When Prophets of Rage started teasing that there might be new music coming from Rage Against the Machine in 2016, many people were excited, not just because of the possibility of seeing RATM again, but also because one of the most political rock bands since the ’60s was potentially re-emerging during an election season that they partially predicted 17 years ago. And while Rage isn’t fully back, at least one of it’s members, guitarist Tom Morello, is speaking out – loudly – against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
Many years ago, folk artist Woody Guthrie wrote a song about a racist slumlord. That slumlord happened to be Fred Trump, Donald’s father. “Old Man Trump” has been remade by Ryan Harvey along with Ani DiFranco and Tom Morello to produce a new version of the song on Morello and Ryan’s label Firebrand Records. In a video introduction to the song, Morello urges people not to vote for Trump, claiming”when it comes to race relations, he’s like an old-school segregationist; when it comes to foreign policy, he’s like an old-school napalmist; when it comes to women’s issues, he’s like a frat house rapist. So, let’s not elect that guy.” While Trump has never been convicted of rape, a lawsuit has been filed by a woman claiming Trump raped her in 1994 when she was 13 at a party thrown by investor Jeffrey Epstein. Proceeds from sales of the track will go to CK Team Relief, a coalition of independent volunteers directly working with refugees, and the Baltimore Right to Housing Alliance, a human rights organization led by low-income residents working to elevate housing to the level of a human right.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/x5NXfJUwxdA[/youtube]
You can download the song now via iTunes.
[photo via YouTube]
