Rage Against The Machine's classic 1992 self-titled debut album has returned to the Billboard 200 and the iTunes' Top Albums chart, nearly 30 years since the LP was originally issued.
The renewed interest in the effort comes in the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality following the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
According to Forbes, Rage's debut landed at Number 174 on this week's Billboard 200, and as of Thursday afternoon (June 11th), it had reached Number Eight on iTunes' Top Albums chart. The band's other two LPs of original songs are also on the Apple Music chart's Top 30.
Last week Rage guitarist Tom Morello roasted a self-proclaimed former fan who disliked the band's political stance. Morello told us a while back that Rage's message has been in plain sight all along: “I would say that the message is not very well-hidden. In the lyrics of every song and on every T-shirt it’s pretty clear what we’re about. I think that it’s insulting to, you know, members of the audience to say that, ‘Oh they don’t get it,’ or, ‘They don’t pay attention.’ Because I know when I was in the Clash’s audience, I got it. When I was in Public Enemy’s audience, I got it. When I’m in Fugazi’s audience, I get it.”
Had it not been for the pandemic, Rage Against The Machine would have been touring North America on a massive reunion trek this year. Instead, the tour will take place in 2021, kicking off in June.
