late 1990s and early 2000s, but by far Rage Against The Machine had the most talent, heart, power, and aggression. Rage Against The Machine was formed in 1991 by vocalist Zack De La Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk. Today, the latter three, along with former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell, form Audioslave.

Rage Against The Machine mixed heavy metal, hip hop, punk, and funk (without the use of any additional instruments) to create their sound of heavy metal and a hip hop vibe and combined with their take-no-prisoners political commentary which brought a plethora of fans – and controversy – to the band. Despite only releasing four albums – Rage Against The Machine (1992), Evil Empire (1996), The Battle of Los Angeles (1999), and Renegades (2000, which was an album completely of cover songs), their imprint on the musical landscape was unmistakable: it was acceptable to fuse hip hop and metal; and would be so for the late 1990s and the early 2000s.

The band was known for its leftist views, however even the radical left had some resentment against Rage due to the fact that the band was part of a major record label (Epic). However, the band was active in social justice and numerous other human rights causes, a tradition that still continues as three fourths of the band is currently now involved in Audioslave.

Despite the fact that Rage Against The Machine colloquially ceased to exist after the departure of Zack De La Rocha in 2000, the band’s work is still popular amongst music fans.