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Rage Against the Machine<\/a>\u2019s Tom Morello<\/a> is half Black \u2013 and while this may be common knowledge to most of us, the acclaimed guitarist says he still regularly meets fans who are surprised by his race.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s a sizable portion of people in my audience through the decades that are \u2013 when I talk about being African American \u2013 are stunned and refuse to believe it,\u201d Morello admitted during a recent appearance on the Broken Record<\/em> podcast<\/a>. \u201cLike, there’s a cognitive dissonance, like, no, no, no, Tom Morello’s not Black.\u201d<\/p>\n Morello was born in Harlem, New York in 1964. His father was Kenyan diplomat Ngethe Njoroge, while his mother, Mary Morello, was of Irish and Italian descent. The future rock star was raised in Libertyville, Illinois, and his race instantly made him stand out.<\/p>\n READ MORE: How ‘Evil Empire’ Nearly Ended Rage Against the Machine<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI literally integrated the town, according to the real estate agent,\u201d Morello recalled. \u201cOne Black person lives in the town, it’s me. Got a white mom and there’s one kid, and every single day, I was reminded that I was Black.\u201d<\/p>\n Some people in town saw Morello as a novelty. For others, the reaction was much different.<\/p>\n \u201cMy hair was different, people wanna touch your hair, they wanna see your palms are a different color,\u201d the rocker remarked. \u201cThere’s a lot of anthropological study of this guy. There’s a noose in my family’s garage at one point. I was Black, and there was no doubt to anyone in town I was Black.\u201d<\/p>\n While Morello laughed looking back on those days, he also drew a line from his unique upbringing to his success in Rage Against the Machine.<\/p>\n \u201cYears later, I’m in a band whose music appears on radio stations that don’t traditionally play Black artists, or rock and roll magazines that never feature Black artists,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n READ MORE: When Rage Against the Machine Delivered Their Dynamic Debut Album<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Morello likened his situation to another famous mixed-race guitarist, Guns N\u2019 Roses<\/a>\u00a0icon\u00a0Slash<\/a>. \u201cGuns N’ Roses fans don’t know that Slash is Black,\u201d Morello asserted. “They don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it’s just fascinating,\u201d the guitarist continued. \u201cIt’s an interesting commentary on race in the United States of how, like, I’m the same shade I was when I was at Libertyville, and yet completely different groups view me in completely different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Morello is out touring in support of his upcoming solo album, Everyone Gets Everything They Want<\/em>. His upcoming shows include a stop at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville and his own single-day fest, Power to the People, taking place in Columbia, Maryland.<\/p>\n Any discussion of the Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums will have to include some grunge, and this one is no different.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: UCR Staff<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTom Morello: ‘Different Groups View Me in Completely Different Ways’ Due to Race<\/h3>\n
Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums<\/h2>\n