Album Review: KNEECAP, Fine Art

At long last, it’s here, the debut album from KNEECAP, the hip-hop trio from Belfast – MCs Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara, and the balaclava-clad DJ Próvaí – who’ve created an almighty stir ever since their 2017 debut single ‘C.E.A.R.T.A.’. That marked the first of 10 singles, which together with their 2018 mixtape 3CAG, furnishes them with a hefty back catalogue. In other words, this ain’t their first rodeo.

2024 may already be KNEECAP’s, what with the debut album, an upcoming tour of the US and Canada, and the launch in August of their award-winning film, KNEECAP – but they’ve already chewed more dirt than most outfits. They brought a graffiti tagged PSNI Land Rover with them to Sundance, for Chrissakes. Their inflammatory murals and provocative gig posters have incensed the UK government. Their songs have been banned by RTÉ.

So, is the album worth the hype? You’re goddamn right it is!

It’s a revolutionary record – the fact that they rap in Irish as well as English cannot be underestimated – that will be welcomed by the youth of Belfast, both nationalist and unionist, and beyond. Talk about threading the eye of a needle. Fine Art is set in The Rutz, an imaginary Belfast boozer, on a wild night, stuffed with lively characters, full of political rage and searing social commentary.

Among the myriad highlights, Lankum’s Radie Peat features on the tribal gathering of ‘3CAG’, while Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten is the boss on ‘Better Way To Live’. Rapper Jelani Blackman brings mighty chops to ‘Harrow Road’, and DJ Annie Mac appears on some of the riotous skits. It all makes for a bitingly funny, thrillingly audacious record, full of imagination and style.

8/10

• Out June 14