Political statements in heavy metal became common during the late Eighties, as evidenced by Metallica's "Disposable Heroes," Megadeth's "Peace Sells" and Living Colour's "Cult of Personality." Living Colour's Vernon Reid wanted the latter's lyrics to focus on the mass appeal of certain world leaders. As the guitarist said, "I was thinking about how Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were all very handsome. They had very profound things to say, and I just thought it was really weird that these are cats that are very important politically/socially, but they also look like matinee idols." "Cult" not only features a Zeppelin-esque guitar riff played by Reid, but it also has the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, uttering the final quote in the song.