Zack de la Rocha
222024
224279091
2008-07-08T03:27:40Z
76.87.47.225
/* Solo album */
{{Infobox musical artist | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| Name = Zack de la Rocha
| Img = Zach de la Rocha at 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.jpg
| Img_capt = Zack de la Rocha performing with RATM at Coachella 2007
| Img_size =
| Landscape =
| Background = solo_singer
| Born = {{birth date and age|1970|1|12}}<br>[[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], [[California]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| Died =
| Instrument = [[Vocals]], [[Guitar]], [[Drums]], [[Electronic keyboard|Keyboard]]
| Genre = [[Alternative metal]]<br>[[Funk rock|Funk Metal]]<br>[[Alternative rock]]<br>[[Rap rock|Rapcore]]<br>[[Hardcore punk|Hardcore]]
| Occupation = [[Vocalist]], [[Songwriter]], [[Rapper]], [[Musician]]
| Years_active = 1988 - present
| Label = [[Epic Records|Epic]], [[Revelation Records]], [[ANTI-]]
| Associated_acts = [[Rage Against the Machine]]<br>[[Inside Out]]<br> Hardstance<br>[[One Day As a Lion]]
| URL =
| Notable_instruments =
}}
'''Zacarías Manuel de la Rocha''' (born [[January 12]], [[1970]] in [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], [[California]]) is a [[rapper]], [[musician]], [[poet]], and [[Activism|activist]] best known as the [[vocalist]] and [[lyricist]] of [[Rage Against the Machine]].
==Early life==
In his early youth, de la Rocha's father [[Roberto de la Rocha]] (known as Beto)—a member of Los Four, the first Chicano art collective to be exhibited at a major museum (LACMA, 1974)—suffered a nervous breakdown and took his religious ideals to extremes. He destroyed his art, and, when Zack visited him on the weekends, he was forced to fast, sit in a room with the curtains closed and the door locked, and help destroy his father's paintings.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}.
After a while, he was unable to cope with this lifestyle and stayed with his mother in Irvine.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} For elementary school, he attended the UC Irvine Farm School, a laboratory school housed in ranch hands' bungalows associated with a slaughterhouse operation that was formerly on the site - houses that are among the very few still in existence from the Irvine Ranch.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Among the people he met there was his future Rage Against the Machine bandmate, bassist [[Tim Commerford]].{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
==Musical career==
===Early career===
In high school, de la Rocha became involved in the [[hardcore punk]] scene and played guitar and sang for various bands, including Juvenile Expression with Commerford. His interest in bands like the [[The Clash]] and [[Bad Religion]] turned into an appreciation for other bands like [[Minor Threat]], [[Bad Brains]], and [[The Teen Idles]], and he joined the [[straight edge]] band Hardstance.
De la Rocha eventually formed the [[Hardcore punk|Hardcore]] band [[Inside Out]], which gained a large national underground following. They released a single record, ''[[No Spiritual Surrender]]'', on [[Revelation Records]] in 1990 before breaking up. In de la Rocha's words, [[Inside Out]] 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."
After [[Inside Out]] broke up, he embraced [[hip-hop]] and began [[freestyling]] at local clubs, where he met [[Tom Morello]] and [[Brad Wilk]]. Eventually de la Rocha's [[Juvenile Expression]] bandmate Commerford joined them and [[Rage Against the Machine]] was formed.
===Rage Against the Machine===
Before long, Rage Against the Machine was on the main stage at [[Lollapalooza]], in 1993, and was one of the most politically charged bands ever to receive extensive airplay from radio and [[MTV]]. De la Rocha became one of the most visible champions of [[left-wing]] political causes around the world while, advocating in favor of [[Leonard Peltier]] and [[Mumia Abu-Jamal]], and supporting the [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation|Zapatista]] movement in [[Mexico]]. He even spoke on the floor of the [[United Nations|UN]], testifying against the [[United States]] and its treatment of Abu-Jamal. The music and the message were so intertwined for him that he did not consider any of Rage's albums a success unless they provoked tangible political change.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
Rage's second and third 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 like [[KRS-One]], [[Chuck D]], and [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy]].
