Prophets of Rage, the politically minded band made up from members of Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill, have performed a few particularly notable shows since they banned together. They took three of those performances, which were all done for free, and turned them into a video for the song “Prophets of Rage.” Of particular note is the fact that it includes footage of when the band performed outside a California prison after their concert inside was cancelled.
The “Prophets of Rage” video includes footage from their performance in Cleveland during the Republic National Convention, a performance of protest naturally, and also from their performance for the denizens of skid row in Los Angeles. However, it is the concert outside Norco Prison that is probably the most notable. The band was denied the opportunity to play inside the prison because, as Tom Morello said at the time, “apparently they got some calls from right-wing nuts in Sacramento who said they were going to foment rebellion.” So they decided to set up outside the prison and play there.
The video features a lot of footage of the band performing for enthusiastic crowds, along with some behind the scenes footage. Given the nature of Prophets of Rage, perhaps it is also unsurprising there is a heavy political message to the video, and a lot of shots of police officers gathering ominously. This is a band whose message is as important to them as their music.
