Dem Vinyl Boyz

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 27 - Rage Against The Machine - January 24, 2023 8:24 PM

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:26 — 80.4MB)

Dem Vinyl Boyz are back this week we’re diving into one of the most prolific debut albums that tackles political issues with undeniable conviction, Rage Against The Machine. These guys created this album with a purpose, displaying a photo of the self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese monk, on the album cover. He was protesting President Ngô Đình Diệm’s administration for oppressing the Buddhist religion and the international attention this photo gained persuaded U.S. President John F. Kennedy to withdraw support for Diệm’s government. The songs on Rage Against the Machine all feature political messages with activists such as Provisional IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton are listed in the “Thanks For Inspiration” section. Through this album’s success, it remains an important call to activism and a necessary lesson on how to withstand the opposition.

Aside from the album’s prominent political themes, the music itself defies the way “normal” albums would be released and offers a genre-bending experience that makes it difficult to categorize as one specific thing. Throwing mixes of rock, funk, and rap throughout the album, it is recognized as one of the first albums to successfully merge the seemingly contrasting sounds of rap and heavy metal. The album peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart and number 45 on the US Billboard 200 and has gone on to achieve triple platinum sales certification in the US.

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