Prophets Of Rage

Amid national political turmoil in the United States, Prophets of Rage assembled musicians from Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill to channel widespread frustration. Guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine joined forces with Public Enemy’s Chuck D and turntablist DJ Lord plus Cypress Hill rapper B Real to launch the project in early 2016. The ensemble fused the three acts’ anti-establishment legacies into a socially conscious Voltron that harnessed Rage’s driving force and immediacy, Public Enemy’s bold defiance, and Cypress Hill’s dark intensity. Borrowing its title from the Public Enemy track that appeared on the 1988 sophomore classic It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, the group debuted in Los Angeles on May 31, 2016, with a set that emphasized Rage Against the Machine material, added several Public Enemy numbers, featured a Cypress Hill medley, and closed with a mash-up of the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” and PE’s “Fight the Power.” Chuck D and B Real alternated between lead vocals and hype duties while the formidable rhythm section from Rage and Morello’s inventive guitar textures supplied the sonic drive. Shortly afterward the band announced a North American summer outing called “Make America Rage Again,” directing tour proceeds to local homeless charities. The trek began in Cleveland as a deliberate demonstration against the 2016 Republican National Convention. Hours before the convention formally opened, the band released its debut single, also titled “Prophets of Rage.” Produced by Brendan O’Brien, the track reworked an original Chuck D verse from Public Enemy, layered additional vocals from B Real, and retained Rage Against the Machine’s signature dynamic structure. During the convention the group played the song at two impromptu protest gatherings and concluded its three-day stand with a performance at the Agora Theatre. The itinerary then continued across thirty-five cities throughout the United States and Canada. Later that summer the ensemble issued its first EP, The Party’s Over. Reconvening with O’Brien in the studio, the musicians tracked their self-titled debut album, whose lead single “Unfuck the World” surfaced in 2017.