[[Image:Zack De La Rocha CIW Rally.jpg|thumb|right|De la Rocha frequently made speeches during RATM live performances.]]
On [[September 13]], [[2000]], Rage Against the Machine performed their last show before breaking up, during which de la Rocha gave a notable speech before playing "[[Killing in the Name]]":
{{cquote|So who went out and joined us for the [[Democratic National Convention]]? I've never seen so many fucking cops in my life. It's like everybody knows that everybody went out there; the only thing we were out there to do is express how much we hate both the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] because they sold this fucking country out. And by expressing our rights to resist, what do they do? They open fire on the crowd. I don't care what fucking television station said the violence was caused by the people at the concert; those motherfuckers unloaded on this crowd. And I think it's ridiculous considering, you know, none of us had rubber bullets; none of us had [[M16 rifle|M16s]]; none of us had billy clubs; none of us had face shields. All we had was our fists, our voices, our microphones, our guitars, our drums, our timbales and whatnot. And anytime we get beaten in the streets for protesting, we take it to the court system, but the court system don't wanna hear it. Look what happened to [[Amadou Diallo]] in [[New York City|New York]]. They shot that brother 41 times and let all four officers go. It's time for a new type of action in this country.}}
===="Creative differences"====
In [[October 2000]], de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine, due to "creative differences." It is rumored that Commerford's stunt at the 2000 [[MTV]] Video Music Awards, where he climbed atop of a fixture on stage because RATM had lost the award for Best Rock Video to [[Limp Bizkit]], may have contributed to de la Rocha's decision to leave the band. Commerford later stated he had pulled the stunt in protest that cameras at the awards show were already hovering over Limp Bizkit before anything was even announced, which he disagreed with.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}
The other members of the band sought out separate management and secured the immediate release of the album ''[[Renegades (album)|Renegades]]''. On [[October 18]], [[2000]], de la Rocha released the following statement:
{{cquote|I feel that it is now necessary to leave Rage because our decision-making process has completely failed. It is no longer meeting the aspirations of all four of us collectively as a band, and from my perspective, has undermined our artistic and political ideal. I am extremely proud of our work, both as activists and musicians, as well as indebted and grateful to every person who has expressed solidarity and shared this incredible experience with us.<ref name="zackquit">{{cite web |last=Armstrong |first=Mark |date=[[October 18]], [[2000]] |title=Zack de la Rocha Leaves Rage Against the Machine | work=[[MTV News]] |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=460baa38-4bb2-4eab-9395-22a301d24afb&entry=index |accessdate=2007-02-17}}</ref>}}
After searching for a replacement for de la Rocha, the other members of Rage joined up with [[Chris Cornell]] of [[Soundgarden]] to form [[Audioslave]].
