Zack de la Rocha | |
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 De la Rocha performing withRage Against the Machine in April 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (1970-01-12)January 12, 1970 (age 56) Long Beach,California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
| Formerly of | |
Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha[1] (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock bandRage Against the Machine.[2][3] Through both Rage Against the Machine and his activism, de la Rocha promotesleft-wing politics in opposition tocorporate America, themilitary–industrial complex, and government oppression.[4]
De la Rocha was born inLong Beach, California, on January 12, 1970, toRobert "Beto" de la Rocha and Olivia Lorryne Carter.[5] His father is aMexican-American,[6] with distant African andSephardi Jewish heritage,[7][8] while his mother was born to Manuel García Urias, a Mexican-American, and Olive Pearl Fleming, who was of German and Irish heritage.[9][10] Beto was amuralist and a member ofLos Four, the firstChicano art collective to be exhibited at a museum (LACMA, 1973). De la Rocha's great grandfather, Jose Isaac de la Rocha Acosta (1882–1920), was a Mexican revolutionary who fought in theMexican Revolution. His maternal grandfather, Manuel García, was originally fromSonora and worked as an agricultural laborer in the U.S. De la Rocha would later see the hardships his grandfather endured reflected in the struggles of theZapatista Army of National Liberation.[11]
De la Rocha's parents divorced when he was six, and he moved fromEast Los Angeles toIrvine with his mother, who attended theUniversity of California, Irvine and earned aPhD in anthropology.[12] De la Rocha later described Irvine as "one of the mostracist cities imaginable" and said that "if you were a Mexican in Irvine, you were there because you had a broom or a hammer in your hand."[13]
De la Rocha metTim Commerford in elementary school. In junior high school, they both played guitar in a band called Juvenile Expression. De la Rocha's interest inpunk rock bands likeThe Clash,The Misfits,Sex Pistols, andBad Religion turned into an appreciation for other bands likeMinor Threat,Bad Brains, andThe Teen Idles. In 1987, he joined thestraight edge band Hard Stance. In 2018, Indecision Records officially released Hard Stance's entire discography.[14]
By 1988, singer Eric Ernst had departed from Hard Stance, leading to de la Rocha taking on lead vocals. Now lacking a guitarist, the remaining members contactedVic DiCara, whom some knew from their previous band that never made it past rehearsals. This act, now named Inside Out, began writing music heavily inspired by acts like Minor Threat and Bad Brains,[15] and soon were associated with theyouth crew movement.[16] Their sole release was the 1990 EPNo Spiritual Surrender, issued throughRevelation Records.[17]
Towards the end of the band's lifetime, DiCara and de la Rocha's writing styles began to fracture. De la Rocha wished to push the groups into a more political andhip hop-inspired direction, particularly influenced byRun-DMC, whereas DiCara wished for the band to write more music inspired byHare Krishna. While de la Rocha's influence was prevalent on performed yet unreleased Inside Out tracks likeDarkness of Greed andRage Against the Machine, the band broke up because of this conflict in 1991.[15] De la Rocha later said that the band was "about completely detaching ourselves from society to see ourselves as ... as spirits, and not bowing down to a system that sees you as just another pebble on a beach. I channeled all my anger out through that band."[18][19]
The band had a brief reunion in 1993, performing in a number of locations including multiple inSalt Lake City.[20]
Following the dissolution of Inside Out in 1991, de la Rocha embracedhip hop and beganfreestyling at local clubs, at one of which he was approached by formerLock Up guitaristTom Morello, who was impressed by de la Rocha's lyrics, and convinced him to form a band. Morello recruited formerGreta drummerBrad Wilk—who had previously auditioned for Lock Up before that band's dissolution earlier that same year—and de la Rocha recruited his former Juvenile Expression bandmate, Tim Commerford, to play bass. The band was named after an unreleased Inside Out record,Rage Against the Machine.
