“Britain hates this” Not so sure about that - I think if you look closer you’ll find their fan base is predominantly made up off the offspring of the neoliberal classes, their faux radicalism, riding the “anti-Zionist” train, typically from their safe European home is extremely popular with the “degree class” with questionable taste in “Irish rap music”.
I read they were more than happy to take benefit money from the UK’s neoliberal government (I suppose it gives the whole “working class” shtick a legit backstory) these three young radicals should have been out robbing banks, like the cosplaying anarchists they purport to be - robbing from the rich - giving to the poor etc.
I see a bright future for them - albeit momentarily bright - 5 minutes of fame, in a years time (realistically 6 months) their download will be found on centrist dads Spotify playlists. Politically they’ll have changed sweet fuck all - in Ireland or in Palestine.
Politics is where music and art go to die - if they’re the genuine article (I personally think their the wet dream of some coked up record exec in london) create something beautiful - not some anachronistic throwback to an era that you never experienced first hand. Chanting about Margaret Thatcher in 2025 to crowd of middleclass non binary students is completely irrelevant (both to them and their audience) - it doesn’t reflect the current UK political climate.
where are the tracks directed at Starmer and co?
I expect the bbc will be all over them ( they already are which is never a good sign) for “glasto” the spiritual home of professional managerial class culture.
The fan base of many rap artists is made up of neoliberal classes and often middle class kids wanting to be edgy; the same would apply to the fanbase of Eminem, but that doesn't negate his working class background. Kneecap are also from a (Belfast) working class background. Why is it "questionable taste" in Irish rap music?? So because they're"radicals" they should be out robbing banks? They're young and ideologically motivated, and want to make a political statement about issues they think are significant, and I look forward to seeing how this evolves. Thatcher is perhaps symbolic of issues that are linked for them, to the Irish troubles, she dictated Irish policy in Belfast for 11 years, so I don't see why they can't make statements about this in their music - it feeds into their own personal histories. Concerning Palestine - it might be acceptable in some circles to critique Israel, but if you want to be accepted into the mainstream, you don't do what they did, and furthermore if you do, you open yourself up to considerable risk, especially in America, in this current climate. Rather than seeing them as jumping on a trendy bandwagon - which is a fairly generic dismissal these days, of people who support Palestine, and very much in the vein of people such as the rabid Zionist Spectator journalist Brendan O Neil, in a desperate attempt to dismiss protesting a genocide seem like a "trend", I think for the Irish, nothing could be further from the truth. These boys have a heart, as do many of the Irish, and a deep empathy with the struggle against colonialism, and that is what they are speaking to. The fact that many middle class kids rebel against their upbringing by taking a left political stance has nothing to do with the authenticity of this group, and their intentions in speaking about "Israel"-Palestine, in my opinion.
Brilliant article Sobia! I hope you keep writing!
Thank you so much Ann :)
“Britain hates this” Not so sure about that - I think if you look closer you’ll find their fan base is predominantly made up off the offspring of the neoliberal classes, their faux radicalism, riding the “anti-Zionist” train, typically from their safe European home is extremely popular with the “degree class” with questionable taste in “Irish rap music”.
I read they were more than happy to take benefit money from the UK’s neoliberal government (I suppose it gives the whole “working class” shtick a legit backstory) these three young radicals should have been out robbing banks, like the cosplaying anarchists they purport to be - robbing from the rich - giving to the poor etc.
I see a bright future for them - albeit momentarily bright - 5 minutes of fame, in a years time (realistically 6 months) their download will be found on centrist dads Spotify playlists. Politically they’ll have changed sweet fuck all - in Ireland or in Palestine.
Politics is where music and art go to die - if they’re the genuine article (I personally think their the wet dream of some coked up record exec in london) create something beautiful - not some anachronistic throwback to an era that you never experienced first hand. Chanting about Margaret Thatcher in 2025 to crowd of middleclass non binary students is completely irrelevant (both to them and their audience) - it doesn’t reflect the current UK political climate.
where are the tracks directed at Starmer and co?
I expect the bbc will be all over them ( they already are which is never a good sign) for “glasto” the spiritual home of professional managerial class culture.
The fan base of many rap artists is made up of neoliberal classes and often middle class kids wanting to be edgy; the same would apply to the fanbase of Eminem, but that doesn't negate his working class background. Kneecap are also from a (Belfast) working class background. Why is it "questionable taste" in Irish rap music?? So because they're"radicals" they should be out robbing banks? They're young and ideologically motivated, and want to make a political statement about issues they think are significant, and I look forward to seeing how this evolves. Thatcher is perhaps symbolic of issues that are linked for them, to the Irish troubles, she dictated Irish policy in Belfast for 11 years, so I don't see why they can't make statements about this in their music - it feeds into their own personal histories. Concerning Palestine - it might be acceptable in some circles to critique Israel, but if you want to be accepted into the mainstream, you don't do what they did, and furthermore if you do, you open yourself up to considerable risk, especially in America, in this current climate. Rather than seeing them as jumping on a trendy bandwagon - which is a fairly generic dismissal these days, of people who support Palestine, and very much in the vein of people such as the rabid Zionist Spectator journalist Brendan O Neil, in a desperate attempt to dismiss protesting a genocide seem like a "trend", I think for the Irish, nothing could be further from the truth. These boys have a heart, as do many of the Irish, and a deep empathy with the struggle against colonialism, and that is what they are speaking to. The fact that many middle class kids rebel against their upbringing by taking a left political stance has nothing to do with the authenticity of this group, and their intentions in speaking about "Israel"-Palestine, in my opinion.