Rage Against the Machine signed to a major label and stayed furious anyway
A band with revolutionary, anti-capitalist lyrics signed to Epic Records, topped the Billboard 200 twice and sold more than 16 million records. Rage Against the Machine fused metal, rap, punk and funk, clashed with police, television producers and each other, and broke up three separate times.
Guitarist Tom Morello assembled the group in Los Angeles in 1991 with singer Zack de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk, who had earlier failed auditions for both Morello's old band and the group that became Pearl Jam. The name came from a song de la Rocha wrote for his hardcore band Inside Out. Morello said Epic agreed to all their demands, and as long as they kept creative control they saw no ideological conflict.
The 1992 debut carried a famous photograph of a Vietnamese monk's protest on its cover and was carried by radio play of Killing in the Name, a song of just eight lines. After a star turn at Lollapalooza in 1993, US sales jumped from 75,000 to 400,000 by year's end. Evil Empire entered the chart at number one in 1996, selling 249,000 copies in a week, and The Battle of Los Angeles did the same in 1999 with 450,000. Their sound helped shape nu metal.
Provocation was routine. On Saturday Night Live their set was cut from two songs to one when they hung upside-down American flags to protest the guest host, presidential candidate Steve Forbes. Profits from opening for U2 went to causes including the Zapatistas. In 2000 a video shoot directed by Michael Moore on Wall Street ended with the Stock Exchange closing its doors, though Spin reported trading was unaffected and the only penalty was a ticket for filming without a permit.
Internal strife ended the first run. De la Rocha quit in October 2000, saying the band's decision-making had completely failed; Morello recalled fights even over T-shirt colours. A reunion at Coachella in 2007 led to four years of shows, and a delayed world tour in 2022 was cut short by de la Rocha's leg injury. They entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, and Wilk confirmed a third breakup in 2024.
Source: Rage Against the Machine
