From the moment Prophets of Rage announced their formation earlier this year, things have felt different. The musical union of Cypress Hill, Rage Against the Machine, and Public Enemy is, as their lineage demands, proudly politically outspoken. But what many didn't anticipate was just how timely the groups' reentry into the public consciousness would be.

When we sat down with Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk, B-Real, DJ Lord, and Chuck D, the band had just blasted through a hair-raising set outside the walls of a state rehabilitation center in Southern California. This barnstorming came less than a month after the band spearheaded a protest concert and march outside the Republican National Convention.

"It's a different kind of band, and we wanted to start this band in a different kind of way," says Morello. "We're playing for the residents of Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. We're playing for the protestors outside the RNC in Cleveland. We're playing for the inmates at California State Penitentiary in Norco, California."