Kneecap, the rappers accused of inciting terrorism who are championing Palestine: "Cancel us all you want if you've paid us first. Screw them."

Sitting here, with a panoramic view of the surrounding area of Bilbao , Mo Chara , Móglaí Bap , and DJ Próva could be three guys from any Irish neighborhood. Two kids with their caps, oval sunglasses, and Nike tracksuits, and a guy in his 40s with his gray hair just starting to turn red. But the three members of Kneecap, who treat everything as a joke, have the world on the brink of combustion. On one side, a legion of fans who would die for them today. On the other, an identical legion of detractors who want to see them fall no matter the cost.

That's been Kneecap's reality since 2017, when they released their first single, CEARTA , whose Irish acronym refers to the fight for independence and civil rights. When no one was rapping in Irish, with the recent second independence referendum, they started doing so. First in pubs to a nearly nonexistent audience, then in rooms full of kids , and, more recently, on the world's biggest stages. Without giving up on what they've always been.

On-stage insults are a constant, and contempt for British institutions permeates their music amidst the incitement to drug and alcohol use. The Palestinian cause has become their main battleground, as they demonstrated yesterday at Bilbao BBK Live . This may cause them some problems, however. Mo Chara has an open court case for inciting terrorism for carrying a Hezbollah flag, considered a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom, at a concert last November in London. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer asked for them to be excluded from the Glastonbury lineup for this reason, and the BBC decided not to broadcast their concert at the legendary festival.

How did they respond? By increasing their slogans in support of the Palestinian cause, right in the middle of Israel's offensive, from the stage. A situation that has also caused some festivals to cancel their appearances. BBK Live took advantage of one of those cancellations to book them at the height of their growing popularity. "We were the first colonized by England; we have a long history of colonization, so we understand how important it is for these people to show them we're here and give them a morale boost," says Mo Chara. His bandmate Móglai Bap continues: "We know how important it is to be there when you feel like no one in the world is paying attention. I just hope the world remembers the people who did nothing in the face of this genocide."

Q. The British Prime Minister asked for your Glastonbury performance to be cancelled, the BBC decided not to broadcast it, other festivals have also pulled you from their lineups, you're not performing in Germany for the second summer in a row... Do you feel like you're being cancelled?

MC : We don't care, screw them. I'd love the chance to perform in front of the German people who support us. But neither police reports nor some media outlets allow it. Every time a show gets canceled, a new one comes along. They canceled us in Glasgow, we had a new show. This is a job for us, and we haven't lost a single performance. We've increased our roster, where they want us.

Q. Does the perception of being canceled benefit you? It already happened to you in your early days when the radio station excluded you from its programming.

MC . You said it, the cancellation was with the radio station first.

MB: Being canceled has always helped us, from the very beginning, to reach more people. Now we're a global movement, no matter how much they want to cancel it. They can cancel us all they want if they've paid us at the festivals first. It's even nice to be canceled in some places.

Q. At any point, after the problems you've had with the law or the British government, did you think you should tone down your political comments or tone down your performances?

MC: If the British government is against us, it means we haven't done anything wrong. It's because we're doing the right thing.

Q. How much of this is premeditated provocation in Kneecap?

MC : All of it, man, all of it. We know what we're doing at all times. Everything's thought out. Because if you're one of those people who wants everyone to like you, you're neither among the right people nor on the right side.

Q. In your film, you emphasize that Northern Ireland's history is now its biology. What biology does Kneecap have?

DP . 50% alcohol, 20% cocaine, and 30% potatoes. I don't think there's a better answer or better biology than that.

The band members still don't know, in fact, whether their fame is more due to talent or just luck . Their breakthrough in music came about because a music teacher—now DJ Próva—found a notebook with some of their lyrics, decided to record them with them, and now they're playing at festivals around the world. And also for more than 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. "I think we have enough talent to be here and for people to enjoy it. But we arrived at the right time, and language laws, legislation, the courts, and so on have put us on the front page of the media. And with that, we're moving forward," Mo Chara concludes.

And the trio stays there, taking a photo with an ikurriña while laughing before going up on stage.