===Post-Rage work===
After RATM's breakup, de la Rocha worked on a solo album he had been recording since before the band's dissolution, working with [[DJ Shadow]], [[El-P]], [[Muggs]], [[Dan The Automator]], [[Roni Size]], [[DJ Premier]], and [[The Roots]]' [[?uestlove]] with production partner [[James Poyser]].<ref name="zackquit"/> The album never saw fruition, and de la Rocha started a new collaboration with [[Trent Reznor]] of [[Nine Inch Nails]], in which around 20 tracks were produced.<ref name="reznor">{{cite web | last = Moss | first = Corey | title = Reznor Says Collabos With De La Rocha, Keenan May Never Surface | work = [[MTV News]] | date = May 10, 2005 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1501617/20050510/reznor_trent.jhtml | accessdate = 2007-02-17}}</ref> Reznor thought the work was "excellent,"<ref name="reznor"/> but said the songs will likely never be released as de la Rocha was not "ready to make a record" at that time.<ref>{{cite web | last = Gargano | first = Paul | title = Nine Inch Nails (interview) | work = Maximum Ink Music Magazine | date = October 2005 | url = http://www.maximumink.com/articles.php?articleId=845 | accessdate = 2007-02-17}}</ref>
In 2000, de la Rocha appeared on the song "Centre of the Storm", from the Roni Size/[[Reprazent]] album ''In The Mode'',<ref>{{cite web | last = Phillips | first = Liam | title = ''In The Mode'' review | work = The Manitoban | date = October 17, 2001 | url = http://themanitoban.com/2001-2002/1017/music.shtml | accessdate = 2007-02-17}}</ref> while in 2002, he appeared in a minor role in the first part of the [[Blackalicious]] song "Release" on the album ''[[Blazing Arrow]]''.<ref>{{cite web | last = Moss | first = Corey | title = Zack De La Rocha Joining Blackalicious On Blazing Arrow | work = [[MTV News]] | date = March 1, 2002 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452688/20020301/blackalicious.jhtml | accessdate = 2007-02-17}}</ref> A new collaboration between de la Rocha and [[DJ Shadow]], the song "March of Death" was released for free online in 2003 in protest against the imminent [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]]. De la Rocha released a statement along with his song:
{{cquote|Without just cause or reason, without legal or moral justification, and without a thread of proof that [[Iraq]] directly threatens the security of the United States, the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]] has headed to war. As I am writing this, bombs are raining upon the defenseless civilians of [[Baghdad]] in a continuation of a policy that has already claimed the lives of over 1 million innocent Iraqi people. People just like us who want [[democracy]] but find themselves cornered by [[Saddam Hussein|a dictator]] on one side, naked U.S. aggression on another, and the [[oil]] beneath their country; for which it appears they are to be massacred.
Lies, [[International sanctions|sanction]]s, 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.<ref>[http://www.zackdelarocha.com/ Zack de la Rocha.com], official website promoting "March of Death". Retrieved February 17, 2007.</ref>}}
The 2004 soundtrack ''[[Songs and Artists that Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' included one of the collaborations with Reznor, "[[We Want It All]]".<ref name="reznor"/> This album also contained the debut recording by former Rage Against The Machine guitarist [[Tom Morello]] as [[The Nightwatchman]], "No One Left".
On [[October 7]], [[2005]], de la Rocha returned to the stage with new material, performing with [[Son Jarocho]] band Son de Madera. He later spoke as [[Master of Ceremonies|MC]] and again performed with Son de Madera at the November 22 Concert at the Farm, a benefit concert for the [[South Central Farm]]ers. He sang and played the [[jarana]] with the band, and performed his own new original material, including the song "Sea of Dead Hands".<ref>[http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/ratm1211/llllll.jpg "Backstage Pass"] (February 2006), ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''. Retrieved February 17, 2007.</ref>
===Reunion of RATM===
[[Image:RATM at Coachella.jpg|thumb|right|300px|de la Rocha performing with Rage at Coachella 2007.]]
