"The Battle of Los Angeles" is the third studio album by American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released by Epic Records on November 2, 1999. The album received critical acclaim, being nominated for Best Rock Album at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, while the track "Guerrilla Radio" won the award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Both Time and Rolling Stone magazines named it the best album of 1999 in their year-end lists.
The album has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, signifying sales of at least two million units. This would be the band's final full-length studio album of original material before their first breakup in 2000, as their subsequent release consisted entirely of covers.
The song "Voice of the Voiceless" refers to American political activist and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal and includes a reference to a letter by Mao Zedong titled "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire." The connection between Rage, Mumia, and Mao is further emphasized by Mumia's testimony in his trial, which echoed Mao's famous saying about power and the barrel of a gun.
The album's cover art was created by Joey Krebs, also known as "The Street Phantom," a prominent Los Angeles graffiti artist. His work often features an outline of a human profile with overlaying text.
Upon its release, The Battle of Los Angeles debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 420,000 copies in its first week, notably preventing Mariah Carey's new album Rainbow from reaching the top. The music videos for "Sleep Now in the Fire" and "Testify" were directed by documentarian Michael Moore, who made appearances in both videos.
