Almost 25 years since its release '90s rockers Rage Against the Machine's Bulls on Parade has found an unlikely new audience – so much so that it's favoured to top Triple J's Hottest 100 on Saturday.

A 'Like a Version' cover of the politically-charged 1996 song by Florida rapper Denzel Curry, recorded last February when the US artist was touring Australia as part of the Laneway Festival, has enrapt Triple J's audience and earned viral acclaim overseas.

Denzel Curry is favoured to claim this year's Hottest 100. Credit:Julian Cousins

"The first time I saw the finished video of Denzel's performance I knew it was going to be a monster," says Triple J's music director Nick Findlay.

"[Curry and his band] did some intense rehearsals in Sydney in the days leading up and arrived at Triple J with huge energy before the mics even went on. At the end you can see Denzel drop the mic, and not in a corny way. I think he realised something special had happened."