- Zac De La Rocha - Vocal
Zac was born in Long Beach, California, in 1970. His first major band was called "Inside Out". Zac was aware of the social injustices around him, and he wanted to express his feelings. That is one of the main reason why all his lyrics is about hating the government system.
- Tom Morello - Guitar
Tom started playing guitar at the age of 13 or 14 because the influence of Jimmy Page. He then stop playing for four years. And starts playing again when he heard the Sex Pitol's album. Tom was a guitarist for a well-known group called "Lock Up". He quit the band and then with Brad Wilk, they started auditioning a lot of people, looking for the right people to start a new band.
- Brad Wilk - Drummer
Brad was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1968. He lived in Chicago for a short while, and then moved to Southern California. He listened to Led Zeppelin and The Who, when he heard the Sex Pistols, his musical taste was changed immedeately. Brad is in the band more for the music, but Zack and Tom has changed his political knowledge.
- Tim C - Bass
Tim was introduced to the bass by Zack, and soon became a master at the funky style in which he plays. Tim has a strong hatred for police, because of the misuse of power and brutality they often display. Tim also change his name on each Rage album. So far, it has been Timmy C. (on the first album) Tim Bob (on Evil Empire) and y.Tim.k (on The Battle Of Los Angeles).
It is almost impossible to classify the sound of Rage, it is a mixture of everything from rock, to rap, to punk, to funk, and more. The band mixes their unique sound with vocalist Zack De La Rocha's powerful lyrics, which express his anger towards the slaughtering of the Chiapas (a Mexican culture who have been oppressed for some time), police brutality, the death sentence of Mumia Abu-Jamal and other social injustices in the world. The members of RATM are more than musicians, they take action and support what they believe in. Zack De La Rocha has led many protests, raising awareness of police brutality and how to fight it, speaking on behalf of the oppressed Chiapas and Zapatistas, and supporting the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Tom Morello has led protests against sweatshops being run by the Guess Jeans company, and has argued continuously in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Zack and Tom decided that the name of the band would be "RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE". It seemed like a name which fit the ideas they were trying to get across. As Tom Morello puts it. "The machine can be anything from the police in the streets in Los Angeles who can tear motorists from their car and beat them to a pulp and get away with it, to the overall international state capitalist machinery that tries to make you just a mindless cog, and not to think critically and never confront the system, and just sort of "behave" and look forward to the next weekend and the next six pack of beer"
FREE MUMIA!!
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