Rage Against the Machine released theirdebut album in 1992 to critical and commercial success. The band was on the main stage atLollapalooza by 1993 and was one of the most politically charged bands ever to receive extensive airplay from radio andMTV[citation needed]. Rage'ssecond andthird albums peaked at number one in the United States, but did not result in the political action de la Rocha had hoped for. He became increasingly restless and undertook collaborations with artists such asKRS-One,Chuck D, andPublic Enemy. He left Rage Against the Machine in October 2000, citing "creative differences," at which time he issued a statement saying: "it was necessary to leave Rage because our decision-making process has completely failed",[21] in reference to the disagreement over the release ofRenegades. The other members of the band sought out separate management and secured the immediate release ofRenegades. After searching for a replacement for de la Rocha, the other members of Rage joinedChris Cornell ofSoundgarden to formAudioslave.[22]
Following the disbandment of Rage Against the Machine, de la Rocha worked on a solo album he had been recording since before the band's dissolution, working withDJ Shadow,El-P,Muggs,Dan The Automator,Roni Size,DJ Premier andQuestlove with production partnerJames Poyser.[23] The album never came to fruition, and de la Rocha started a new collaboration withTrent Reznor ofNine Inch Nails, in which around 20 tracks were produced.[24] Reznor thought the work was "excellent",[24] but said the songs will likely never be released as de la Rocha was not "ready to make a record" at that time.[25]On working with DJ Shadow and Reznor, de la Rocha admitted in a 2008 interview that:
When I left Rage ... first off, I was very heartbroken, and secondly, I became obsessed with completely reinventing my wheel. In an unhealthy way, to a degree. I kind of forgot that old way of allowing yourself to just be a conduit. When I was working with Trent and Shadow, I felt that I was going through the motions. Not that what was produced wasn't great, but I feel now that I've maybe reinvented the base sounds that emanate from the songs.[26]
In 2000, de la Rocha appeared on the song "Centre of the Storm", from theRoni Size/Reprazent albumIn The Mode,[27] while in 2002, he appeared in a minor role in the first part of theBlackalicious song "Release" on the albumBlazing Arrow.[28] A new collaboration between de la Rocha andDJ Shadow, the song "March of Death" was released for free online in 2003 in protest against the imminentinvasion of Iraq. As part of the collaboration de la Rocha released a statement which included the following:
Lies, sanctions, and cruise missiles have never created a free and just society. Only everyday people can do that, which is why I'm joining the millions world wide who have stood up to oppose the Bush administration's attempt to expand the U.S. empire at the expense of human rights at home and abroad. In this spirit I'm releasing this song for anyone who is willing to listen. I hope it not only makes us think, but also inspires us to act and raise our voices.[29]
The 2004 soundtrackSongs and Artists that Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 included one of the collaborations with Reznor, "We Want It All".[24] This album also contained "No One Left", the debut recording by former Rage Against the Machine guitaristTom Morello asThe Nightwatchman. On October 7, 2005, de la Rocha returned to the stage with new material, performing withSon Jarocho band Son de Madera. He later spoke as MC and again performed with Son de Madera at the November 22 Concert at the Farm, a benefit concert for theSouth Central Farmers. He sang and played thejarana with the band, and performed his own new original material, including the song "Sea of Dead Hands".[30]On September 8, 2016, it was reported that de la Rocha's first solo album was complete and would be released in early 2017. The news came with a new song, produced byEl-P, called "Digging for Windows" that was released on YouTube and BitTorrent.[31] However, to date, the album remains unreleased with no further announcements made.
Rumors that Rage Against the Machine could reunite at theCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival were circulating in mid-January 2007 and were confirmed on January 22.[32] The band was confirmed to be headlining the final day ofCoachella 2007. Rage Against the Machine, as a full band, headlined the final day of the 2007Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 29. The band played in front of aZapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) backdrop to the largest crowds of the festival. The performance was initially thought to be a one-off, but the band played seven more shows in the United States in 2007, and in January 2008, they played their first shows outside the US as part of theBig Day Out Festival in Australia and New Zealand. The band continued to tour around the world, headlining many large festivals in Europe and the United States, includingLollapalooza in Chicago and theReading and Leeds Festivals. In a 2008 interview, de la Rocha said this of the relationship between him, Commerford, Wilk and Morello:
So much has changed. When you get older, you look back on tensions and grievances and have another perspective on it. I think our relationship now is better than it's ever been. I would even describe it as great. We're going to keep playing shows – we have a couple of big ones happening in front of both conventions. As far as us recording music in the future, I don't know where we all fit with that. We've all embraced each other's projects and support them, and that's great.[26]
Later in 2011, de la Rocha and the rest of Rage Against the Machine reunited to headline LA Rising on July 30, 2011. The show filled theLA Coliseum.[citation needed]
A second reunion tour was announced for the spring of 2020.[33] The band was scheduled to perform 52 shows (39 in the United States, 5 in Canada, and 8 in Europe) from March 26 to September 12[34] but were forced to postpone the tour until 2022 amid theCOVID-19 pandemic.[35] The tour was eventually cancelled after de la Rocha tore his Achilles tendon halfway through the second show.[36][37]
In 2008, de la Rocha and formerMars Volta drummerJon Theodore formedOne Day as a Lion. They later addedJoey Karam ofThe Locust on keyboards for their live shows. The group combines rock drumming, electro keyboards, and hip-hop vocals. De la Rocha played keyboards as well as providing vocals, with Theodore on the drums for their self-titled EP. They released their debut EP,One Day as a Lion, on July 22, 2008.
