Irish language rappers Kneecap told David Hennessy about their debut album, having Gerry Adams in their self- titled film and making the DUP their PR people.
Irish language rappers Kneecap have released their semi- autobiographical film to UK cinemas, the film follows their debut album Fine Art.
The film, now Ireland’s entry for Oscar consideration, took this year’s Sundance Film Festival by storm, with their self-titled semi-biopic film starring Michael Fassbender not only screening but earning them an award.
The album boasts vocal contributions from Lankum’s Radie Peat, Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C. and Jelani Blackman.
The trio made up of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí have also made their US TV debut on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show and helped lead the Irish boycott on the Austin TX SxSW music festival.
Kneecap first began releasing music in 2017 with their single C.E.A.R.T.A.
The track was quickly banned by Irish language radio station RTE for ‘drug referencing and cursing’. It would be their first brush with controversy but not their last.
They were condemned in 2019 after videos showed them chanting ‘Brits Out’ at a concert the day after Prince William and Kate were at the venue.
The album title ‘Fine Art’ was their answer to the media frenzy that followed their 2022 unveiling of a hometown mural that showed a PSNI jeep on fire.
They have been denounced as ‘lowlife scum’ by the DUP but far from worrying about any of the controversy, they thank the DUP for doing their PR for them.
The record captures several different moods. I think you have described it as going into a pub and someone’s offering you a pint one minute, then there’s a sing song, then there might be an argument..
Móglaí Bap: “Exactly.
“In Ireland it’s quite common for us to go to pubs maybe instead of clubs.
“So in a pub, you’d have a person belting out a tune, everyone going mad one minute and then the next minute, we’re all silent for a sean-nós song and the next minute we’re, as you say, in a cubicle with five other people all trying squeeze in.”
Mo Chara: “That was all intentional. We wanted it to obviously be very sort of multi- genre or diverse in that way, because at the end of the day what we’re trying to do as well is we’re trying to push the language into places it’s never been and see that it can survive and hold its own against English music for example.
“So we wanted to do plenty of punk and then obviously into the dance-y kind of rave-y tracks as well so we’re all around the houses but at the same time trying to maintain that kind of cohesive sound and I think we got it right.”
DJ Próvaí: “It feels like one body of work instead of 12 singles just standing on their own. It all ties into each other and the sketches help that as well. Just ties it all together in a nice wee bow.”
Let’s talk about the film. You have had that success at Sundance.
You must be buzzing to not only have your album coming out but also to have a film that you star in alongside Michael Fassbender…
Mo Chara: “It’s mad.
“It’s hard at the time to realise how mad it is because the last couple of years has just been f**king mental for us anyway so things that are just unfathomable a couple of years ago, it almost felt normal sitting having a pint with Michael Fassbender.
“It’s just been such a chaotic few years for us that nothing has made sense but it was amazing, great experience.”
Would you like to do more acting? Or is it the case that it was your story so you were the best to do it?
Móglaí Bap: “I can only play myself. That’s about it.”
Mo Chara: “I’d love to. I’d f**king love to. I definitely will.”
We have to mention the other big name you have in your movie although it’s not the name of a big actor. Gerry Adams appears in the film…
Móglaí Bap: “We just sent him a message and he said, ‘No problem at all’, and he came down not long after that with his security guard and then filmed that scene where we take ketamine instead of cocaine by accident and then my head turns into Gerry Adams.
“A lot of people think it’s AI generated but it’s actually him.”
Mo Chara: “It was actually him, he got involved.
“We sent him it and he arrives and he says to Móglaí Bap, ‘I’ve got one issue with it’.
“And we were like, ‘Oh, it’s obviously gonna be saying the word ket’, but it was because he said f**k.
“One of the lines was, ‘What are your f**king staring at?’
“So he was like, ‘I’m not gonna say f**k’, so he changed it frig, ‘What are yis friggin staring at?’
“That was his one qualm.”
What was he like?
Móglaí Bap: “He’s a big messer.
“I think he loves messing around, having the craic with people. That’s the way he was.”
Mo Chara: “I imagine people think he’s a lot more serious than he is.
“But also we’re from the west. I imagine for anybody who’s not from West Belfast he’s this big, sort of mythological character kind of thing.
“But everybody knows Gerry.”
DJ Próvaí: “Big Uncle G.”
Mo Chara: “Everybody knows Gerry, you see him everywhere.”
People say you are controversial but it’s done you no harm at all, has it?
