Album Review: God Knows, A Future Of The Past

If you can believe it, it’s nearly a decade since Rusangano Family won the Choice Prize with their influential debut album, Let The Dead Bury The Dead.

While the Limerick trio never released a follow-up, they’ve each, separately, had a major influence on the evolution of Irish rap. Now, after years of behind-the-scenes work, God Knows is finally releasing his debut - and it’s every bit as good as you might expect.

Incorporating multiple influences, genres, and intriguing samples, A Future Of The Past is broadly based around God Knows trying to locate himself within Irish cultural history, to find the connections between “Your father, my father, Our Fathers,” as he references on ‘The Heartless Stone’.

His search takes him down profound avenues, and God Knows is such a commanding, inventive lyricist that each song requires multiple listens. What’s more, the excellent production is able to withstand the fiery weight of his words and help the listener access each song’s deeper meaning.

There’s smoky, jangly sitar on ‘Naked Ambition Has A Price’. And there’s ruminating grime/drill on ‘It’s Been A While’ - which features God Knows’ brother Dreddy on the hook (his sister Omgjojo then has a wonderful turn on ‘18-Inch War’, a song that gives a deeply personal insight into God Knows’ personal and professional life post-Choice Prize win).

Elsewhere, ‘The Art Of Alienation’ and ‘The Earth Is Ours/Immoral Jazz’ offer some brilliant experimental jazz and afropop, while ‘Carpe Diem’ is propelled by industrial-style boom-bap beats.

Final song ‘A Little Piece Of Home’ - featuring the talents of Farah Elle - is a wonderful, meditative coda, bringing proceedings to a memorable close.

9/10