"Down Rodeo" is a promotional single by American rock band Rage Against the Machine which was initially sent out to various American radio stations. The song was intended as the third single from their ''

Evil Empire An evil empire is a speculative fiction trope in which a major antagonist of the story is a technologically advanced nation, typically ruled by an evil emperor or empress, that aims to control the world or conquer some specific group. They a ...

'' album, although a domestic single was never released. The song addresses social inequality between the rich and poor of America, and the simmering class warfare that existed in the band's home city of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

following the

1992 Los Angeles Riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in S ...

. The lyrics of the opening verse, where the song gets its title, leave unclear why the narrator is driving with a shotgun through the upscale shopping district of Rodeo Drive. Although the shotgun motif suggests violence, band lyricist Zach De La Rocha stated in 2011 that the band "never advocated violence". Shotguns are often seen as self defense weapons, and "Down Rodeo" was written just three years after six days of riots were sparked by police violence against minorities in the city. The full lyric must be put into context of the time period and the beating of

Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was an African American man who was a victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers during his arrest after a pursuit for driving whi ...

to be understood: "So now I'm rollin' down Rodeo with a shotgun, These people ain't seen a brown skin man, Since their grandparents bought one".

See also

Track listing

References

External links