The last time music reacted this forcefully to U.S. politics was during the Bush era. Two decades later, public interest has surged again, signaling a renewed appetite for songs that speak directly to political unrest.

Using “Start a Fire” as a case study, this video traces how protest rap is re-emerging in response to political unrest and how artists navigate collaboration, visibility, and urgency in real time.

Inside the Rise of Protest Rap follows this moment through Damag3 (Ares Mascaro) and The Neighborhood Kids, tracing how “Start a Fire” came together.

That turning point was catalyzed by Grandson, another politically outspoken artist. After hearing “Kids in the Cages,” he introduced The Neighborhood Kids to Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, putting the band on Morello’s radar and eventually bringing both artists into the same Los Angeles studio, where “Start a Fire” took form.

Footage from The Neighborhood Kids’ final East Coast date with Morello shows the band mid-stride, as their music continues to take shape within a charged political and cultural moment.