Moglai Bap (left), DJ Provai (center) and Mo Chara (proper), members of Irish band Kneecap, pose for a photograph on the Nationwide Lodge in Havana, on March 20, 2026.
Yamil Lage/AFP through Getty Photographs/AFP
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The Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap acquired their begin rapping about medicine and their ire towards the British authorities. They’re nonetheless doing that. However in response to member Mo Chara, their new album, Fenian, is a bid to be taken extra significantly 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” 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 preventing 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 towards 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.Ok. “In case you’re Irish and referred to 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 suppose lots of people know that younger individuals in Belfast converse Irish willingly, and I believe that is an enormous a part of our music, is that this id that must be seen and heard,” Móglaí Bap says.
Kneecap’s political messages prolong 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 could be very near the Irish individuals’s hearts, for apparent causes for my part,” 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 bother. Whereas recording Fenian, Mo Chara hung out 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 flippantly 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 referred to 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 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: 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 understand how a lot you understand, 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 shouldn’t 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 costs. What was it like creating new music whereas additionally going through that type of authorized strain and uncertainty?
MO CHARA: It was improbable. No, I am joking. There was quite a lot of strain, as you’ll be able to 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 cut up [those] seven weeks in half and go to the Magistrates’ Courtroom 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 recommend that your music “amplified political violence,” as a Canadian Parliamentary secretary mentioned final 12 months whenever you had been banned from getting 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 most important individuals who should be criticized, not bands. However I believe [government officials] wish to have a look at bands as a substitute of trying on the precise individuals who profit from this. There is a large revenue being made on this conflict, and [weapons manufacturers are] the individuals who must be criticized.
SUMMERS: Your band has develop into well-known amongst followers in addition to critics to your outspoken feedback about Israel’s conflict in Gaza, the plight of the Palestinian individuals. Are you able to speak about that? Do you might have 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 huge miscommunication and misinformation about that. What occurred is, we did have our promoters on the time, and we sort of determined, you understand, 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 believe what I am about to say could also be very, very exhausting for Individuals 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 referred to as a famine, the identical factor that we witnessed a number 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 individuals. So it’s important to perceive, we’re not doing this for no motive. We watch what’s occurring within the Center East and we relate to it. Perhaps it is not on the very same stage due to how know-how has superior. We had been by no means bombed from the skies. However I might push Individuals to at the very least 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 assist had been designed to forestall it from falling into the arms of Hamas militants.
SUMMERS: Politics are so current all through this album. I wish to ask you concerning the tune “Palestine.” It includes 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 youngster, we used to go to protests and stuff. In 2018, we helped my brother who began a gymnasium 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 gymnasium. So then he met his fiancée there. She’s from Ramallah and she or he was mates with [the rapper] Fawzi. He had a tune referred to as “Castro” that we appreciated so much. 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’ve 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 suppose individuals misunderstand about Kneecap?
MO CHARA: We get that query so much. 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 referring to any individual. No matter what I say on this interview or any interview, the identical individuals shall be upset and outraged. And you understand what? Individuals have a proper to disagree. Individuals have a proper to protest. And that is comprehensible. For me, I simply hope individuals perceive … [we were] mates lengthy earlier than this band. We imagine 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 imagine is nice and simply and proper [and] sadly, we imagine that sure mainstream media, for instance, want to painting us in a sure different manner. That is not who we’re as individuals. I believe should you scratch on the floor, you will get to know who we’re from interviews typically. However yeah, I prefer to not dwell on different individuals’s opinions an excessive amount of as a result of I do not suppose it is helpful to anybody.
SUMMERS: Do both of you might have a favourite tune on this album?
MÓGLAÍ BAP: Oh. Hmm. That is a tricky one. I’ve a number 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 individual despatched me a documentary, which featured us as youngsters with my mother and father. 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 a number of years now, however I believe it is solely after a number of years that you simply get to course of demise and look again at enjoyable instances or simply regular instances. And the tune is sort of a mirrored image on [how] it is not 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 individual that you simply 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 will have such an enormous fan base right here in the USA. Do you see your self having 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 price 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 motive why a authorities must be stepping in and saying what the American listenership ought to devour. I simply do not suppose it is a good place for governments to start out stepping in and telling individuals, which is outwardly the land of free speech, of what they need to have the ability to take heed to.
