Biography
Known for their outspoken activism and confrontational style, Rage Against the Machine have long enlightened legions of heavy music listeners through an explosive fusion of rap, hardcore punk, funk, and metal laced with pointed political critique. Their mainstream breakthrough arrived in 1992 via the protest anthem “Killing in the Name,” which targeted police brutality and systemic racism, while the accompanying triple-platinum debut album Rage Against the Machine announced the quartet with a provocative cover image of a self-immolated Buddhist monk. Throughout the rest of the decade the group sustained its anti-authoritarian stance, earning further platinum certifications and Grammy recognition for the chart-topping releases Evil Empire (1996) and The Battle of Los Angeles (1999). Entering the new millennium, the band balanced commercial triumphs with high-profile actions such as a video shoot that closed the New York Stock Exchange, yet internal tensions led to an official hiatus by late 2000.
After releasing the covers collection Renegades, vocalist Zack de la Rocha embarked on a solo career while guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk joined Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell to form Audioslave. Although a promised comeback album failed to appear during the 2010s, the band stayed visible through occasional performances and side ventures including Prophets of Rage. At the start of the following decade the original lineup staged an official return, scheduling a worldwide reunion tour for 2020 that was postponed by the COVID-19 outbreak. Amid global demonstrations against police violence that same year, the group’s debut album reentered the U.S. charts and all of its catalog climbed into the Top 30 on streaming platforms.
Opposing corporate power, cultural imperialism, and state repression, Rage Against the Machine coalesced in Los Angeles during the early 1990s from the remnants of several local outfits. Zack de la Rocha, son of Chicano political artist Robert de la Rocha, had previously fronted Headstance, Farside, and Inside Out; Tom Morello, nephew of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta, came from Lock Up; and Brad Wilk had played alongside future Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Completing the lineup was childhood friend Tim Commerford on bass. The band’s first recordings appeared on a self-released 12-song cassette in 1992 that included “Bullet in the Head,” later reissued as a successful single. Securing a contract with Epic Records drew criticism from those who questioned the revolutionary consistency of signing with a subsidiary of media giant Sony.
Undaunted, the quartet delivered its major-label debut, Rage Against the Machine, which yielded singles such as “Killing in the Name” and “Bombtrack.” Following a Lollapalooza tour and endorsements of organizations including FAIR, Rock for Choice, and Refuse & Resist, the band endured a reportedly difficult four-year stretch before issuing Evil Empire in 1996. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. charts and spawned the hit “Bulls on Parade,” while “Tire Me” earned a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. A 1997 co-headlining trek with Wu-Tang Clan (later replaced by the Roots) and continued support for progressive causes, notably a 1999 benefit for death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, kept the group in the spotlight. The Battle of Los Angeles arrived the same year, also entering at number one and eventually achieving double-platinum status; single “Guerrilla Radio” secured a second Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. A live document, The Battle of Mexico City, filmed in 2001, received a vinyl edition on its twentieth anniversary in 2021.
In early 2000 de la Rocha revealed solo plans, and the band delivered a fiery performance outside the Democratic National Convention before staging another protest outside the Republican gathering months later. Bassist Commerford was arrested for disorderly conduct at the MTV Video Music Awards after interrupting a Limp Bizkit acceptance speech. Although a live album was briefly discussed, de la Rocha abruptly exited in October, citing communication breakdowns and collective decision-making failures. The remaining members expressed intent to continue with a new singer, while de la Rocha prepared a solo record featuring contributions from DJ Shadow and El-P of Company Flow. Rick Rubin-produced Renegades, the final studio release featuring de la Rocha, appeared in December 2000 and comprised covers of EPMD, Bruce Springsteen, Devo, the Rolling Stones, the MC5, and others. By 2001 Morello, Wilk, and Commerford had formed Audioslave with Chris Cornell, releasing a self-titled album the following year. Epic eventually issued the long-delayed concert recording Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium on CD and DVD for Christmas 2003.
Reunion speculation persisted without resolution for several years. After two more Audioslave albums in 2005 and 2006 the supergroup disbanded, and Morello began issuing protest folk-punk material under the Nightwatchman moniker. The original Rage lineup finally reconvened in 2007, closing that year’s Coachella festival and performing additional festival dates across Europe and the United States in 2008. No new studio material emerged, though de la Rocha collaborated with drummer Jon Theodore of the Mars Volta in the project One Day as a Lion, which released an EP that year.
Activity resumed in 2009 when an online campaign propelled “Killing in the Name” to the top of the U.K. charts, denying an X Factor contestant the holiday number-one position. The effort culminated in a free celebratory show at London’s Finsbury Park in summer 2010. Further performances, including the band-organized L.A. Rising festival in 2011, kept rumors of fresh recordings alive, yet none materialized. A deluxe reissue of the debut album arrived in 2013, and the 2010 Finsbury Park concert was released on CD and DVD two years later. In 2016 Morello, Wilk, and Commerford joined Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Cypress Hill’s B Real to create Prophets of Rage, which issued a self-titled album in 2017.
