Moglai Bap (left), DJ Provai (center) and Mo Chara (proper), members of Irish band Kneecap, pose for a photograph on the Nationwide Resort in Havana, on March 20, 2026.
Yamil Lage/AFP through Getty Pictures/AFP
conceal caption
toggle caption
Yamil Lage/AFP through Getty Pictures/AFP
The Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap bought their begin rapping about medication and their ire towards the British authorities. They’re nonetheless doing that. However in keeping with member Mo Chara, their new album, Fenian, is a bid to be taken extra critically as musicians, to “not simply be seen as a parody act.”
Given the album’s subject material, it is easy to think about Kneecap has made progress on that entrance. The tune “Palestine,” that includes Palestinian rapper Fawzi, is a message of Irish solidarity amid Israel’s conflict in Gaza. One other observe, “Irish Goodbye,” honors one of many bandmates’ moms, who died by suicide. “Carnival” particulars Mo Chara’s authorized troubles final 12 months, full with actual recordings of followers shouting “Free Mo Chara” exterior the courthouse.
YouTube
Fenian is the group’s third album, and on it, they’re reclaiming a phrase from their native tongue. “Fenian” initially referred to an historical Irish warrior. Then, within the 18th and nineteenth centuries, the phrase was embraced by Irish rebels preventing for freedom from the British. Extra not too long ago, it advanced right into a pejorative time period.
“In fashionable occasions, it was used as a derogatory slur in opposition to Irish individuals within the North,” says Kneecap’s Móglaí Bap, referring to the divide between Irish republicans and British loyalists in Northern Eire, which is a part of the U.Okay. “When you’re Irish and known as a Fenian, it was such as you had been backwards or uncivilized.”
The facility and politics of language have at all times been on the heart of Kneecap’s work. The Belfast-based group raps primarily in Irish, with English woven all through.
“I do not assume lots of people know that younger individuals in Belfast communicate Irish willingly, and I believe that is a giant a part of our music, is that this id that must be seen and heard,” Móglaí Bap says.
Kneecap’s political messages lengthen past Eire. The trio is probably greatest identified for his or her pro-Palestinian activism — and for being outspoken critics of Israel.
“The Palestinian trigger may be very near the Irish individuals’s hearts, for apparent causes in my view,” Mo Chara says. “After 800 years of colonialism, we watch what’s occurring within the Center East and we relate to it.”
The group has endured backlash for his or her viewpoints. A number of nations, together with Canada and Hungary, have banned them from coming into or performing there.
YouTube
There’s additionally been authorized bother. Whereas recording Fenian, Mo Chara frolicked in court docket in London over a terrorism cost for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag throughout a present. He denied the cost, saying he picked up a flag that was thrown onto the stage with out understanding what it represented. The case was finally dismissed.
Mo Chara says his authorized issues disrupted the making of the album — but additionally formed it.
All Issues Thought of host Juana Summers sat down with Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap to debate what drives Kneecap to maintain making music.
This interview has been evenly edited for size and readability.
JUANA SUMMERS: Who’re your musical influences? What did you take heed to rising up that is helped you sort of make your individual sound?
MÓGLAÍ BAP: Eire is such a small nation, like we’re sort of influenced by so many various genres. One of many genres can be insurgent music, which is a sort of folks music that is geared in direction of revolt, which is a giant factor in Eire. In fact, there is a band known as The Rubberbandits, which had been a hip-hop duo from Limerick, who had been one of many first hip-hop teams to make use of Irish accents and Irish colloquial phrases of their hip-hop. In order that was undoubtedly a giant affect after I was rising up in my teenagers, of like, how can we rely on our personal tradition, on our personal craic, to create music?
MO CHARA: All people who was rapping in Eire on the time had been utilizing American accents or emulating American tradition. So [The Rubberbandits] had been the primary to do it that wasn’t all braggadocious. As a result of I do not know the way a lot you realize, however Irish individuals … we’re very, very self-deprecating. We are the reverse of braggadocious. So like, as a lot as we love hip-hop and storytelling, being braggadocious will not be one thing that comes naturally to us. Due to this fact, at any time when we have seen The Rubberbandits having the ability to speak about… [how] horses are extra superior than vehicles and stuff that had been Irish, that was one thing that we gravitated in direction of very, in a short time.
SUMMERS: I do know that on the time you had been creating this album, Mo Chara, you had been coping with some authorized challenges, terrorism expenses. What was it like creating new music whereas additionally going through that kind of authorized strain and uncertainty?
MO CHARA: It was improbable. No, I am joking. There was quite a lot of strain, as you possibly can assume. It was a hindrance. Numerous bands are capable of lock themselves away for a load of weeks and make an album that they’ve already [written]. However for us, we needed to break up [those] seven weeks in half and go to the Magistrates’ Court docket in London. We additionally had, as one other hindrance as we put it on the time, an enormous gig in Wembley [Stadium]. In hindsight, they weren’t hindrances in any respect. They had been really large inspirations and influences for the album. We had been capable of go to the court docket and get samples from exterior the court docket [of fans saying] “Free Mo Chara.”
SUMMERS: What do you say to the critics on the market who recommend that your music “amplified political violence,” as a Canadian Parliamentary secretary mentioned final 12 months whenever you had been banned from coming into Canada?
MÓGLAÍ BAP: I believe they’re very quick to criticize us and never so quick to criticize all these factories that create weaponry that’s utilized in Israel. And I believe [weapons manufacturers] are the largest individuals who should be criticized, not bands. However I believe [government officials] need to have a look at bands as an alternative of trying on the precise individuals who profit from this. There is a massive revenue being made on this conflict, and [weapons manufacturers are] the individuals who needs to be criticized.
