Zimbabwean-Irish rapper God Knows returns with a raw and reflective new single, Misplaced Empathy, the third release from his highly anticipated debut solo album A Future of the Past, coming 26th September 2025 via narolane records. Following the momentum of previous singles The Art of Alienation and The Observer, the new single explores the complexities of growth, accountability, and self-awareness.
“While reflecting on my journey of life, I was taking stock of how far I had come,” God Knows explains. “While being thankful for blessings, I had to take accountability for my missteps, and I am guilty at times of misplaced empathy, so I wrote a song about it. It felt freeing. If you have ever felt how I felt, then I hope this frees you too. I no longer make the same mistakes – I make new ones, hopefully in the right direction.”
A Future of the Past, the debut solo album from God Knows, is “like the first chapter of a new book, by God Knows.” A labour of love shaped by influences and contributions from Zimbabwe, New York, Dublin, Shannon, West Africa, and beyond, the album captures the artist’s expansive creative vision.
“Sitting on 50 odd tracks,” God Knows says selecting the final tracklist was “a bittersweet endeavour,” shaped by a desire to tell a coherent story. Blending almost every style of music he loves, God Knows describes the album as containing “albums within this album.” Throughout, the MO remains the same: “collaborating, experimenting, learning new tricks and most importantly growing.” Though born from pain, the project was ultimately made in freedom and love.
Known for his vividly honest lyricism and electrifying energy wherever he sets foot, God Knows has elevated Irish hip-hop to exponential levels.
In 2020, God Knows’ debut solo EPs ‘Who’s Asking? Vol. I’ and ‘Who’s Asking? Vol. II’ saw him bring together the country’s most exciting, influential and progressive artists for a project that saw one of Ireland’s foremost music journalist Nialler9 commenting, “The ‘Who’s Asking Remix’ is one of the best things to come out of Ireland’s music scene in years. The heat of it is undeniable.” Elsewhere, The Quietus wrote that God Knows “stands proudly at the helm” of Irish hip-hop.
As part of Rusangano Family, God Knows was the recipient of the Choice Music Prize for 2016’s ‘Let The Dead Bury The Dead’ – the first ever hip-hop record to win the prestigious ‘Album of the Year’ award.
Although God Knows leaned into his mentorship role fully, it was only a matter of time before he was ready to truly step into the spotlight he engineered. As one of the two founders of narolane records, God Knows is getting ready for the most prolific period of creativity of his life.
In 2022 God Knows made his narolane debut with the release of ‘Glory’, featuring Irish singer Senita. As a collective, narolane’s creative output conveys their ethos with surety, authenticity and unapologetic ambition. That ethos is to be true to what is right, what is excellent and what is unexpected.
This commitment to excellence has caught the attention of the world’s most revered cultural commentators and music media, with the NME, NPR, France 24, The Irish Times, The BBC, The Guardian, RTÉ, The Fader, Vice and The New York Times all turning their attention to this revolutionary collective.
With Misplaced Empathy, God Knows continues to carve a bold and deeply personal path toward the release of his debut solo album. The single is out now on all platforms – a striking preview of what promises to be one of the year’s most compelling and essential records.
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