Down Rodeo
| "Down Rodeo" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Rage Against the Machine | ||||
| from the album Evil Empire | ||||
| Released | November 16, 1996 | |||
| Format | CD | |||
| Genre | Rap metal | |||
| Length | 5:20 | |||
| Producer(s) | Brendan O'Brien, Rage Against the Machine | |||
| Rage Against the Machine singles chronology | ||||
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"Down Rodeo" was a promotional single by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine sent out to various American radio stations. The song was intended as the third single from their Evil Empire album, although a domestic single was never released.
The song addresses social inequality between the rich and poor of America, and a literal type of class warfare. The lyrics of the opening verse, where the song gets its title, seem to represent a fantasy of committing or preparing for armed assault along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, one of the wealthiest shopping districts in the world: "So now I'm rollin' down Rodeo with a shotgun, These people ain't seen a brown skin man, Since their grandparents bought one".
Another verse states: "Fuck the G-rides, I want the machines that are making them." This is possibly a reference to workers' self-management. Another interpretation relates to taking control of production (ownership of automobile factories) as opposed to passively participating in consumption (buying automobiles) and enriching the owners of the factories.
There is also a reference to Black Panther activist Fred Hampton: "They ain't gonna send us campin' like they did my man Fred Hampton."
The song made its live debut at a secret show on April 19, 1996, at The Dragonfly in Los Angeles, California.
Track listing
- "Down Rodeo"
External links
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