Back in the late 1990s (when album sales were robust and a CDs actual release date was more important than its leak date), every Tuesday in November and December was a "Super Tuesday," usually featuring a handful of big-name releases all hitting stores at the same time. Artists competed for gargantuan first-week album sales and spots on "TRL." 10 years ago, November 2 was one of those massive Tuesdays, featuring a handful of big acts putting out new, high-profile records. Foo Fighters dropped There's Nothing Left to Lose (their most successful album and the winner of the Grammy for Best Rock Album in 2000). On the same day, Mariah Carey unleashed Rainbow, lead by the smash hit "Heartbreaker" (a collaboration with Jay-Z). Counting Crows busted out their third release This Desert Life, which picked up some traction when first single "Hanginaround" became something of a graduation anthem for high school seniors. Lil Wayne put out Tha Block is Hot, his watershed solo debut on Cash Money. Elsewhere in hip-hop, Flipmode Squad's Rah Digga released her underrated solo debut Dirty Harriet, while the Roots put out their excellent live album The Roots Come Alive.

But with all those names putting out albums on November 2, 1999, who played live on "TRL" that day? Rage Against the Machine, who performed in Times Square to celebrate the release of their third album The Battle of Los Angeles, their most accomplished, complex and mature album. Lead by the single "Guerrilla Radio," the band balanced the savagery of Tom Morello's guitar assault with the funky low end and Zack De La Rocha's pointed agit-prop rapping. The band broke up soon after but reunited a few years back, though The Battle of Los Angeles was the last original album they put out. But it still holds up, and it's amazing to think that a collective could be so well versed in politics but also know how to move a crowd so well. Check out the excellent video for "Guerrilla Radio."

For months now, we've been hearing rumors about Rage Against the Machine that suggested the band, who've reunited for a spate of successful gigs, would soon be hitting the studio to write and record the follow-up to 2000's cover-filled Renegades. Obviously, you've got to take such rumors with a grain of salt, considering Rage's history. But then again, stranger things have definitely happened.

MusicRadar, citing a "source" within the band's label, Sony, reported that rumor, saying that Rage was prepping new material for an album to be released next year. "We're hopeful," the source apparently said, "but a new album is far from definite." The story was picked up by several sites, and fans responded with a great deal of skepticism — as well they should have.

We decided to go straight to the source and reached out to guitarist Tom Morello — who has been busy with his solo project, the Nightwatchman, and will make an appearance on Cypress Hill's upcoming LP — by e-mail this morning, asking him whether there was any truth to these rumors. He got back to us a few minutes later with exactly the kind of response we were anticipating. "Nope," he wrote. Short, sweet and concise. Let's hope this denial puts these Rage recording rumors to rest once and for all.

Long-running, sweet-leaf-loving rappers Cypress Hill are in the process of making their first new album in four years, according to founding member Sen Dog, who told Billboard.com that the group has finished 30 songs for the untitled project. Dog described the album as "definitely hard-core hip-hop" and said the trio hopes to have the album out by the spring, though they’re currently looking for a new record deal.

Sen Dog boasted that it would include writing and production collaboration with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello on the song "Rise Up" and a cameo from Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda on another untitled track. Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash is slated to appear on a tune called "Front Line."

All of which begs the question, "Wait, Cypress Hill are still together?"

Police arrested 102 people last night after a Rage Against the Machine concert in Minneapolis led to a spontaneous protest against the Republican National Convention, which was taking place in nearby St. Paul. Unlike Monday's protest held just outside the RNC site, the impromptu march didn’t involve vandalism. Check out the complete story of the arrested Rage Against the Machine fans.

Do you think that the police overreacted to the marchers?

It looks like Rage Against the Machine picked the perfect time to reunite. Not only will the rebel rockers throw down during the Republican National Convention in Minnesota next month, now they've signed on to headline a gig during the Democratic National Convention in Denver at the end of this month as well.

Rage will play along with the Flobots, the Coup, State Radio and former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer at the "Tent State Music Festival to End the War," as part of a four-day protest series planned for the city.

Check out more on this story.

Rage Against the Machine will give new meaning to the phrase "counterprogramming" when they plug in at Minneapolis' Target Center on September 3 — in the midst of the Republican National Convention, which will be taking place just across the river in St. Paul that week. Additionally, Rage guitarist Tom Morello will hook up with fellow well-known lefty Steve Earle to play a gig on September 1 in St. Paul, the first night of the convention.

