Tom Morello Says Kneecap Are “the Rage Against the Machine of Now”

Tom Morello has praised Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap for embodying the spirit of his band Rage Against the Machine by “speak[ing] truth to power.”

The founding member of Rage Against the Machine made the comparison during his recent appearance on The Strombo Show, when he was asked to name young artists who connect with him.

Get Tom Morello Tickets Here

After Morello listed off San Diego rap duo The Neighborhood Kids and CoSign alums Nova Twins, host George Stroumboulopoulos asked him about Kneecap. “[They’re at] the top of the list,” Morello responded. “I mean, they’re clearly the Rage Against The Machine of now. Like, there’s them and there’s a gap to the next one.”

He then addressed the controversy surrounding Kneecap’s pro-Palestine, anti-Israel messaging at Coachella and Glastonbury. Following their Coachella performance, the UK police charged band member Mo Chara with a terror offense in connection with a previous incident, while their Glastonbury set led to a separate criminal investigation.

“What they’re doing in their art is what people could probably stand to do more in their lives: to really speak truth to power. And, you know, Kneecap are not terrorists,” Morello said. “What is terroristic is, you know, 20,000 dead Palestinian children. That’s the story. Not some Irish rappers who don’t like that that’s happening. [That] should not be the story.”

Watch the full interview below. The Kneecap segment begins around the 21-minute mark.

The firestorm around Kneecap began during the first weekend at Coachella, when they led “Free Palestine” and “Fuck Margaret Thatcher” chants that were cut from the official livestream. The group doubled down the following weekend by bringing out streamer Hasan Piker to broadcast their protest on Twitch and displaying “Fuck Israel, free Palestine” on the screens behind them.

As part of the ensuing backlash, Sharon Osbourne called for Kneecap’s work visas to be rescinded, and several of their concerts were canceled in Germany. However, several UK acts, including Massive Attack, Johnny Marr, Pulp, English Teacher, and Fontaines D.C., have defended their freedom of expression.

To avoid a similar situation, the BBC pulled its livestream coverage of Kneecap’s Glastonbury performance hours before they took the stage. Undeterred, the group still led chants of “Fuck [UK Prime Minister] Keir Starmer” and “Free, free Palestine” during their set.

Meanwhile, Morello continues to speak truth to power in his own music. On Thursday, he shared the anti-ICE song “Pretend You Remember Me,” accompanied by a self-directed video featuring freed political prisoner Leonard Peltier.

After curating and performing during the “Back to the Beginning” farewell concert for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne last weekend, Morello is headed out on a Canadian tour running through late October. Get tickets here.