God Knows has long been at the forefront of the Limerick hip-hop scene. In 2016, he became the first Limerick act to win the RTÉ Choice Music Prize as a part of the Rusangano Family. But in 2025, the rapper has set out alone to release his debut solo album, A Future of The Past.
Despite a myriad of prior successes, God Knows insists that the overwhelming support for his long-awaited record means so much to him. He hopes this is a sign of things to come.
“It’s my debut. It means everything to make a good album, because you want to start as you mean to go on. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you didn’t meet your own expectations.
“It’s my coming out party and you want to make sure that even after 14 years of people knowing me, that I was putting my best foot forward,” he revealed.
A Future of The Past pays homage to a blend of diverse cultures that have shaped the artist’s life. Having moved to Shannon at a young age, he is now taking the time to intimately reflect on the hardships that his Zimbabwean ancestors endured under colonial rule.
“I’m just telling my family story on record, because most of the time we don’t get to hear from [our] own perspective. Most of the time, you hear about people being indifferent in times of peril and war. And just hearing that my family stood was pretty cool,” he said proudly.
The 35-year-old has been working in Limerick since 2013, and credits the vibrant culture that flows through the Treaty City as a leading inspiration behind his art.
“It just inspires me every day. Every time I walk into Dolan’s and see a new act from Limerick, it’s amazing,” the rapper shared.
Throughout his illustrious career, God Knows has collaborated with countless local artists, such as Denise Chaila and Jordan Kelly. He sees co-creation as an integral part of his artistic process.
“If you know me, then you know collaboration has been at the heart of every single thing I’ve been a part of since I started… Those are my peers, people that I’m surrounded by. And they’re just as good as anyone else from anywhere in the world,” he asserted.
The rapper burst onto the scene in 2015 as a member of the highly successful Rusangano Family. While he is currently focused on his solo career, he describes the group as being “pivotal” to his growth as a musician and, more importantly, a person.
“I’ll always be grateful for mynameisjOhn and MuRli. Just being able to lock in with those guys is something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.
“Those are two of my brothers. I’m grateful that we have something that’s bigger than the music, which is friendship. I can bounce off these guys, you know. I’m lucky enough to work with MuRli every single day. So that period of my life never really finished,” he added fondly.
While God Knows can now take some time to reflect following one of the most successful periods of his career, he strives to continue growing the local rap scene. The artist insists he is still the same guy who fell in love with Limerick hip-hop all those years ago.
“I just live my life, man. I’m not doing this for show. I care about what my scene looks like. Clearly, we all have the same outlook, because Limerick City wouldn’t be on the tip of people’s lips if people weren’t putting aside their egos.”
You can listen to God Knows’ debut album A Future of The Past, here.