On [[April 14]], [[2007]] Morello and de la Rocha played together at [[House of Blues]] in [[Chicago]] at the rally for fair food with the [[Coalition of Immokalee Workers]] (CIW). At this performance Morello played acoustic guitar while de la Rocha was on the mic. They played a new song that de la Rocha claimed he just wrote about the victory for the farmworkers over [[McDonalds]] and [[Taco Bell]] and their quest in acquiring fair wages from [[Burger King]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Truth Tour 2007 | date = April 14, 2007 | url = http://www.ciw-online.org/2007truthtour/day7.html | accessdate = 2007-04-16}}</ref>
Rage Against the Machine, as a full band, headlined the final day of the 2007 [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival]] on April 29.<ref>{{cite web | last = Finn | first = Natalie | title = Rage On at Coachella | work = [[E! News]] | publisher = EOnline.com | date = January 22, 2007 | url = http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=66ffd892-90fe-44c0-8b4c-edab6e3990f3&entry=index | accessdate = 2007-01-24}}</ref> The performance was initially thought to be a one-off,<ref>{{cite web | last = Cohen | first = Jonathan | authorlink = Jonathan Cohen | title = Rage, Bjork, Chili Peppers Sign On For Coachella | work = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | publisher = Billboard.com | date = January 22, 2007 | url = http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003535501 | accessdate = 2007-01-24}}</ref> but that was cast into doubt following Chris Cornell's exit from Audioslave.<ref name="cornellquit">{{cite web | last = Harris | first = Chris | title = Chris Cornell Talks Audioslave Split, Nixes Rumors Of Soundgarden Reunion | work = [[MTV News]] | date = February 15, 2007 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1552582/20070215/audioslave.jhtml | accessdate = 2007-02-16}}</ref> Four more performances are planned as part of the [[Rock The Bells Festival]] with the [[Wu-Tang Clan]].<ref>First reported in the ''[[LA Times]]'': {{cite web | last=Boucher | first-Geoff | title= Rage Against the Machine adds more dates | work=[[LA Times]] | date=[[February 24]], [[2007]] | url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-rage24feb24,0,710717.story?coll=la-home-entertainment | accessdate=2007-02-26}}</ref> <ref>Later confirmed on RATM's official website: [http://ratm.com Official website]. Retrieved on [[February 27]], 2007).</ref> Rage Against the Machine also played the 2008 [[Big Day Out]] music festival in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. While playing the Big Day Out Festival they played thier first solo shows since their break up in at the [[Sydney Entertainment Centre]] on 22nd of January 2008. This concert coincided with [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day]] in which Zach made a speech during Wake Up which addressed current political issues in the world. They also played a second solo show at Melbourne's [[Festival Hall, Melbourne|Festival Hall]] on the 30th January 2008. along with the [[Voodoo Music Experience]] in [[New Orleans]] on [[October 26]], [[2007]].<ref>{{cite web |title =Voodoo Music Experience 2007 Line Up|url=http://www.voodoomusicfest.com/2007/experience_lineup/ | accessdate = 2007-06-22}}</ref> and at Vegoose 2007 on October 28th. Rage Against The Machine are also confirmed to play during the 3 day music festival "Oxegen 2008" in Ireland. Rage Against The Machine are confirmed to play the other 3 day festival also at the time of "Oxegen 2008", T in the Park, on the Saturday night.
More recently, RATM have been confirmed to headline the Nova Rock Festival, Austria in June 2008 and Reading and Leeds Festivals, UK in August 2008. They also headlined the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals in Germany on June 6 - 8.
At Rage's first reunion show, de la Rocha made a speech during "[[Wake Up (Rage Against the Machine song)|Wake Up]]" in which de la Rocha called numerous American presidents [[War crime|war criminals]], citing a statement by [[Noam Chomsky]] regarding the [[Nuremberg Principles]]:<ref>[http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/rage/ Interview of Noam Chomsky by Tom Morello in 1996]</ref>
{{cquote2|A good friend of ours said that if the same laws were applied to U.S. presidents as were applied to the [[Nazi]]s after [[World War II]] that every single one of them, every last rich white one of them from [[Harry Truman|Truman]] on would have been hung to death and shot - and this current administration is no exception. They should be hung, and tried, and shot. As any war criminal should be. But the challenges that we face, they go way beyond administrations, way beyond elections, way beyond every four years of pulling levers, way beyond that. Because this whole rotten system has become so vicious and cruel that in order to sustain itself, it needs to destroy entire countries and profit from their reconstruction in order to survive - and that's not a system that changes every four years, it's a system that we have to break down, generation after generation after generation after generation after generation... Wake up.|Zack de la Rocha|}}
===Solo album===
In an article published in ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'', it was announced that work had been completed on de la Rocha's first solo album, which he had been working on at least since his departure from RATM in 2000 and, by some accounts, as early as 1995. <ref>[http://www.zdlr.net/board/index.php?showtopic=6914&st=0 Post from former band manager]</ref> The project with former [[Mars Volta]] drummer [[Jon Theodore]] is titled [[One Day As a Lion]]. Sources familiar with the album say it features de la Rocha playing keyboards and that the sound is a hybrid of [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Dr. Dre]].<ref>[http://www.nme.com/news/rage-against-the-machine/31204 Rage Against The Machine man finishes solo album | News | NME.COM<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was also said that a portion of the recording took place recently at [[Jack Johnson (musician)|Jack Johnson]]'s new eco-friendly studio in Los Angeles. The self-titled album is set for worldwide release on 22nd July with [[ANTI-]].<ref>[http://www.anti.com/catalog/view/111/One_Day_As_A_Lion ONE DAY AS A LION SIGNS TO ANTI]</ref>
==Discography==
[[Image:Go At it Now!.jpg|thumb|Zack de la Rocha performing with Tom Morello on April 17, 2007.]]
