Chuck D. Says Zack de la Rocha Gave Prophets of Rage His Blessings

What does Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha think about Prophets of Rage, the new group featuring 3/4ths of RATM with Public Enemy’s Chuck D. and Cypress Hill’s B-Real? The mercurial de la Rocha has been completely silent since the band announced their existence, and he remains so.

But, in an interview with Albuquerque radio station 104.1 The Edge, Chuck D. revealed that the group’s been in touch with him, and, at least according to Chuck, he approves of what they’re doing:

Well, this is not Rage Against the Machine, it’s Prophets of Rage, and we’ll always keep the seat warm for Zach de la Rocha, who is a fantastic, rebellious hero of ours. We can’t make Rage Against the Machine come back together, but if Zach shows up you’ve got Rage Against the Machine. And the shows live on, and he’s given us the blessings to do it, which is the greatest thing. And I’m like Zach’s hero, so some of the reflections that he had throughout his career, he based it on me. I would never, ever be that person who said “Oh, I’m gonna be in Rage Against the Machine.” No. This is Prophets of Rage; Public Enemy and Cypress Hill and Rage Against the Machine, or an homage, along with some new songs we’re looking at. And this year we’re gonna try to make people realize that they can be beyond themselves to the audacity of this Trump vs. Hillary crap that’s going on.

We’ve got to wonder if the line “if Zach shows up you’ve got Rage Against the Machine” means anything as far as guest appearances on the upcoming Prophets of Rage tour. That’d be pretty sweet. Chuck D. could also just be conjecturing; it’s certainly the case that if Zack showed up they WOULD have Rage Against the Machine.

It’s also lovely to see Chuck D. take a swipe at both Trump and Hillary in one sentence. He clearly hasn’t lost the fire!