Belfast, UK · Irish rap

Kneecap

1 upcoming festival

Belfast's bilingual rap provocateurs — republican mischief, mosh-pit energy, real bars, and a film's worth of mythology already.

Kneecap are a hip-hop trio from Belfast, made up of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, who formed in 2017. They rap largely in Irish, mixing it with English, and their material draws on West Belfast life, drug culture, republican politics and a broad streak of black humour.

DJ Próvaí's balaclava in the colours of the Irish tricolour is part of the group's visual identity, and their live shows are known for their rowdiness. A semi-fictionalised film based on the group, also called Kneecap and starring the members as themselves, brought them considerably wider attention, as did the recurring controversies around their lyrics and public statements.

Irish rap