Supergroup Prophets of Rage, consisting of members from Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy, have been teasing their rock ‘n’ roll attack on Cleveland and the Republican National Convention for months.
Playing off the title of the popular Beastie Boys song, #NoSleepTilCleveland has plagued the group’s social media presence since they announced their plan to protest the convention early this summer.
Now the RNC is here and it is time to see what Tom Morello and the gang have in store for Ohio.
Originally, the band merely announced one protest show at a local venue in Cleveland, which I quickly snagged tickets to the minute they went on sale.
However, as the convention drew closer, the band members started revealing more details regarding their plan of attack.
The first stop was an impromptu free show in association with the End Poverty Now! Rally on Monday at 1 p.m. I was unable to attend this event, but nothing prepared me for what was next.
As I sat in a local deli enjoying a BLT, I suddenly begin to hear some commotion near the public square, where many of the protests for the convention were held. I was given strict instructions not to go near any protests for my own safety, but I was bored, and I don’t listen, so, what the heck.
As I approach the public square, I begin to hear music, and not just any music, but the tune to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” Suddenly, it hits me: Prophets of Rage is doing a pop up show, which was enough to send me sprinting.
As I arrived on the scene, the band was in mid-show, something of which was extremely reminiscent of RATM’s “Sleep Now in the Fire” music video, where the band stormed Wall Street for an unauthorized performance.
Armed with a boombox, one microphone and two bull horns, the group put on an electrifying performance despite the amount and caliber of their equipment, performing mostly songs from Public Enemy’s and Cypress Hill’s catalog.
However, to end the set, the group performed the RATM hit “Killing in the Name,” which was enough to send the crowd into a frenzy.
It was after this song that the group quickly exited the square. As a reporter on the scene, I knew that this was my chance, and I dashed over to the group’s founder for maybe even a passing chance to get a quote, something to which Morello was quite open.
I asked him what the group’s goal was in protesting the convention this week, to which he simply responded, “To unravel it.”
It’s clear that Morello finds the group to be one of the main causes of the chaos inside the convention that morning.
“Well, it’s already working,” Morello said. “Iowa and Colorado left today, and who knows what’s going to happen after our show tomorrow.”
Due to safety concerns, I did not attend that show the following evening, but something tells me it was amazing.
It’s incredible to see the effects the group has had in such a short amount of time on the political systems and the public’s overall attitude toward society.
As the band tours for the rest of this summer, we are sure to see the ripple effects of their “take no prisoners” message through their performances, and hopefully a barrage of new content to go with it.
