It is impossible to remove politics from the music of Kneecap. But unlike many other political bands, the Irish hip-hop trio knows how to have a good time while spreading their message. New album Fenian continues to take aim at the same targets that have gotten Kneecap into hot water before (Israel, authoritarian regimes), showing that the Belfast trio has refused to tone down its message even after being forced to cancel a 2025 North American tour and after backlash following British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling their inclusion at Glastonbury “inappropriate.”
Rather than wallow in anger, Fenian doubles down on the fun factor, even if it features lyrics such as “Fuck Keir Starmer / Netanyahu’s bitch and genocide armer.” Kneecap is not taking a both-sides point of view here. This righteous anger is present throughout Fenian, from “Palestine” (which features a Palestinian rapper Fawzi) to the peculiar lead single “Liar’s Tale,” which mashes up the trio’s penchant for confrontational lyrics with party-at-the-end-of-the-world raucousness.
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The trio also has more on its mind than just Israel-Palestine issues. They take aim at British imperialism and more than once bust out rhymes completely in Irish, among the first groups on the international stage to rap in that language. It’s in these more strident moments that Fenian succeeds. Squint too closely and Kneecap sometimes slips over the line of absurdity (think “White & Nerdy” by “Weird Al” Yankovic).
So how can an album that condemns Israel and lionizes IRA tactics feel so fun? Both Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap are convivial emcees who have no trouble pushing the bizarre factor while DJ Próvaí reaches back to sounds that nestle in with ’90s stalwarts such as Massive Attack and ’00s grime superstars like Dizzee Rascal. This miasma of noises gives Kneecap and Fenian a dizzying effect by never feeling right at home with modern music, yet not quite a throwback to scenes from the past.
Not everything on Fenian feels like a drunken night out. Closing track “Irish Goodbye,” which deals with grief, sounds like “Hate It or Love It” by Clipse. Meanwhile songs like “Cocaine Hill” explore the danger of drugs. What is a party without the comedown right after? The album is also proof that Kneecap won’t let the powers that be slow them down. The U.K. government tried to indict Mo Chara for terror-related charges for supporting Hezbollah only to have its case thrown out twice. Fenian is Kneecap’s middle finger in response.
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