Kneecap (band)
Hip-hop group from Northern Ireland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kneecap are an Irish hip hop trio from West Belfast, Northern Ireland, composed of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí,[1][2] the stage names of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, respectively.[3] They rap in a mixture of English and Irish, and their lyrics often contain Irish republican themes. Their first single "C.E.A.R.T.A." (Irish for "Rights") was released in 2017, followed by their debut album 3CAG, in 2018.[4] Their second album Fine Art was released in 2024, and a biographical film about the group was released later the same year.[5]
Kneecap | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels | Heavenly Recordings |
| Members |
|
| Website | Official website |
The group is also known for their political views, which include: Irish republicanism, anti-Zionism, opposition to Donald Trump, and support for several militant groups.[6][7]
History
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Their first single "C.E.A.R.T.A." was loosely based on Móglaí Bap's experience. On the day before the Irish Language Act march in Belfast, Móglaí Bap went out with a friend of his and spray-painted the word "Cearta" on a bus stop. The Police Service of Northern Ireland found that and arrested his friend, although Móglaí managed to escape. The friend only spoke Irish at the police station, and spent a night there, refusing to speak English. Following this incident, "C.E.A.R.T.A." was written.[8]
In late 2017,[9] their song "C.E.A.R.T.A." was banned from the Irish-medium radio station RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (RnaG) for "drug references and cursing". Fans started a petition which garnered 700 signatures to put the song back on air. Kneecap defended the song as "a caricature of life in west Belfast" and "a satirical take on life for young people, particularly in west Belfast".[10]
The group's first full-length album, 3CAG, was released in 2018. The title references the drug MDMA: 3CAG means trí chonsan agus guta ('three consonants and a vowel'), slang for the substance. The group's name was the traditional wounding inflicted on alleged drug-dealers by paramilitary Irish Republicans. Móglaí noted that the irony is intentional, as they are "talking about things that would get us kneecapped".[11] The release was retrospectively described in The Skinny as "an irresistible collection of raucous hip-hop that fused the Irish and English languages with a wicked sense of humour."[12] It was retrospectively described in The Guardian as "self-aware and swaggering in equal measure as it flipped between nights on the town to the everyday reality of growing up in post-Troubles Northern Ireland."[13]
In February 2019, they received condemnation from South Belfast Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MLA Christopher Stalford after videos of the trio were posted online, showing them chanting 'Brits Out' at a concert performed in the Empire Music Hall in Belfast. The concert took place the day after the then Duke of Cambridge and the then Duchess of Cambridge had visited the same venue.[14]
In 2021, Kneecap released their single "MAM" as a tribute to their mothers; the song was acknowledged as a shift away from their usual style saying that they wanted to do something more "real". Mo Chara stated in an interview that they wanted to show that "we can 'roundhouse' you off the stage but we can also give you a hug afterwards. We wanted to do something a bit sentimental, we don't wanna just box ourselves in with masculinity all the time."[15] The trio also revealed on Instagram that Móglaí Bap's mother had died of suicide before the song was ready for release, and that all proceeds from the song would be going to the Samaritans.[16]
In early 2023, the group began filming a motion picture, also titled Kneecap, depicting a fictionalised account of their rise to fame. Released in August 2024, the film was directed by Rich Peppiatt with Michael Fassbender in a supporting role.[17][18]
In February 2024, the group was awarded a grant of £14,250 from the Music Export Growth Scheme, which was then blocked by the Department for Business and Trade.[19] Business secretary Kemi Badenoch said that the grant should not be awarded to "to people that oppose the United Kingdom itself."[20] The group filed a discrimination case against the UK government, winning the case and receiving the total grant amount in November 2024.[21] They split the grant to two youth organisations who work with Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland.[22]
Film
The 2024 biographical film Kneecap, in which the band members play themselves alongside more experienced actors including Michael Fassbender, Josie Walker, and Simone Kirby, is set in the West Belfast Gaeltacht Quarter in 2019. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 18 January 2024, being the first film in the Irish language at the festival.[23]
In August 2024, the Irish Film and Television Academy announced that they had selected Kneecap as their official submission to represent Ireland in the International Film Category at the 97th annual Academy Awards.[24] On 17 December 2024 Kneecap were shortlisted for two Academy Awards for the Best International Feature and Best Original Song with their song "Sick in the Head".[25]
Political views
