Zack de la Rocha & Rage Against the Machine Mates Voted Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Zack de la Rocha is all the Rock and Roll rage…

The 53-year-old Mexican American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and political activist and his fellow Rage Against the Machine band mates have made it onto the list of inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Zack de la Rocha x Rage Against the MachineIt took five tries, but the rebel rock fuse-lighters finally made it onto the inductee list.

The L.A. group whose incendiary sound mashed up the force of crunching hard rock with the social conscience and rhythms of hip-hop, the no f’s given attitude of punk and a topical lyrical attack indebted to 1950-60s folk songwriters reacted to the news that they’d gotten the nod in typically strident fashion.

In an Instagram message from the group on Wednesday morning (May 3), they wrote, “It is a surprising trajectory for us to be welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

The note from singer de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, drummer Brad Wilk and bassist Tim Commerford then dipped into their biography as a band formed in 1991 by four people to “stand where sound and solidarity intersect.”

They described themselves as “a band who is as well known for our albums as we are for our fierce opposition to the U.S. war machine, white supremacy and exploitation. A band whose songs drive alternative radio to new heights while right wing media companies tried to purge every song we ever wrote from the airwaves.”

The multi-slide post went on to tick off some of Rage’s career high points: shutting down the New York Stock Exchange for the fist time in its 200-year history when they stormed it to shoot the 1999 video for “Sleep Now in the Fire”; as a group targeted by “police organizations who attempted to ban us from sold-out arenas for raising our voices to free Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard Pelteir and other political prisoners; one that sued the U.S. government for their “fascist practice of using our music to torture innocent men at Guantanamo Bay”; funding and organizing delegations to stand with Mexican rebel Zapatista communities to expose the Mexican government’s war on indigenous people and the band that “wrote rebel songs in an abandoned, industrial warehouse in the Valley that would later dethrone Simon Cowell’s X Factor pop monopoly to occupy the No. 1 spot on the UK charts and have the most downloaded song in UK history (“Killing in the Name”).”

“A band whose experimentation in fusing punk, rock and hip-hop became a genre of its own,” they added. “Many thanks to the Hall of Fame for recognizing the music and the mission of Rage Against the Machine. We are grateful to all of the passionate fans, the many talented co-conspirators we’ve worked with and all the activists, organizers, rebels and revolutionaries past, present and future who have inspired our art.”

RATM released just four albums during their initial 1991-2000 run before reforming for live dates from 2007-2011 and against in 2019 for a series of shows that were first interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by singer de la Rocha’s leg injury.

This year’s other inductees include: Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, The Spinners, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin and Soul Train host Don Cornelius.

Zack de la Rocha & His Rage Against the Machine Band Mates Earn Third Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nomination

Zack de la Rocha is getting another chance to head to the Hall

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2021 nominees, with the 51-year-old Mexican American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and activist and his Rage Against the Machine band mates earning a spot on the ballot.

Zack de la Rocha x Rage Against the Machine

In the the most gender-inclusive ballot in the Rock Hall’s history, de la Rocha and his band mates are joined by Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Devo, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, Jay-Z, Chaka Khan, Carole King, Fela Kuti, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Todd Rundgren, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick on the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot.

Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist  de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk.

The bands songs express revolutionary political views.

The band was nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of eligibility in 2017, as well as in 2018, although both bids failed. Could their third nomination be the charm?

Fan votes, which you can cast at RockHall.com, contribute to the induction process, but don’t guarantee entry.

In 2020, the Rock Hall inducted Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, the Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, T. Rex and the Doobie Brothers into its ranks during a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Calle 13 Releases Eye-Opening Video for New Single “Multi_Viral”

Calle 13’s latest politically charged music video has gone “Multi_Viral)”…

The Puerto Rican reggaeton duo has released the official music video for its activist song “Multi_Viral,” which features guitarist Tom Morello, vocals by Palestinian artist Kamilya Jubran, and a spoken word contribution from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Calle 13

Running a little over four urgent and eye-opening minutes, the clip was shot on the West Bank in the city of Bethlehem and in Beit Sahour, a Palestinian village.

It follows an embattled schoolboy who discharges in a rooftop “music is the weapon” fantasy with Morello.

“Your weapons reveal your fear for all to see,” Assange intones. “From Cairo to Quito a new world is forming the power of people armed with the truth.”

Interviewed during the video shooting in Bethlehem, Calle 13’s provocative frontman Rene Perez, also known as Residente, told The Associated Press that he sees similarities between the political situation in Palestine and his native Puerto Rico: “We are a colony of the United States. Here you have the situation with Israel.

“Here most people want to be free, they fight for their country,” he said. “It would be good to start building bridges between Palestine and Puerto Rico.”

“Multi_Viral” is the first song from Calle 13’s new album, which will be released March 1, the same day Perez and his stepbrother Eduardo Cabra kick off the Latin American leg of the duo’s planned international tour in Buenos Aires. Concert ticket buyers will have free access to a digital download of the album.

“Multi_Viral” is Calle 13’s first independent release after splitting from Sony Music Latin. Calle 13’s previous albums have sold a total of 464,000 copies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The duo has won 19 Latin Grammy awards, the record for a group.

Kacho Lopez Mari, who like the members of Calle 13 hails from Puerto Rico, directed the video.

Juanes to Perform at Bruce Springstreen Tribute Concert

Juanes will be channeling The Boss next month…

The 40-year-old Colombian singer will perform at a special concert in Los Angeles in honor of Bruce Springsteen on February 8, according to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Juanes
Springsteen, the winner of 20 Grammy Awards, the first in 1985 for “Dancing in the Dark,” will be recognized for his impressive career and philanthropic activities.

The New Jersey native will be the person of the year at the MusiCares charitable concert, the funds collected from which each year are funneled to beneficial causes.

Juanes, who has sold 15 million albums worldwide, shared the stage last year with The Boss at a tribute in Texas to Woody Guthrie, an influential folk singer who particularly identified with social causes.

Also performing at the Springsteen tribute will be Sting, Elton John, Eddie Vedder, Neil Young, Tom Morello and Tim McGraw, Mumford & Sons and Alabama Shakes, among other artists.

Juanes, who has won several Latino Grammys and is also known for his humanitarian work through his Mi Sangre Foundation, will continue his Loud & Unplugged tour in 2013.

Calle 13 Joins Voices with Outernational on “Todos Somos Ilegales”

Calle 13 is known for its known for its satirical lyrics and social commentary about Latin American issues and culture… And now the Latin Grammy record-holding group is back with another politically charged song…

The Puerto Rican hip-hop duo, comprised of step brothers Eduardo Cabra and Rene Perez, has joined forces with Nuyorican band, Outernational, for their new track also featuring Tom Morello and Chad Smith.

Calle 13

Entitled “Todos Somos Ilegales” (“We Are All Illegals“), the track brings to light the social injustices affecting the immigrant community and challenges the use of the term “illegal” to define human beings in the U.S.

The new song is part of Outernational’s 18-track new album, Todos Somos Illegales.