Read the complete story here.

Lollapalooza 2008 is a wrap, but that doesn't mean you're up on everything that went down this past weekend in Chicago. Let's break it down day-by-day ...

Friday: Radiohead dazzled the glassy-eyed crowd, opting to play some of their more low-key songs amid a digital rain shower. The fans appreciated the soft landing after a frenetic day with CSS, the Cool Kids, the Black Lips and others. (Read more about Day 1.)

Saturday: The festival took a violent turn during Rage Against the Machine's set, as aggressive fans overstepped their bounds and the band urged them to calm down. It was an ugly and unfortunate end to what had been an otherwise idyllic day in Grant Park with Lupe Fiasco, the Ting Tings and more. (Read more about Day 2.)

Sunday: Lollapalooza 2008 wrapped up Sunday night not with an appearance by Illinois Senator Barack Obama (as had been rumored all weekend), but rather, with a much-hyped showdown between homecoming king Kanye and Trent Reznor's rejuvenated Nine Inch Nails. (Read more about Day 3.)

For even more on Lolla (yes, more!), check out all our coverage here in the Newsroom blog.

· Powerhouse Canadian rockers Nickelback are the latest act to sign a mega-deal with promotions giant Live Nation for their recording, touring and merchandising rights. Though the deal was not as rich as recent ones inked by Madonna, U2 and Jay-Z, it was reportedly worth $50-$70 million. 

· Kanye West's management team is reportedly trying to get the keyboard-thrashing, blog-bashing rapper to attend anger-management classes for his own good — and to help him score some lucrative endorsement deals.
  
· New York rapper William Troy McCune is suing the producers of the 2007 documentary "Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life" for $5 million, alleging that they included footage of him battling Biggie without his permission.

· Rap trio Onyx are prepping a comeback with a pair of albums. The first disc, Cold Case Files: Unsolved Murders, due August 19, features lost studio sessions from the group's most recent albums and cameos from Method Man and late group member X-1. It will be followed in 2009 by the group's new studio album Black Rock.
 
· Bruce Springsteen will release a live digital EP, Magic Tour Highlights, on July 15 that will feature four songs and four videos, including late E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici's final performance with the group. Guests on the tracks include Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Byrds legend Roger McGuinn.

· It's no secret that Spike Lee loves the rock musical "Passing Strange." He even wrote a glowing open letter a few months back, urging folks to "go see 'Passing Strange' and tell them Spike sent you." Now, the director has scheduled a press conference on Wednesday, in which he'll unveil plans to shoot the stage production, concert-film style, for a movie that will most likely air on cable.

· After sharing the stage with Snoop Dogg for a run through of "Gin and Juice" at the debut of "FNMTV" three weeks ago, Panic at the Disco are reportedly planning to team up with Snoop again to record a song.

· Gregg Gillis, a.k.a. Girl Talk, is hitting the road in support of his Feed the Animals album. His latest round of U.S. dates kicks off at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado, on July 11 with opening acts Hearts of Darknesses, Grand Buffet, Cx Kidtronik and the Death Set.

· Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore is in fair condition after being seriously injured in an ATV accident on his Charlottesville, Virginia, farm.

· First the good news: You will soon hear some new music from Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello. The bad news for hard-core Rage fans? It's not from the band but from Morello's side project, the Nightwatchman. The guitarist is prepping his second solo album, The Fabled City, for a September 30 release.

· In other Rage news, singer Zack de la Rocha is about to break his silence by releasing his first album in eight years under the name One Day as a Lion. The five-song EP with drummer Jon Theodore will be released July 22 and is described as a "sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask." Exactly. Read more...

· The Black Eyed Peas are set to perform today for about 700 people in Shanghai to support Red Cross relief efforts for victims of the recent earthquake in China.

· N.E.R.D., Death Cab For Cutie, the Ting Tings, and Lightspeed Champion are among the acts lined up for the second iTunes Live series.

· One of Jim Jones’ bodyguards was arrested on Sunday after a skirmish between police and the rapper’s entourage at Hot 97’s Summer Jam show at Giants Stadium.

· Rage Against the Machine took the stage dressed as hooded, orange jumpsuit-wearing prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detainee prison camp on Sunday during an appearance at the Pinkpop Festival.