Chuck D Talks ‘Mein Trump,’ ‘Keeping Seat Warm’ for Zack de la Rocha
It’s understandable to be skeptical of Prophets of Rage, the new supergroup comprised of Public Enemy‘s Chuck D, Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford, as they prepare for an upcoming tour beginning in August. On paper, the group’s three catalogs contain some of the most potent and indelible music of the past 30 years. Yet in the hands of lesser mortals, a show like this could turn into rap-rock karaoke.
“You were supposed to come in skeptical,” Chuck D, Public Enemy‘s iconic frontman, says of Prophets of Rage’s first shows, which included intimate gigs at Los Angeles’ Whisky a Go Go and Brooklyn’s Warsaw. “It should not be easy.” Any concerns about the group, however, are blown away a few songs in, as Chuck D and B-Real’s vocal dichotomy and obvious chemistry infuse Zack de la Rocha’s lyrics with new urgency. Far from a gimmick, the show is loud and angry as fuck, reminding you that Rage Against the Machine songs have lost none of their strident intensity.
Chuck D’s own writing style – forceful, direct calls to action mixed with progressive politics – influenced De La Rocha, who opted against touring with his bandmates, so it’s a natural fit for the Public Enemy MC to co-front this new group. As he preps for the tour, the rapper explains why he’s Prophets of Rage’s “sixth man” and reflects on the insanity that is this year’s presidential election.
In past interviews, you discussed the band’s rigorous rehearsals. Did you feel any added pressure because you were mainly performing another group’s material?
I think there’s a pressure automatically that makes our rehearsals mandatory on a higher level. It’s because a large part of the lyrics are by Zack de la Rocha and we sit back and say, “Hey, look, this is not Rage Against the Machine. This is Prophets of Rage. This is three solid situations coming together.” And don’t sleep on Cypress Hill or Public Enemy songs. They’re Rage-ified and put together and created a frenzy that really befuddles the average person on the behavior politics of the United States of America. Not the politics of behavior, but the behavior of politics.
How did the group decide on the set list?
Well, before we go deeper into the Rage catalogue, we pick the things that would be obvious hits: “Testify,” “Bulls on Parade” and “Take the Power Back” sound like a jacket that Zack created that just got slightly tailored for myself and B-Real to do. And there are things that B-Real will take on such as “People of the Sun” and “Bullet in the Head.” We keep the seat warm for whenever Zack de la Rocha wants to come in and just hang out and then you got Rage Against the Machine. You don’t have Rage Against the Machine with myself and B-Real. This is Prophets of Rage. It’s really a unique lining of the planets that fell together on paper and it wasn’t like a record company or a management team that’s like “Why don’t you just take this and that?” It didn’t work like that.
“If I’m the weakest link, then everybody else is in fuckin’ trouble.”
What have been your favorite Rage songs to perform?
“Bulls on Parade” is my favorite and then “Guerrilla Radio,” “Take the Power Back” and “Testify.” “Testify” is a song that is really a brain twister for me. I’m not great at memorizing lyrics so I have to go over it a lot. Most people can learn song in like 25 or 30 repetitions. It takes me 100 for some weird way; it could be a little bit of rap dyslexia, but once I know it, I sound damn good.