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Kneecap are heavily associated with the ideology of Irish republicanism, advocating for the reunification of Ireland and opposing British rule in Northern Ireland. Kneecap refer to themselves as "Republican Hoods" and their fans as "Fenians". Their music, performed in the Irish language, promotes the use of the language as a tool of resistance. The group critiques the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the UK government, and political figures like Arlene Foster, often highlighting issues such as class inequality and working-class struggles. Kneecap’s approach combines political commentary with social issues, and their music often addresses themes like addiction and mental health.[26][27][28]
Móglaí Bap has stated "Republicanism is so vast and on a spectrum. We like to toy with it. We like to take the irony on, and also not be dictated about what kind of republicanism we’re going to believe in"[2] and "So we’re political, but it’s very tongue-in-cheek. We wanted to take the seriousness and the sting out of it and incorporate elements of life that we as young people enjoy — like partying and taking Class A drugs. We’re political, but it’s not like a political party. We’re political with small p’s".[29] Mo Chara has stated “I think because of where we’re from, everything has to be about politics. We’re a band, for fuck’s sake. We make music. Obviously, we do things that are political. But I worry that just because we’re a band from Belfast that raps in Irish, any kind of political crisis, they’re like, ‘Oh, let’s fucking ask Kneecap what they think!".[30]
In 2020, Kneecap publicly supported an independent Palestine by flying Palestinian flags at concerts and pledging to boycott Israel.[31][32] They also have close links with a volunteer gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, having helped raise funds for it and promoted it on their Instagram; further, in 2022, Irish writer Manchán Magan released a cover of Kneecap's song "C.E.A.R.T.A" to raise money for the gym.[33][34]
On 14 March 2025, the cut-off head of a statue of George V in Kings Domain, Melbourne removed during the 2024 King's Birthday protests was said to have appeared on stage during a Kneecap performance in that city.[35][36] Kneecap made reference to the head's presence in an Instagram post writing 'Remember, every colony can fall.'[35][36] The head had been missing since it was removed from the statue, however a video posted to Instagram relating to Australia Day of 2025 by an unrelated account showed the head on a barbecue being licked by flames.[35][36]
During their set at the 2025 Coachella Festival, the trio displayed the slogan "Fuck Israel / Free Palestine".[37] This demonstration was extensively covered by news networks, notably on established conservative outlets like Fox News and the New York Post, further raising interest in the group.[38]
A controversy around the group erupted when a video emerged from a Kneecap concert in Kent in which band member Mo Chara chanted "up Hezbollah" and "up Hamas" while draped in a Hezbollah flag. This has led to calls for the group to be investigated for violating the Terrorism Act 2000.[39][40]
Members of Kneecap have expressed support for politician Clare Daly.[41]
Reception
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Kneecap's logo is based on the balaclavas worn by paramilitaries. Band member Próvaí often wears an Irish tricolour balaclava in public.[27][28][42] The Guardian wrote that Kneecap's earlier work focused on merging Gaelic identity with hood culture.[27]
Journalist Malachi O'Doherty said Kneecap "have worked diligently at presenting themselves as worthless layabouts. There's a dishonesty at the heart of that" and "Maybe what their success suggests is that hood culture and provie [Provisional IRA] culture are both now parodied rather than preserved with any integrity."[27] Brendan O'Neill of Spiked concurred and has also questioned their authencity; In a December 2024 article O'Neill argued that Kneecap’s radicalism is performative, with the band adopting republican imagery to entertain liberal, middle-class audiences. O'Neill stated "They’re the cultural class larping as chavs, the Rachel Dolezals of republican chic" and argued that Kneecap only offer a sanitised, bourgeois-friendly version of resistance that flatters rather than challenges establishment sensibilities.[43]
Emer McLysaght of the Irish Times wrote that Kneecap "present an intelligent approach to social commentary and republicanism, more satire than sectarian. They punch up, not down. When they’re not singing about more universal social topics like drugs, addiction and mental health, they’re taking shots at the RUC, the PSNI, Arlene Foster and the UK government. They approach issues from a class perspective and, rather than demonising unionists and Protestants, they advocate for working-class liberation en masse".[44]
Discography
Albums
Singles
| Title | Release date | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRL [46] | |||
| "C.E.A.R.T.A" | December 2017 | 99 | 3CAG |
| "Amach Anocht" | March 2018 | — | |
| "H.O.O.D" | June 2019 | 23 [47] |
Non-album singles |
| "Gael-Gigolos" | June 2019 | — | |
| "Fenian Cunts" | September 2019 | — | |
| "Get Your Brits Out" | October 2019 | 100 | |
| "Mam" (with Dyrt) |
December 2020 | — | |
| "Guilty Conscience" | October 2021 | 28 [48] | |
| "Thart agus Thart" | — | ||
| "Its Been Ages" | March 2023 | — | |
| "Better Way to Live" (featuring Grian Chatten) |
November 2023 | 61 | Fine Art |
| "Sick in the Head" | February 2024 | —[A] | |
| "Fine Art" | March 2024 | —[B] | |
| "Love Making" (with Nino) |
May 2024 | —[C] |
Other charted songs
Notes
- "Sick in the Head" did not enter the Irish Singles Chart, but peaked at number five on the Irish Homegrown chart.[49]
- "Fine Art" did not enter the Irish Singles Chart, but peaked at number five on the Irish Homegrown chart.[50]
- "Love Making" did not enter the Irish Singles Chart, but peaked at number 18 on the Irish Homegrown chart.[51]
References
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