===Hardstance===
* ''[[Face Reality]]'' (1988 - 7" vinyl and re-issued in 1999 on Conversion Records)
===[[Inside Out]]===
* ''[[No Spiritual Surrender]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Benefit 7"]]'' (1991 - Bootleg live recording with [[Youth Of Today]])
===[[Rage Against the Machine]]===
* ''[[Rage Against the Machine (album)|Rage Against the Machine]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Evil Empire (album)|Evil Empire]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Live & Rare]]'' (1998)
* ''[[The Battle of Los Angeles (album)|The Battle of Los Angeles]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Renegades (album)|Renegades]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium]]'' (2003)
===Solo and collaborations===
* "Mumia 911" from ''Mumia 911 LP'' a benefit album (1999) with [[dead prez]], [[Afu-Ra]], P.E.A.C.E. and Aceyalone of the [[Freestyle Fellowship]], [[Black Thought]], and the [[Last Emperor]] under the name ''The [[Unbound Allstars]]''
* "C.I.A. (Criminals In Action)" from ''[[Lyricist Lounge, Volume One]]'' (2000) with [[KRS-One]] and the [[Last Emperor]]
* "Burned Hollywood Burned" from ''[[Bamboozled]]'' soundtrack (2000) with [[Chuck D]] and [[The Roots]]
* "Om Nia Merican" from "Amethyst Rock Star" Saul Williams (uncredited)"
* "Centre of the Storm" from ''[[In the Mode]]'', [[Roni Size]]/[[Reprazent]] (2000)
* "Release" from ''[[Blazing Arrow]]'', [[Blackalicious]] (2002)
* "March of Death" released free over the [[World Wide Web|web]] (2003) with [[DJ Shadow]]
* "[[We Want It All]]" from ''[[Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' (2004)
* "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)" from ''[[Saul Williams (album)|Saul Williams]]'', [[Saul Williams]] (2004)
* "Can't Kill the Revolution" with [[Tool (band)|Tool]]
==Footnotes and citations==
{{reflist}}
==References==
Devenish, Colin (2001), ''Rage Against the Machine'': [[St. Martin's Press|St. Martin's Griffin]] ISBN 0-312-27316-6
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.zdlr.net Zack de la Rocha Network]
*[http://vietnow.org/ Vietnow.org], a Rage Against the Machine news resource and forum
*[http://www.marchofdeath.com/ www.marchofdeath.com]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GORdDogxyuE Zack de la Rocha Interviews Noam Chomsky (part 1)] (video)
*[http://www.ratm.com Official Rage against the Machine-Website]
{{Rage Against the Machine}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:De La Rocha, Zack}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:American activists]]
[[Category:American lyricists]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American heavy metal singers|De la Rocha, Zack]]
[[Category:American poets]]
[[Category:Hispanic American rappers|De la Rocha, Zack]]
[[Category:American rock drummers]]
[[Category:American rock guitarists]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American socialists]]
[[Category:California musicians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mexican American musicians]]
[[Category:People from Irvine, California]]
[[Category:People from Long Beach, California]]
[[Category:Rage Against the Machine members]]
[[Category:American vegetarians]]
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