Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker have both been active this past week, hitting the streets in Los Angeles for multiple protest demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death. But feeling there was still a message left to share, the pair then hit the studio to record a cover of Rage Against the Machine‘s protest song, “Killing in the Name.”
The idea started to gain momentum Wednesday (June 3), with Machine Gun Kelly calling upon Barker to come record the cover. Now, a day later, a video for the cover has arrived, complete with footage from the protests of the past week.
“They wrote this song in 1992. It’s been 28 years since and every word still applies,” says Kelly on his description of the Rage Against the Machine cover video. The clip ends with a solitary message: “End Systematic Racism.”
Kelly and Barker have previously teamed up on record, appearing along with Yungblud on the 2019 single, “I Think I’m OKAY.” Yungblud makes a cameo in the protest footage from the “Killing in the Name” video as well.
“Killing in the Name” appeared on Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled debut album.
Machine Gun Kelly + Travis Barker, “Killing in the Name”
Top 90 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1990s