Renegades of Funk


"Renegades of Funk" is a song written by Afrika Bambaataa, Arthur Baker, John Miller & John Robie and recorded by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force. Released in 1983 as a single on the Tommy Boy label, it was also included on the 1986 album '. The song is an eclectic fusion of electronic music and heavy percussion, with politically fused hip hop lyrics that draw a connection between past revolutionaries and bohemians to present-day street artists. It was produced and mixed by Arthur Baker and John Robie. Mastering was by Herb Powers Jr..
The song was used by the Toronto Raptors as its entrance song during home games in 2006. It is also featured as a track on the radio in the video game '. In 1985, the song was used in "The Maze", an episode in the first season of the television police drama Miami Vice. It was remade by Rage Against the Machine and released as a single in 2001. "Weird Al" Yankovic included Rage Against the Machine's version in his polka medley "Angry White Boy Polka" from his 2003 album Poodle Hat.

Track listing

Artist - Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force
12" Single – Tommy Boy
CD Maxi-Single – Tommy Boy
In 2000, American rock band Rage Against the Machine recorded the song for their cover album Renegades. In addition to lyrics by Afrika Bambaataa, it features a percussion interpolation of the Incredible Bongo Band's piece "Apache" and riffs from the Cheap Trick song "Gonna Raise Hell".
The group played the song live for the first time at its reunion show at Coachella 2007. This version of the song was the intro music to "The Big Mad Morning Show" on 92.1 The Beat in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The music video directed by Steven Murashige was a montage of film stock-footage clips, as the band had broken up when the video was released. The montage consists mostly of funk and hip-hop music and events of the Civil Rights movements, interspersed with live footage of the Los Angeles Phantom Street Artist Joey Krebs spray-painting his infamous Outline Silhouettes of Figures mixed with media stills of individuals the song implies are renegades:
Artist: - Rage Against the Machine
  1. "Renegades Of Funk" – 3:54
  2. "Renegades Of Funk" – 4:35