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Photos, Video: Prophets Of Rage Fight The Power In Brooklyn
By
Scott Heins
Published Jun 6, 2016
Modified Jun 6, 2016
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By
Scott Heins
Published Jun 6, 2016
Modified Jun 6, 2016
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Minutes before the East Village descended into a Kanye-powered chaos, rock/rap supergroup Prophets of Rage took to the stage in Greenpoint Sunday night, delivering an incendiary set that more than made up for the fact that day three of Governors Ball was cancelled due to torrential rains that never materialized. A combination of Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk along with Public Enemy's Chuck D and Cypress Hill MC B-Real, the band performed classic tracks from all three groups' catalogs at what was only their third show ever.
The band entered the room at Warsaw to deafening cheers and launched into a cover of the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." From there it was nothing but the classics: "Testify," "Bring the Noise," "Bulls on Parade," and "Insane in the Brain. The still-fledgling band was in full command of their powers and seemed to revel in the fact that, with the day's music festival cancelled, they were able play a little longer and a whole lot meaner. Chuck D and B-Real took multiple shots at the government and police between songs, and while Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zac De La Rocha's iconic, raspy vocals were indeed missed, the two legendary MCs more than held it down and then some from start to finish.
Having already announced plans to shake up the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this July, Prophets of Rage also unveiled nationwide tour dates Monday, which includes and August 27th date at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. "Our country is on the brink of chaos," Morello told the LA Times, "And I'm a person who's always trying to have a political impact through my vocation, which is music. So we believe we can no longer stand on the sidelines of history. It's time to make America rage again."
In case the vehemently anti-establishment (and anti-Trump) message wasn't already clear enough last night, Morello sported a "Make America Rage Again" hat for the entire set. If Donald Trump is, in fact, the candidate this country deserves, then Prophets of Rage may be the band it needs the most.
Watch videos from the show below.
Tagged
Cypress Hill
governors ball
Prophets of Rage
public enemy
rage against the machine
Warsaw
original
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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