SUMMERS: Your band has turn into well-known amongst followers in addition to critics on your outspoken feedback about Israel’s conflict in Gaza, the plight of the Palestinian individuals. Are you able to speak about that? Do you’ve any regrets about being so vocal?
MO CHARA: What would I remorse?
SUMMERS: I imply, you guys have seen penalties, for instance, dropping your North American visa sponsor. There’s been media scrutiny.
MO CHARA: That by no means occurred. We did not lose our North American visas. There’s large miscommunication and misinformation about that. What occurred is, we did have our promoters on the time, and we sort of determined, you realize, mutually to maneuver alongside to a different promoter. After which we determined, OK, let’s not apply for visas proper now. We had been by no means denied visas or had our visas stripped. However you need to perceive, and I believe what I am about to say could also be very, very exhausting for People to grasp this, however we’re Irish. And we grew up as Britain’s first colony. We had 800 years of colonialism. On the finish of the day, we perceive colonialism. We’ve been topic to pressured hunger, which was known as a famine, the identical factor that we witnessed just a few years in the past in Gaza and nonetheless witness. That’s one thing that, as an Irish particular person, it sparks one thing in your DNA. It is not in your nature and you are not keen to remain silent and watch this occur to a different individuals. So you need to perceive, we’re not doing this for no motive. We watch what’s occurring within the Center East and we relate to it. Possibly it isn’t on the very same stage due to how know-how has superior. We had been by no means bombed from the skies. However I’d push People to a minimum of attempt to grasp the place we’re coming from there.
Editor’s notice: Israel has denied accusations that its insurance policies have led to hunger in Gaza and says restrictions on meals support had been designed to stop it from falling into the arms of Hamas militants.
SUMMERS: Politics are so current all through this album. I need to ask you in regards to the tune “Palestine.” It incorporates a Palestinian rapper and lyrics that say, partly, “We cannot cease till everyone seems to be free.” Inform us about that tune.
MÓGLAÍ BAP: Palestine has been one thing that we have been concerned with, like, earlier than Kneecap, and rising up as a teen, we used to go to protests and stuff. In 2018, we helped my brother who began a fitness center on the Lajee Heart, on the Aida Refugee Camp in Palestine, within the West Financial institution. We helped, with different bands, to lift cash for that fitness center. So then he met his fiancée there. She’s from Ramallah and she or he was buddies with [the rapper] Fawzi. He had a tune known as “Castro” that we favored loads. Clearly we speak about Palestine and different worldwide solidarity, but it surely was crucial for us to have a Palestinian on the album as a result of they know higher than anybody else. And to present them a possibility to make use of our platform. So it was crucial for us to make that connection. We have not met Fawzi but, however on-line, on the web, we had conversations with him and we had been capable of make that connection. Once more, it is to point out the parallels between Irish historical past and Palestinian historical past. To listen to them each aspect by aspect, I believe, is a really highly effective factor.
SUMMERS: What do you assume individuals misunderstand about Kneecap?
MO CHARA: We get that query loads. And for me personally, I do not like to consider that an excessive amount of. I believe individuals prefer to be outraged. I believe individuals get extra of a kick out of being outraged than the kick they get out of regarding any person. No matter what I say on this interview or any interview, the identical individuals will probably be upset and outraged. And you realize what? Folks have a proper to disagree. Folks have a proper to protest. And that is comprehensible. For me, I simply hope individuals perceive … [we were] buddies lengthy earlier than this band. We consider in what’s proper and we do what we are able to. And now that we’re fortunate sufficient to have a platform, we use that platform for what we consider is sweet and simply and proper [and] sadly, we consider that sure mainstream media, for instance, want to painting us in a sure different approach. That is not who we’re as individuals. I believe if you happen to scratch on the floor, you will get to know who we’re from interviews on the whole. However yeah, I prefer to not dwell on different individuals’s opinions an excessive amount of as a result of I do not assume it is useful to anybody.
SUMMERS: Do both of you’ve a favourite tune on this album?
MÓGLAÍ BAP: Oh. Hmm. That is a troublesome one. I’ve just a few.
MO CHARA: “Irish Goodbye” is one of the best. However I can not provide the description why.
MÓGLAÍ BAP: That is as a result of I am on it.
SUMMERS: Inform us about “Irish Goodbye.”
MÓGLAÍ BAP: So we had been within the studio with [producer] Dan [Carey] and any person despatched me a documentary, which featured us as youngsters with my dad and mom. And it was the primary time I seen my Ma in, like, a video with us as youngsters. In order that sort of impressed the concept of “Irish Goodbye.” She’s been useless just a few years now, however I believe it is solely after just a few years that you just get to course of demise and look again at enjoyable occasions or simply regular occasions. And the tune is sort of a mirrored image on [how] it isn’t all of the loopy moments you miss in life with individuals — it is the mundane, boring stuff you miss, like sitting after dinner, speaking after dinner, strolling to the store or strolling across the park. So it is sort of reflecting [on] how a lot you miss the mundane stuff in life whenever you share it with any person that you just love.
SUMMERS: I do know that final 12 months you all needed to cancel a deliberate North American tour with quite a lot of sold-out dates that lots of people had been excited to see. You might have such a giant fan base right here in america. Do you see your self having the ability to come again and tour in america anytime quickly?
MO CHARA: In fact we’ll be again. Look, I imply, it is price remembering: No member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime ever. We aren’t what the media portrays. So there is no motive why a authorities needs to be stepping in and saying what the American listenership ought to eat. I simply do not assume it is a good place for governments to begin stepping in and telling individuals, which is seemingly the land of free speech, of what they need to be capable of take heed to.
