Prophets of Rage has been making a massive splash since they hit the scene just over a year ago. In that short time the supergroup has dropped songs tackling homelessness, structures of racial inequality, and emphasizing the power in numbers. Morello might have put it best in an interview with Rolling Stone, ““We’re an elite task force of revolutionary musicians determined to confront this mountain of election year bullshit, and confront it head-on with Marshall stacks blazing.” They’ve made their commitment to meaningful messages known in every way, from free shows in skid row, to exploring issues in way that genuinely expand the dialogue surrounding them. Today they’re continuing the trend by taking shots at the white house second-in-command.
“Hovering over, Looking over the shoulder, Suspense suspect, Who got next game.” “Hail To The Chief” portrays Vice President Mike Pence as the true brains behind Trump’s public floundering and bigotry. In an era where protest music is synonymous with thrashing Donald Trump, it’s thoughtful to have a song specifically go after Pence, showing him as the one truly holding power.
The song asserts the potential timeline that Pence will assume full oval office control through a Trump resignation or impeachment. Chuck D specifically commented that the point of the song if for the public to “watch out,” if they give too much attention to Trump, a “parody and whipping of mass distraction,” they’ll miss the real threat in a Pence presidency. “The Donald will either be impeached or bow out from his own trumped up reasons. VP Pence is not a clown. He’s dead serious, the heir apparent who knows US governing and the law.”
In addition to painting Pence as sneaky and power grabbing, they don’t miss an opportunity to make fun of the former Governor’s Indiana heartland persona. “He be coming around that mountain, How the West was won, Mother fucker didn’t ever run, Hero here he come.”
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