Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against the Machine fused heavy metal, rap, punk rock and funk into a confrontational sound matched by anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist and revolutionary lyrics. Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, the band consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk. Their music paired de la Rocha's forceful delivery with Morello's effects-driven guitar work, Commerford's bass lines and Wilk's hard, groove-focused drumming.

The group's self-titled 1992 debut arrived to acclaim and became a defining release of its era. In 2020, Rolling Stone placed Rage Against the Machine at No. 221 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Performances at Lollapalooza in 1993 helped bring the band wider commercial success. Their following albums, Evil Empire in 1996 and The Battle of Los Angeles in 1999, both reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Rage Against the Machine's records made political critique central rather than incidental, directing their lyrics toward systems of power, capitalism and authoritarianism. The band became a major presence in late-1990s rock and was cited as an influence on nu metal as the genre rose during the late 1990s and early 2000s. By 2010, Rage Against the Machine had sold more than 16 million records worldwide. VH1 ranked the group No. 33 on its 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock list.

In 2000, the band released Renegades, an album of covers, then disbanded amid creative differences. Rage Against the Machine reunited for a 2007 Coachella performance and spent the next four years playing venues and festivals internationally before entering hiatus in 2011. A world tour announced in 2019 was delayed until 2022 by the COVID-19 pandemic, then cut short after de la Rocha suffered a leg injury. In 2023, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Wilk confirmed in 2024 that Rage Against the Machine had disbanded for a third time.