
Feature Photo: Paul Hudson from United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Kneecap built its reputation on a raw mix of Irish language, Belfast street life, and hard hitting political commentary that made them impossible to ignore. The group formed in Belfast in 2017 and consists of Mo Chara, whose given name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Móglaí Bap, born Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and DJ Próvaí, originally J. J. Ó Dochartaigh. They rap in both Irish and English, tying their music directly to the culture and politics of West Belfast. The name Kneecap itself is a deliberate provocation, playing on both the violent punishment historically associated with paramilitary justice and an Irish phrase that sounds like “kneecap him,” signaling from the start that they would push at the boundaries of language and politics.
The first breakthrough came with the 2017 single “C.E.A.R.T.A.,” a track inspired by Móglaí Bap’s experience around an Irish Language Act march in Belfast. After he and a friend spray painted the word “Cearta,” meaning “rights,” on a bus stop, police arrested his friend, who then refused to speak English and answered only in Irish at the station. That incident fueled “C.E.A.R.T.A.,” which portrayed West Belfast youth culture with a mixture of satire, defiance, and dark humor. The song was banned by the Irish-language radio station RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta for drug references and cursing, sparking a petition that collected hundreds of signatures and turned the group into a flashpoint for debates about censorship, youth culture, and the Irish language.
Kneecap released their first full-length album, 3CAG, in 2018. The title refers to slang for MDMA and literally translates from Irish as “three consonants and a vowel,” pointing again to their habit of embedding local slang and coded references into their work. 3CAG laid out the core of their sound, a blend of hardcore hip hop, political hip hop, electronic elements, and bilingual lyrics that focused on nightlife, drugs, mental health, class, and identity. The record helped establish Kneecap as a central act in Irish hip-hop and provided them with a foundation for larger tours and festival appearances.
The group followed 3CAG with high-profile singles and projects that expanded both their musical and emotional range. In 2021, they released “MAM,” a tribute to their mothers that marked a shift from pure provocation toward something more vulnerable and personal. They announced that all proceeds from the song would be donated to the Samaritans, connecting the release to suicide awareness and mental health after revealing that Móglaí Bap’s mother had died by suicide before the song came out. The track showed that Kneecap could maintain their edge while still addressing grief, family, and tenderness without self-censorship.
On June 14, 2024, Kneecap released their second studio album, Fine Art, through Heavenly Recordings. Produced by Toddla T, the record features guest appearances from Radie Peat, Grian Chatten, Nino, and Jelani Blackman. Fine Art is structured as a concept album set in a fictional West Belfast pub, giving the trio room to build characters, scenes, and narratives around the community they know. The album debuted at number two in Ireland and also charted in Scotland. Kneecap brought its bilingual, politically charged music to a broader audience while earning strong critical notices for its energy, humor, and production.
Kneecap’s story moved onto the big screen with a film also titled Kneecap, which began shooting in 2023 and was released in 2024. The movie presents a fictionalized account of the band’s rise in the context of modern Belfast, with the members playing themselves and Michael Fassbender in a supporting role. The film became the first Irish-language feature selected for Sundance London and later served as the basis for the 2024 soundtrack album Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture. This move into film further cemented the group’s role as cultural figures rather than just recording artists.
Their career has also been shaped by direct clashes with institutions and governments. In 2024 Kneecap received a grant of £14,250 from the United Kingdom’s Music Export Growth Scheme, only to have it blocked by the Department for Business and Trade, whose secretary argued that funding should not go to people who opposed the United Kingdom. Kneecap launched a discrimination case against the government and won in November 2024, receiving the full grant amount. They then split the money between two youth organizations that work with Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland, turning a political dispute into concrete support for young people on both sides of long-standing divides.
The group has consistently used its platform to take public positions, especially around Irish republicanism, language rights, and international issues. They have flown Palestinian flags at shows, pledged to boycott Israel, supported Irish politician Clare Daly for her stance on Palestine, and helped raise funds for a volunteer gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, which they have promoted on their social media channels. A 2022 cover version of “C.E.A.R.T.A.” by Irish writer Manchán Magan was released to raise money for that gym, another example of how their music connects directly to activism. Their set at the 2025 Coachella Festival included on-screen messages accusing Israel of genocide and criticizing the United States’ support, which drew extensive coverage from American media and intensified public debate around the band.
Kneecap’s live performances, political messaging, and lyrics have brought praise and criticism in equal measure. Supporters point to their intelligence, humor, and focus on working-class experience, arguing that they punch up rather than down and use satire to expose hypocrisy. Critics have questioned their use of republican imagery, their references to drugs and violence, and the way they mix provocation with performance. Through all of this, Kneecap has continued to build an audience that responds to their honesty, their bilingual approach, and their refusal to separate art from the realities of life in Belfast.
Complete List Of Kneecap Songs From A to Z
- 3CAG – Fine Art – 2024
- 3CAG (featuring Radie Peat) – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- 80% – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Amach Anoct – 3CAG – 2018
- Amach Anocht – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Arrested – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Ash Plant – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Belfast – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Better Way To Live – Fine Art – 2024
- Better Way to Live (featuring Grian Chatten) – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Bouncers – 3CAG – 2018
- C.E.A.R.T.A – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Ceacht Mo Chara – 3CAG – 2018
- Cearta – 3CAG – 2018
- Ceasefire Babies – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Civil Rights – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Dad’s Gone – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Drug Dealin Pagans – Fine Art – 2024
- Fall in Love Again – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Fenian Cunts – Non-album single – 2019
- Fine Art – Fine Art – 2024
- Gael-Gigolos – Non-album single – 2019
- Get Your Brits Out – Non-album single – 2019
- Glue – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Guilty Conscience – Non-album single – 2021
- Guilty Conscience – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- H.O.O.D – Non-album single – 2019
- H.O.O.D – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Harrow Road – Fine Art – 2024
- I Bhfiacha Linne – Fine Art – 2024
- I’m Flush – Fine Art – 2024
- Incognito – 3CAG – 2018
- Interlude: Amhrán Na Scadán – Fine Art – 2024
- Interlude: Kneecap Chaps – Fine Art – 2024
- Interlude: Last Orders – Fine Art – 2024
- Interlude: Making Headlines – Fine Art – 2024
- Interlude: Never Gets A Round – Fine Art – 2024
- Interlude: State Of Ya – Fine Art – 2024
- Is a Bullet – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- It’s Been Ages – Non-album single – 2021
- It’s Been Ages – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Kneecapped – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Liberty Belle – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Love Making – Fine Art – 2024
- Mam (with Dyrt) – Non-album single – 2020
- ‘Nothing but a H.O.O.D’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Parful – Fine Art – 2024
- Parful – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Phone Booth – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Rhino Ket – Fine Art – 2024
- Run – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Sick In The Head – Fine Art – 2024
- Sick in the Head – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Tá Na Baggies Ar An Talamh – 3CAG – 2018
- The A Minor Set – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Thart agus Thart – Non-album single – 2021
- Thart agus Thart – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- ‘A wee operation’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Way Too Much – Fine Art – 2024
- ‘What the fuck was that?!’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- ‘You bring a stolen car here’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- Your All Legitimate Targets – 3CAG – 2018
- Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite – 3CAG – 2018
- ‘Love affair with the shniff’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- ‘No need to panic’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- ‘Special delivery’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- ‘There are 80,000 native Irish speakers…’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
- ‘The Irish for the end is…’ – Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture – 2024
Albums
3CAG (2018): 8 songs
Fine Art (2024): 18 songs
Non-album singles (2019-2021): 8 songs
Kneecap: Music from the Motion Picture (2024): 34 songs
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