Móglaí Bap: “People pay thousands of pounds for ads in newspapers and we’re getting two page spreads and front page headlines in some newspapers.
“Money literally couldn’t pay for that.”
Mo Chara: “We’re very calculated in that way.”
Móglaí Bap: “Very smart.”
Mo Chara: “We’re f**king geniuses.
“We know how easy it is to get a rise out of politicians here, especially the DUP.
“Our existence annoys them, you know what I mean?
“If you’re doing hip hop or if you’re surviving in Belfast as a Republican, it’s controversial and again, controversy is subjective to me.
“When we got the mural painted, we knew rightly, ‘As soon as that mural goes up, we can just stand back now and just let the media and the politicians make two, three weeks out of this’, you know what I mean?
“So we just got the mural done, stood back and just watched the media frenzy.
“So controversy is good. It’s a good thing.
“It just means you’re challenging some kind of status quo if you’re being controversial which is always a good thing.”
DJ Próvaí “The DUP are our publicity team as well and no strangers to controversy themselves.”
Mo Chara: “I was about to say I’m waiting on an invoice from the DUP for all the PR work they’ve done.
“It’s slave labour.
“They’re working away for nothing, God love them.
“Rushed off their feet they are with us.”
You thanked them when you got your award at Sundance, didn’t you?
Mo Chara: “Yeah, actually it’s on the album as well.
“We thank the DUP.”
Móglaí Bap: “We are grateful.”
Mo Chara: “They must f**king hate that.”
The funny thing is- perhaps it’s not even that funny but if they were more concerned with real issues, such as Stormont being in a mess at the time, the region would be a lot better off..
Móglaí Bap: “For sure. That’s why they kind of obsess over these small things happening in the news because it kind of it gets people pumped up or riled up instead of actually focusing on working together in a government or whatever.”
Mo Chara: “That’s the main reason that they held on to power for so long.
“Because a lot of people in the unionist areas don’t like the DUP but this idea of the fear of Sinn Féin that the DUP stoke into them: That kind of keeps them in power.
“Also the DUP should be thanking us too because every time we do something, it gives them a chance to get into the media again and get on the front page and get a quote and gets them 10 minutes on the news again, keeps them relevant.
“It’s a symbiotic relationship. We keep each other busy.”
DJ Próvaí: “And you would think the DUP would be working harder as well to try and keep their mind off all these f**king skeletons they have in their closets.”
Móglaí Bap remembers going to the Protestant area of Sandy Row in South Belfast one July 12 for the Orangemen’s Day celebrations.
Approached by a group of Protestant lads necking Buckfast, he was at first apprehensive – until they started rapping the band’s debut single ‘C.E.A.R.T.A.’ at him.
It is a misrepresentation to say that you don’t have Unionist fans, isn’t it?
Móglaí Bap: “Yeah, I think a lot of the criticism comes from mostly middle class politicians or middle class parties like the Alliance Party.
“On the ground we have met Unionist or Protestants. They didn’t give a f**k about our politics and we didn’t give a f**k about their politics and we got along very well.
“They knew some Kneecap songs and we drank some Buckfast.
“I think maybe they like to think that we don’t get along with young Protestants but the reality for young people these days is that it’s just not the way it was and people get along.”
Mo Chara: “You don’t have to agree with everybody’s politics to get on with them.
“You don’t have to agree with everything. It’s okay to disagree with people.
“I think we forgot that.”
Móglaí Bap: “We don’t want any return to any violence in the north of Ireland.”
Mo Chara: “And that’s the beauty of satire and what we do as well, we’re able to talk about things in an extreme version of it.
“We’ll do a stunt or a song.
“People will come out outraged and then people will start defending us.
“It creates this dialogue, whether it’s talking about drugs or mental health, whatever it is that we do extreme versions of.
“It creates a dialogue for people to talk about.
“It’s just what it’s there for.”
You have made serious statements such as when you went on the Late Late Show and displayed solidarity with Palestine…
Móglaí Bap: “Yeah, we had to talk about what’s going on in Palestine, something that’s important to us and it’s a small gesture we can make to highlight what’s going on: The genocide.”
Mo Chara: “It shouldn’t be so taboo and controversial to talk about that or wear a badge that is in support of f**king starving kids being bombed.”
Móglaí Bap: “If you can wear a Ukrainian flag, there’s no reason why a Palestinian flag can’t also be used on the Late Late Show.”
Was it really so out of order? What did you do, DJ Próvaí but wear a football shirt?
