Watch Prophets of Rage Incite Mosh Pit on ‘Kimmel’
Following an appearance at the Republican National Convention last week, Prophets of Rage stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday to perform on TV for the first time. The group brought its typically ferocious energy to renditions of “Prophets of Rage,” which updates an old Public Enemy track, and Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.”
Guitarist Tom Morello’s “elite task force of revolutionary musicians” — which includes members of Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy — began the show with fists raised, as a siren blared and the motto “Make America Rage Again” flashed behind them. After walloping through “Prophets of Rage,” they turned to “Killing in the Name,” and the crowd started moshing.
“If you don’t do the songs right, you can die on fucking stage,” Chuck D told Rolling Stone earlier this year. To prepare properly, he engaged in pilates — “the perfect core workout for any artist/entertainer” — and intense rehearsals: “It was five hours of relentless speed and energy. Four hours of yelling and loud and bringing the noise for five, six days a week. I don’t think normal people could do this shit. I don’t mean I’m abnormal, though.”
Prophets of Rage kick off a national tour next month in Fairfax, VA.