Rage Against the Machine

USA, 1991–now

Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello's Los Angeles band. Fused rap, funk and heavy rock with politically radical lyrics.

MusicRoots documents 3 artists who influenced Rage Against the Machine and 11 artists Rage Against the Machine influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Rage Against the Machine?

• Public Enemy — Tom Morello has described RATM's formula as 'Black Sabbath meets Public Enemy' — Chuck D's political fire was the explicit vocal model.
• Black Sabbath — Sabbath's riff weight is the other half of Morello's stated formula for the band's sound.
• The Clash — De la Rocha and Morello have named the Clash the model of a band where politics and music are one weapon.

Which artists did Rage Against the Machine influence?

• Linkin Park — Rage Against the Machine's rap-metal fusion is a direct model for Linkin Park's blend of rap and riffs.
• Muse — Tom Morello's riff-based playing and pitch-shifting guitar effects directly shaped Bellamy's heavier songs on Origin of Symmetry.
• The Prodigy — Howlett named Rage Against the Machine an influence — the rap-rock aggression The Prodigy channelled into their guitar-sampled, mosh-pit electronic anthems.
• Avenged Sevenfold — The rap-metal rhythmic attack under the thrash — the half of Avenged Sevenfold that swings rather than gallops.
• Seo Taiji — Seo Taiji took the socially conscious fury of Zack de la Rocha as his model on the third album, where rap-metal became the vehicle for attacking the Korean school system.
• Enter Shikari — Rage Against the Machine's rap-metal fury and radical politics are a cited influence on Enter Shikari's aggressive, political rock.
• Papa Roach — Rage Against the Machine's rap-metal aggression is a direct influence on Papa Roach's early sound.
• Flyleaf — Rage Against the Machine's rap-metal fury is among the acts Flyleaf name behind their aggressive edge.
• Incubus — Rage Against the Machine's rap-metal power feeds the heavier, riff-driven side of early Incubus.
• Limp Bizkit — Rage Against the Machine's rap-metal riff-and-rhyme attack is a core influence on Limp Bizkit.
• Run the Jewels — Rage Against the Machine's rap-metal fury and radical politics are kin to Run the Jewels' incendiary sound (RTJ have toured and recorded with Zack de la Rocha).