Rage Against the Machine singer Zack de la Rocha is working with an underground rap producer on tracks for his first solo album.

New York MC/producer El-Producto (a.k.a. El-P), of the rap group Company Flow, said he has been tapped by the singer/rapper of the Los Angeles rock group to produce a number of songs.

"I ship them to him and he'll take as many as I can give him, so the pressure's on me," El-P, who declined to give his full name, said.

The album has no title and no release date, an Epic Records spokesperson who requested anonymity said.

El-P said he met de la Rocha through their involvement with Rawkus Records, the New York rap label for which Company Flow records. "Zack got in touch with us, actually," El-P said. "He was hanging around Rawkus and heard [the Company Flow song] 'Patriotism' [from Soundbombing 2], and we connected."

The Epic Records spokesperson said no additional information was available on other artists slated to collaborate with de la Rocha on the album.

"Zack has serious flow control," El-P said in praise of the singer's cathartic, politicized rapping style. "Most people are on some kid's sh--, which is cool, you know, I'm on some kid's sh-- too, but few people have Zack's lyrics."

Rage Against the Machine — who also include guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk — released their third album, The Battle of Los Angeles, in November. The 12-song album features the group's signature mix of incendiary, turntable-like guitar work from Morello and political rapping from de la Rocha on such calls to arms as "Guerrilla Radio" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Sleep Now in the Fire."

The album also features "Mic Check (Once Hunting, Now Hunted)," on which de la Rocha mixes old-school rap boasts with dancehall-reggae toasting for one of the group's most overt tributes to their hip-hop influences.

Since releasing their self-titled debut in 1992, Rage Against the Machine have developed a reputation for explosive shows and left-wing activism.

The group, which has rallied against sweatshop labor and a number of other social causes in the past, has run afoul of police organizations during the past two years for its ardent support of convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose name is mentioned in "Guerrilla Radio" (RealAudio excerpt).

De la Rocha recently dipped his foot into the solo arena with the song "Mumia 911" on The Unbound Project, Volume 1, an all-star hip-hop album, due May 16, benefiting Abu-Jamal's legal defense.

The rapper/singer also could be heard on last year's all-star Lyricists Lounge album from Rawkus, on which he shared the microphone with old-school rapper KRS-One on the song "C.I.A. (Criminals in Action)."

Invisibl Skratch Piklz turntablist Mix Master Mike (born Mike Schwartz) said in February that he planned to collaborate with de la Rocha on a track for his upcoming album, Terrorist, tentatively due in October.

"I met [de la Rocha] when we played a show together [in January 1999], and ... we got heavily involved in hanging out and sharing views on music," Mix Master Mike said.

A recording session has not yet taken place, according to Felice Agi, a spokesperson for Mix Master Mike's label, Asphodel Records.