What are Rage Against the Machine up to, and is Public Enemy involved too?

Well, after the Misfits and Guns N’ Roses, it’s pretty much fair game for any defunct band to decide that they can and should reunite. It’s been five years since Rage Against the Machine have played live together, and 17 years since their last album of original music (their covers album, Renegades, was released a year later in 2000). However, a mysterious street campaign for a website, Prophetsofrage.com, has started popping up in Los Angeles with the hashtag #takethepowerback. It’s also appeared on the band’s Twitter account. The website leads to a countdown clock that ends on June 1. Or at least that’s what we’re told. It appears to be down right now due to server demand. So even if Rage Against the Machine can’t dismantle the system in 2016, they can at least break the internet.

Meanwhile, Public Enemy not only have a song called “Prophets of Rage,” but Chuck D. tweeted several performances of the band’s 2010 London show without any explanation yesterday. If we were to read into this, which of course we will, it all adds up to the two bands either touring together (likely) or collaborating on new music (unlikely, but would be dope as fuck). The leadup to the 2016 presidential election is the perfect time for a band as political as RATM to reunite. It’s amazing how little protest music has come out in the election season, and considering Rage Against the Machine predicted a Donald Trump presidency back in 1999, there are many that would like to hear the band’s take on that now that it’s a distinct possibility.