DJ Próvaí: “Yeah, it was just a Palestinian football shirt but obviously the week before that, people were told not to be wearing badges because they’re trying to represent one side of the community but this is not a one sided kind of thing. Genocide is genocide, you can’t f**king support it in any way, shape or form. That’s kind of just highlighting how ridiculous some of these TV shows are because if they’re not able to highlight this and let people speak about it openly, then it’s just proper censorship.
“We were just trying to stop that and use our platform to highlight what’s happening.”
They led a boycott after finding out that the US military was sponsoring the Austin showcase festival, SXSW.
In solidarity with Palestine, every Irish act pulled out.
There was also questions about why they didn’t pull out of The Great Escape that was sponsored by Barclays which is accused of links to those arming Israel.
You also made your statement at SXSW leading the Irish boycott..
Mo Chara: “It’s one of those ones.
“If you dig deep enough of any music festival, you’re gonna find ties to Israel so it’s not like we’re gonna just pull out if a festival’s selling Coca Cola.
“That being said, SXSW, the US army was called a super sponsor and they were doing talks about weapons and drones and sh*t- Bizarre sh*t for a f**king music festival.
“That was a no brainer and fair play to all the other ones who pulled out.
“Obviously it was a financial hit but some of the smaller bands who really rely on this kind of money and like pulled out as well, it was a proper nice gesture.
“There was an Irish stage at it that was obviously just empty the whole time.
“That’s unbelievable.
“80 bands pulled out altogether.”
Móglaí Bap: “It’s mad that there’s a music festival sponsored by the army.
“Very ominous intentions there: I think trying to, I’d imagine, influence some young people to join the army.”
Mo Chara: “We obviously get a lot of people saying we should pull out of all these different things because there’s some kind of tie but that is putting the whole burden on the artists.
“This is our income so we can’t pull out of everything,
“This is our income and you’re taking away the responsibility there of the actual organisers of the festivals, the people who are actually letting this be part of the support and investment, the structure of the festival and putting all the burden on the artists.
“I feel like it’s a real slippery slope.”
DJ Próvaí: “I think whenever we do these festivals, we always give the spiel about Palestine and what’s happening there.
“You have the crowd doing the free Palestine chants.
“It’s always raising awareness and then people go to our platforms and see what’s happening, and they can join the BDS movement.
“It just brings a bit more awareness if we’re not able to pull out.”
Speaking of these things, you were awarded government funding just to have it taken away..
Mo Chara: “It was BPI (British Phonographic Industry) so it was like a public pot.
“They had put a couple of hundred thousand for artists who are touring in America so we applied for it and they accepted it: £15,000.
“And basically the Tory government completely blocked it.”
“And then when asked (spokesperson for the UK’s Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch) said something along the lines of, ‘How can we give UK taxpayer funding to people who oppose the United Kingdom?’
“By that logic then, people who don’t agree with the United Kingdom shouldn’t have to pay taxes.
“In the Good Friday Agreement, we’re told that we’re allowed to identify as Irish nationalists and it’s completely by law.
“Also, the biggest party in Ireland is now Republican so this is the mainstream belief now in this country.
“The PR has been amazing.
“£15,000 is a lot of money but for a touring band in America, that’s not an awful lot.
“That’s not a lot of money to tour America with, we got our money’s worth in PR so thanks again.
“We decided to follow up on it for the court case because it’s a real slippery slope if they’re willing to come out in public and say ‘the reason that we’re blocking this funding is because you oppose the United Kingdom’.
“That is a terrifying f**king sentence that is a real slippery slope and you have to call these things out.”
The big question: Do you think a united Ireland is looking pretty inevitable?
Mo Chara: “I think so.
“I mean Brexit was a big, a big part of it as well.
“The North and Scotland voted to stay in the EU.
“I think that’s grounds for a border poll, that alone never mind the fact that the the biggest party on the island is a Republican Party as well.
“It’s also in the Good Friday Agreement that if there’s enough support for it that a border poll is possible.
“It’s definitely inevitable at some point.
“I’d love to see it. I’d love to see it.”
Kneecap played Glastonbury and Electric Picnic, these massive festivals and a film were never in the blueprint when they first started. In truth, they never looked beyond that initial single.
Mo Chara: “We’re just taking it all step by step at this point now because it’s just been so chaotic and sh*t just keeps happening.
“It’s just crazy so we’re gonna ride it ‘til the f**king wheels come off obviously.”
DJ Próvaí: “Irish language is back and it’s more sexy than ever.”
Kneecap is in cinemas now.
The album Fine Art is out now.
For more information, click here.