As 2019 ended, reports of another comeback intensified. Confirmed Coachella appearances were slated to launch a global tour pairing the band with frequent de la Rocha collaborators Run the Jewels. The COVID-19 pandemic halted those plans by March 2020. That June, following the death of George Floyd and ensuing worldwide protests against police brutality, Rage’s catalog reappeared on Billboard and streaming charts.
After releasing the covers collection Renegades, vocalist Zack de la Rocha embarked on a solo career while guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk joined Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell to form Audioslave. Although a promised comeback album failed to appear during the 2010s, the band stayed visible through occasional performances and side ventures including Prophets of Rage. At the start of the following decade the original lineup staged an official return, scheduling a worldwide reunion tour for 2020 that was postponed by the COVID-19 outbreak. Amid global demonstrations against police violence that same year, the group’s debut album reentered the U.S. charts and all of its catalog climbed into the Top 30 on streaming platforms.
Opposing corporate power, cultural imperialism, and state repression, Rage Against the Machine coalesced in Los Angeles during the early 1990s from the remnants of several local outfits. Zack de la Rocha, son of Chicano political artist Robert de la Rocha, had previously fronted Headstance, Farside, and Inside Out; Tom Morello, nephew of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta, came from Lock Up; and Brad Wilk had played alongside future Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Completing the lineup was childhood friend Tim Commerford on bass. The band’s first recordings appeared on a self-released 12-song cassette in 1992 that included “Bullet in the Head,” later reissued as a successful single. Securing a contract with Epic Records drew criticism from those who questioned the revolutionary consistency of signing with a subsidiary of media giant Sony.
Undaunted, the quartet delivered its major-label debut, Rage Against the Machine, which yielded singles such as “Killing in the Name” and “Bombtrack.” Following a Lollapalooza tour and endorsements of organizations including FAIR, Rock for Choice, and Refuse & Resist, the band endured a reportedly difficult four-year stretch before issuing Evil Empire in 1996. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. charts and spawned the hit “Bulls on Parade,” while “Tire Me” earned a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. A 1997 co-headlining trek with Wu-Tang Clan (later replaced by the Roots) and continued support for progressive causes, notably a 1999 benefit for death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, kept the group in the spotlight. The Battle of Los Angeles arrived the same year, also entering at number one and eventually achieving double-platinum status; single “Guerrilla Radio” secured a second Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. A live document, The Battle of Mexico City, filmed in 2001, received a vinyl edition on its twentieth anniversary in 2021.
In early 2000 de la Rocha revealed solo plans, and the band delivered a fiery performance outside the Democratic National Convention before staging another protest outside the Republican gathering months later. Bassist Commerford was arrested for disorderly conduct at the MTV Video Music Awards after interrupting a Limp Bizkit acceptance speech. Although a live album was briefly discussed, de la Rocha abruptly exited in October, citing communication breakdowns and collective decision-making failures. The remaining members expressed intent to continue with a new singer, while de la Rocha prepared a solo record featuring contributions from DJ Shadow and El-P of Company Flow. Rick Rubin-produced Renegades, the final studio release featuring de la Rocha, appeared in December 2000 and comprised covers of EPMD, Bruce Springsteen, Devo, the Rolling Stones, the MC5, and others. By 2001 Morello, Wilk, and Commerford had formed Audioslave with Chris Cornell, releasing a self-titled album the following year. Epic eventually issued the long-delayed concert recording Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium on CD and DVD for Christmas 2003.
Reunion speculation persisted without resolution for several years. After two more Audioslave albums in 2005 and 2006 the supergroup disbanded, and Morello began issuing protest folk-punk material under the Nightwatchman moniker. The original Rage lineup finally reconvened in 2007, closing that year’s Coachella festival and performing additional festival dates across Europe and the United States in 2008. No new studio material emerged, though de la Rocha collaborated with drummer Jon Theodore of the Mars Volta in the project One Day as a Lion, which released an EP that year.
Activity resumed in 2009 when an online campaign propelled “Killing in the Name” to the top of the U.K. charts, denying an X Factor contestant the holiday number-one position. The effort culminated in a free celebratory show at London’s Finsbury Park in summer 2010. Further performances, including the band-organized L.A. Rising festival in 2011, kept rumors of fresh recordings alive, yet none materialized. A deluxe reissue of the debut album arrived in 2013, and the 2010 Finsbury Park concert was released on CD and DVD two years later. In 2016 Morello, Wilk, and Commerford joined Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Cypress Hill’s B Real to create Prophets of Rage, which issued a self-titled album in 2017.
As 2019 ended, reports of another comeback intensified. Confirmed Coachella appearances were slated to launch a global tour pairing the band with frequent de la Rocha collaborators Run the Jewels. The COVID-19 pandemic halted those plans by March 2020. That June, following the death of George Floyd and ensuing worldwide protests against police brutality, Rage’s catalog reappeared on Billboard and streaming charts.
Albums
Live On Tour 1993
2025
Rage Against The Machine - XX (20th Anniversary Special Edition)
2012
Renegades
2000
The Battle Of Los Angeles
1999
Evil Empire
1996
The Crow Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
1994
Rage Against The Machine
1992
Live