For a brief period in 1988, de la Rocha played drums for hardcore punk bandNo For An Answer.[38]
In 1989, de la Rocha joinedFarside, playing guitar in the group until 1991.[39]
In 1991, de la Rocha formed a band withJohn Porcelly based at theRevelation Records headquarters inHuntington Beach, California, in which de la Rocha was the vocalist and Porcelly played guitar. Although the group never officially had a name, at one point in time, de la Rocha proposed the name "Rage Against the Machine"; however, Porcelly believed the name to be too long, leading to de la Rocha using it as the name for his other band at the time. The band's music merged elements of hardcore punk and hip hop.[40]
De la Rocha advocates in favor ofLeonard Peltier,Mumia Abu-Jamal, and theZapatista (EZLN) movement in Mexico. He spoke on the floor of the UN, testifying against the United States and its treatment of Abu-Jamal.[41] De la Rocha has been particularly outspoken on the cause of the EZLN. De la Rocha and Rage Against The Machine hosted a benefit show in January 1999 alongside theBeastie Boys to raise attention towards Abu-Jamal's case. The concert was mired in controversy as New Jersey GovernorChristine Todd Whitman denounced the show and encouraged people not to attend; the show ultimately sold out.[42]
Zack's Chicano identity informed his band's commitment to what they view as the struggles of immigrants, people of color, and the Zapatistas. He renamed the People's Resource Center in Highland Park to the "Centro de Regeneracion".[43] There, many of the same artists and activists who had participated in the struggle over the Peace and Justice Center maintained their commitment to providing youth a space for cultural expression and training. Along with music workshops and the development of Radio Clandestina, Centro members also organized graffiti workshops and youth film festivals. The Centro lasted only two years; within that timespan it was viewed by its members and staff as an important space in the ongoing institutionalization of the community politics, cultural practices, and social networks of the Eastside scene in the nineties.
The EZLN and de la Rocha's experiences with them inspired the songs "People of the Sun", "Wind Below" and "Without a Face" fromEvil Empire,[44] and "War Within a Breath" fromThe Battle of Los Angeles. Zack de la Rocha asked their record label, Epic Records, for $30,000 to donate to the EZLN.[45] It is not known if they complied.[citation needed] The EZLN flag has been used as a stage backdrop at all of the band's shows since their reunion in April 2007. On his post-Rage political music, de la Rocha admitted that it was near impossible for him to draw the line between politics and music.[citation needed]
On April 14, 2007, Morello and de la Rocha reunited on-stage early to perform a brief acoustic set atHouse of Blues in Chicago at the rally for fair food with theCoalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). Morello described the event as "very exciting for everybody in the room, myself included". At Rage's first reunion show, de la Rocha made a speech during "Wake Up" in which de la Rocha called numerous American presidentswar criminals, citing a statement byNoam Chomsky regarding theNuremberg Principles.[46]
Like bandmate Tom Morello, Zack de la Rocha isvegetarian. In an interview, he stated, "I think vegetarianism is really great, and I stand really strongly behind it. I think that an animal goes through a lot of pain in the whole cycle of death in the slaughterhouse; just living to be killed. I just don't think it's worth eating that animal. There's so much other food out there that doesn't have to involve you in that cycle of pain and death."[47]
In November 2023, de la Rocha attended apro-Palestinian protest in Washington, D.C., and signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire in theGaza war.[48][49]
De la Rocha played guitar on the following albums:
De la Rocha credited for vocals:
De la Rocha credited for vocals:
De la Rocha credited for vocals and keyboards:
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