The LEGENDARY Story of Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against The Machine)
Zack de la Rocha was the voice of Rage Against the Machine, one of the most influential political rock bands of all time. Then, at the height of their success, he left the band and pretty much disappeared.
This documentary explores the complete story of Zack de la Rocha, from his childhood in Irvine and his complicated relationship with his father, Chicano artist Beto de la Rocha, to Hard Stance, Inside Out and the formation of Rage Against the Machine with Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk.
We look at how the Rodney King beating and the 1992 Los Angeles uprising shaped the world surrounding Rage’s debut album, how “Killing in the Name” became a global protest anthem, and how the band followed it with Evil Empire, The Battle of Los Angeles and Renegades. We also examine the controversies, the Sony hypocrisy accusations, Lollapalooza, the Zapatistas, Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal and Zack’s activism outside the band.
But the real mystery begins with the breakup of Rage Against the Machine in 2000. Why did Zack walk away when the band was still on top? What happened to the solo album recorded with artists including Trent Reznor, DJ Shadow and El-P? And why did projects such as One Day as a Lion, his work with Run the Jewels and Rage’s Coachella reunion never become the permanent comeback fans expected?
This is the story of Zack de la Rocha’s music, politics, contradictions and legacy, and how a millionaire rock star who built his career attacking capitalism refused to become the product the music industry wanted him to be.
