Grief turned into art, frame by frame
Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have unveiled a devastating 12-minute short film for ‘Irish Goodbye’, featuring Kae Tempest and a cast including ‘Game of Thrones’ star Liam Cunningham.
The piece, which doubles as a music video, tackles depression, loss, and suicide with raw tenderness.
Written by member Móglaí Bap following his mother Aoife Ní Riain’s death by suicide in 2020, the song appears on the upcoming album ‘Fenian’ (out May 1).
The short follows a family grieving an implied suicide, interspersed with the artists rapping around a table. It ends with a dedication to Ní Riain.
Móglaí Bap explained that seeing his mother happy in old footage drove him to write about the mundane moments he misses most: walks, scoldings, advice.
Of Tempest’s contribution, he said, “Kae delivered something so vulnerable.”
His closing message: “You can’t carry this stuff… It’s not your fault. You can deal with it.”
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