CONCERT PREVIEW: KNEECAP Keeps the Irish Gaelic Language and Hip-Hop’s Radical Roots Alive
A few weeks ago, a couple friends and I decided to go to the movies to check out a film called KNEECAP just based off a recommendation and not knowing what to expect.
Set in Belfast, Ireland, the movie follows the (dramatized) origin story of its eponymous hip-hop trio comprised of two lifelong best friends/drυg dealers/aspiring rappers named Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara, linking up with a high school music teacher who ends up becoming their producer named DJ Provaí. What makes KNEECAP as a collective unique is that they choose to primarily rap in their Indigenous Irish language, which is considered an endangered language, and according to statistics, is only spoken by about ~6000 people living in occupied Northern Ireland.
As a quick history lesson, the United Kingdom has claimed Northern Ireland as part of its territory for over 800 years, despite the fact that, geographically, Northern Ireland is a part of the rest of Ireland. Sound familiar? It even reached a point from the 1960s-late 90s known as “The Troubles” where a guerilla war campaign was waged by the Irish Republican Army against British forces. To add additional context, one of the key subplots of the film revolves around the fact that the Native Irish people are organizing a massive protest just to have their language become officially recognized by the government, and then here comes this controversial rap group passing out free drυgs at their concerts and mooning their audience just to spite the British, all whilst incorporating themes of political rebellion and anti-imperialism in their songs— “Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for Irish freedom.”
To be honest, I had no idea KNEECAP was a real, active group before watching their movie (did I mention that they also acted flawlessly in it as themselves?), but their story was so enthralling and ridiculously absurd that I found myself going down the rabbit hole of their lore. Now I’m dedicated to becoming their biggest American advocate.
Kneecap | Photo: Sarah Ellis for The Face
Earlier, I mentioned that approximately 6,000 people living in occupied Northern Ireland speak the Irish language, yet KNEECAP’s monthly listeners exceed 332,000 (and that’s just on Spotify). I personally believe that the revolutionary tongue is universally understood by all people living under oppressive regimes, whether its the British monarchy in Ireland, the fascist two-party system in the United States, or the apartheid state occupying Palestine. The members of KNEECAP are very well-aware of this fact as people who grew up under occupation, and as an act of solidarity with Palestinians, they pulled out of playing at SXSW this year due to the festival’s partnerships with the U.S. military and weapons manufacturers.
Sonically, their music consists of a blend of retro boom-bap production (listen to “AMACH ANOCHT” and “C.E.A.R.T.A.”) and electronic music (check out “Sick In The Head” and “Get Your Brits Out,”) so even if you can't quite make out the lyrics, you can at least bob your head to the beats.
In June of this summer, KNEECAP released their latest album Fine Art, and even if you find yourself struggling with understanding the content of their lyrics, just remember that a wise man once said: “no one knows what it means, but it’s provocative.” Well, if advocating for the liberation from tyrannical governments (and the occasional drυg trip) is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right.
Free Northern Ireland, Free Palestine, Free Puerto Rico, and free all political prisoners around the globe.
Kneecap will play their first ever Chicago show at Concord Music Hall this Friday, September 27. Tickets are sold out.
