Rage

When rap-metal pioneers Rage Against the Machine exploded onto the scene—with manic guitars and incendiary rhymes blazing—they threatened to be one of the most destructive bands to penetrate America’s pop consciousness.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1991, the band created a scorching brew of punk, funk, hip-hop, and metal that tapped into Gen X’s angst and directed grunge’s moody introspection outward—putting fear into authority and fire into the hearts of kids desperate to seek the source of their malaise.

After guitarist Tom Morello’s metal band Lock Up and vocalist Zack de la Rocha’s hardcore group Inside Out called it quits, they joined drummer Brad Wilk and bassist Tim Commerford and began concocting thrashing, politically fueled tracks, which soon caught the attention of Epic Records.