![]() ![]() That video was a pinpoint for my descent into all things leftist, and I was immediately hooked. was born in, never understood the detrimental effects of colonialism, and for sure had never heard of the Zapatistas. I had never heard of the military-industrial complex, never knew of the bloodlust the U.S. has tried to cover up so much, as if it was some intrinsic archaic truth (which, if you ask me, it is). A truth and history that the mainstream U.S. It was my first taste of knowledge I was unaware of. I’m grateful to have experienced it all that time ago. Why would the Geto Boys be an influence for RATM, you ask? Oh, because they’re a fucking rap band. When asked what inspired it, Tom claims it’s ‘ sort of a Geto Boys sound, menacing‘. The influence behind it is equally awesome. I had never heard anything like it, and it is such a unique approach to a structure that no one’s ever been able to replicate it since. Morello’s guitar work is wizardry on this track as well. ![]() It was too effective, and, without being hyperbolic, set me down a path towards a political ideology I still adhere to this day. The imagery of RATM absolutely hyping a crowd to hysteria coupled with the violent anti-authoritarian, red and black imagery struck a nerve so deep inside me that I knew I was watching something so special unfold on the screen. The first song that I ever heard off this album was “Bulls on Parade”. Their commitment to hip-hop is at the forefront, with glints of rock influence boiling over on occasion. Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and countless other nameless bands dedicate a lot of their energy to typical rock composition, with occasional rap verses here or there (the more ambitious might produce a full-on rap track). Not even anything that followed in the coming years of the nu-metal era, with its earnest (although corny at times) rap influences, sounds like this. “Vietnow” has a fucking hype man in it, and “Down Rodeo” cultivates imagery more inline with Dead Prez than Red Hot Chili Peppers. The buzzsaw guitar work on “People of the Sun” mimics a hip-hop sample almost too perfectly, while the coupled bass and drum give Zack the rugged environment to deliver such lyrical haymakers like: ‘ Since fifteen hundred and sixteen, Mayans attacked and overseen ’. The backing three piece of Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk dedicate a lot of their songwriting structure establishing a beat for Zack to lyrically fucking annihilate, rather than a melody to sing along to. He’s literally one of the greatest MC’s of the 90s.Įvil Empire is a shining example of my position. Zack De La Rocha has always been a rapper that does sing sometimes, but most of the times he’s dropping earnest truth bombs to smack the ingorance out of you in an attempt to wake you the fuck up. The minority are the folks that get it, almost always acknowledge it as a given. It’s cute, partially accurate, but not a serviceable hypothesis. They’re the glue of anger that connects all the missing links between rap, metal, and rock. Positioning themselves in the center of debate, pleading with me to acknowledge how indefinable RATM are. The peacekeepers take a different approach. All the suburban kids that grew up listening to RATM and understand their influence in simplistic terms decry how wrong I could be, since we should all know they’re *ahem* rap metal. Everytime I say this I get a mix of reactions. Rage Against The Machine are a fucking rap band, and Evil Empire is a fucking hip-hop album.
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