Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello Claps Back at Elon Musk

Elon Musk decided to reference Rage Against the Machine in a mocking tweet and Tom Morello wouldn’t let it slide.

It’s been strange, to say the least, to watch how the music of Rage Against the Machine, and band name has been appropriated and re-contextualized over the last several decades since the band debuted. Let us not forget former Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan naming them as a favorite, years ago. 

READ MORE: Tom Morello Blasts Rage Against the Machine Fans for False Claims Against Band

Despite the band’s politics remaining consistent, some people’s perception of what dictates the “machine” in the context of the band name has shifted quite a bit. One such person is the world’s richest man, Elon Musk who took to his social media platform X, to air his thoughts.

Elon Musk Calls Out Rage Against the Machine

He tweeted out, “Why are so many people raging FOR the machine? 😂,” resulting in hundreds of people liking the tweet.

Whether or not the message was directed at anyone in particular, or was just a stray thought that wandered through his head, is unclear. It’s also unclear how a man worth over $250 billion and owns one of the largest social media platforms is not in fact part of the machine.

Tom Morello Calls Out Elon Musk

However, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello wasn’t one to let Musk go without a reply. Several hours later, Morello got on X, and tweeted, “Funny cuz Elon was the kid on the cover of Evil Empire,” and posted along with the cover’s artwork.

Do you see a resemblance to Musk in the artwork?

Trolling Musk over X has become somewhat of a pastime for musicians over the last several years.

A couple of years ago, Blink-182 guitarist Tom Delonge quote tweeted Musk, telling him “What up, man. Wish you’d stop trying to make people like u.” 

In 2023, The Kinks’ Dave Davies called out Musk over his changes to the platform, which resulted in every post from his band being slapped with a warning label.