#221 Rage Against the Machine, 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992)

Previously #365

An album as relevant in 2021 as it was almost 30 years ago in 1992, Rage Against The Machine’s debut record is one of the finest modern examples of politics in music. The band seamlessly fused rap with metal, in the least cheesy way possible (while that is the definition of Nu-Metal, it is far from it). The freestylings of political activist, Zac de la Rocha combined with the virtuosic guitar of Political Science Harvard graduate, Tom Morello, was the perfect pairing. Topped with a rhythm section consisting Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford, the band was an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

With songs like ‘Killing In The Name,’ ‘Take The Power Back,’ ‘Bullet In The Head,’ ‘Know Your Enemy,’ ‘Wake Up,’ ‘Township Rebellion’ and ‘Freedom,’ the band were making a statement with real conviction. “Some of those that work forces/Are the same that burn crosses,” “Ignorance has taken over/Yo, we gotta take the power back!/Bam! Here's the plan/Motherfuck Uncle Sam,” “Something must be done/About vengeance, a badge and a gun;” they were unashamedly addressing racism, police brutality, oppression. They were truly raging against the machine. The album would become wildly successful, selling 5x platinum in Australia, 3x platinum in the US and 2x platinum in the UK, as well as gold and platinum in multiple other territories. With this album, the band would stir up a movement of young activists in the early ‘90s and their music ontinues to be relevant today.

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