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
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The Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap obtained their begin rapping about medication and their ire towards the British authorities. They’re nonetheless doing that. However in line 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 material, it is easy to think about Kneecap has made progress on that entrance. The music “Palestine,” that includes Palestinian rapper Fawzi, is a message of Irish solidarity amid Israel’s struggle 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 yr, full with actual recordings of followers shouting “Free Mo Chara” outdoors the courthouse.
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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 combating for freedom from the British. Extra not too long ago, it developed right into a pejorative time period.
“In fashionable instances, it was used as a derogatory slur in opposition to Irish folks 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. “In the event 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 folks in Belfast converse Irish willingly, and I feel that is an enormous a part of our music, is that this identification that must be seen and heard,” Móglaí Bap says.
Kneecap’s political messages prolong past Eire. The trio is probably finest identified for his or her pro-Palestinian activism — and for being outspoken critics of Israel.
“The Palestinian trigger may be very near the Irish folks’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 international locations, together with Canada and Hungary, have banned them from getting into or performing there.
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There’s additionally been authorized hassle. 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 in the end dismissed.
Mo Chara says his authorized issues disrupted the making of the album — but in addition 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 personal 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 kind of people music that is geared in direction of rebel, which is an enormous factor in Eire. After all, 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 positively an enormous affect once 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: Everyone 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 folks … 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 shouldn’t be one thing that comes naturally to us. Due to this fact, at any time when we have seen The Rubberbandits with the ability to speak about… [how] horses are extra superior than automobiles 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 unbelievable. No, I am joking. There was plenty of strain, as you’ll be able to assume. It was a hindrance. A number of 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, a large gig in Wembley [Stadium]. In hindsight, they weren’t hindrances in any respect. They had been really huge inspirations and influences for the album. We had been capable of go to the court docket and get samples from outdoors the court docket [of fans saying] “Free Mo Chara.”
SUMMERS: What do you say to the critics on the market who counsel that your music “amplified political violence,” as a Canadian Parliamentary secretary mentioned final yr while you had been banned from getting into Canada?
MÓGLAÍ BAP: I feel 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 feel [weapons manufacturers] are the most important individuals who must be criticized, not bands. However I feel [government officials] wish to have a look at bands as an alternative of wanting on the precise individuals who profit from this. There is a huge revenue being made on this struggle, and [weapons manufacturers are] the individuals who must be criticized.
SUMMERS: Your band has grow to be well-known amongst followers in addition to critics in your outspoken feedback about Israel’s struggle in Gaza, the plight of the Palestinian folks. Are you able to speak about that? Do you’ve gotten any regrets about being so vocal?
MO CHARA: What would I remorse?
SUMMERS: I imply, you guys have seen penalties, for instance, shedding 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 huge 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 it’s important to perceive, and I feel what I am about to say could also be very, very exhausting for People to know 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 have now been topic to pressured hunger, which was known as a famine, the identical factor that we witnessed a couple of 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 isn’t in your nature and you are not keen to remain silent and watch this occur to a different folks. So it’s important to perceive, we’re not doing this for no cause. We watch what’s occurring within the Center East and we relate to it. Possibly it isn’t on the very same degree due to how expertise has superior. We had been by no means bombed from the skies. However I’d push People to no less than attempt to know the place we’re coming from there.
Editor’s observe: Israel has denied accusations that its insurance policies have led to hunger in Gaza and says restrictions on meals assist had been designed to stop it from falling into the fingers of Hamas militants.
SUMMERS: Politics are so current all through this album. I wish to ask you in regards to the music “Palestine.” It includes a Palestinian rapper and lyrics that say, partly, “We cannot cease till everyone seems to be free.” Inform us about that music.
MÓGLAÍ BAP: Palestine has been one thing that we have been concerned with, like, earlier than Kneecap, and rising up as a youngster, we used to go to protests and stuff. In 2018, we helped my brother who began a health club on the Lajee Middle, on the Aida Refugee Camp in Palestine, within the West Financial institution. We helped, with different bands, to boost cash for that health club. So then he met his fiancée there. She’s from Ramallah and he or she was pals with [the rapper] Fawzi. He had a music known as “Castro” that we favored quite a bit. Clearly we speak about Palestine and different worldwide solidarity, but it surely was essential for us to have a Palestinian on the album as a result of they know higher than anybody else. And to present them a chance to make use of our platform. So it was essential 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 indicate the parallels between Irish historical past and Palestinian historical past. To listen to them each facet by facet, I feel, is a really highly effective factor.
SUMMERS: What do you assume folks misunderstand about Kneecap?
MO CHARA: We get that query quite a bit. And for me personally, I do not like to consider that an excessive amount of. I feel folks prefer to be outraged. I feel folks 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 folks can be upset and outraged. And you realize what? Individuals have a proper to disagree. Individuals have a proper to protest. And that is comprehensible. For me, I simply hope folks perceive … [we were] pals lengthy earlier than this band. We consider in what’s proper and we do what we will. And now that we’re fortunate sufficient to have a platform, we use that platform for what we consider is nice and simply and proper [and] sadly, we consider that sure mainstream media, for instance, want to painting us in a sure different means. That is not who we’re as folks. I feel should you scratch on the floor, you will get to know who we’re from interviews basically. However yeah, I prefer to not dwell on different folks’s opinions an excessive amount of as a result of I do not assume it is helpful to anybody.
SUMMERS: Do both of you’ve gotten a favourite music on this album?
MÓGLAÍ BAP: Oh. Hmm. That is a troublesome one. I’ve a couple of.
MO CHARA: “Irish Goodbye” is the most effective. However I am unable to 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 kids with my dad and mom. And it was the primary time I seen my Ma in, like, a video with us as kids. In order that sort of impressed the concept of “Irish Goodbye.” She’s been useless a couple of years now, however I feel it is solely after a couple of years that you just get to course of demise and look again at enjoyable instances or simply regular instances. And the music is sort of a mirrored image on [how] it isn’t all of the loopy moments you miss in life with folks — 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 while you share it with any person that you just love.
SUMMERS: I do know that final yr you all needed to cancel a deliberate North American tour with plenty of sold-out dates that lots of people had been excited to see. You may have such an enormous fan base right here in the USA. Do you see your self with the ability to come again and tour in the USA anytime quickly?
MO CHARA: After all we’ll be again. Look, I imply, it is value remembering: No member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime ever. We’re not what the media portrays. So there is not any cause why a authorities must 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 start out stepping in and telling folks, which is outwardly the land of free speech, of what they need to be capable to take heed to.
