Professor Green on Lily Allen and almost losing his life (for The Music Network)

02 August 2010

by Poppy Reid

With a name inspired by "a keen interest in plants", Professor Green(born Stephen Paul Manderson) has turned a disadvantaged childhood and a near death experience into a chart climbing UK hip hop album, Alive Till I’m Dead.

Back in 2007, Green’s future looked bright after signing to Mike Skinner of The Streets’ label, The Beats. Sadly, just one year later the label went under. “It took me a year to get out of that contract which was a pain in the bum but I did and got myself together and the music got better,” says Green.

As the story goes, to get by after the label split, the rapper then returned to his ‘study’ of plant life, although he wasn’t too keen on discussing it. “I dunno, I really want to be able to come to Australia so maybe we shouldn’t discuss that,” Green laughs.

Last year, Green signed with Virgin Records and released I Need You Tonight, sampling the 1987 INXS hit. “That song was the producers idea… I didn’t quite remember where it was from,” recalls Green. This is not surprising considering he was only four-years-old when the original was released, however, it wouldn’t be his last sampling of a ‘90s hit track. His most popular single Be Good To Green samples Beat International’s Dub Be Good To Me and leans heavily on a cameo by (semi-retired) singer Lily Allen. The guest spot originated from a Facebook chat after Green mentioned he had cleared the rights to use the words.

“I sent it over and she listened to it and she said “well why don’t you let me sing the chorus and we can perform it live at Bestival [a UK festival on the Isle of Wight]” …and now she’s one of my best friends.”

Although he collaborates with a pop star and samples classic pop songs, according to Green, he doesn’t count himself as a pop fan. “What’s happened with a lot of pop was it’s become so P.C... it only caters for a certain audience and there are people that aren’t that sheepish and wanna hear something that they can truly relate to instead of just baby, baby, baby.”

Green is notably honest not only about his celebrity friendships but also about his past; he was raised by his great-grandmother and grandmother in Hackney, on a street known as ‘Murder Mile’ for its high crime reputation. The final track on the album titled Goodnighttouches on the death of his greatgrandmother and also that of his father.

“I lost my father a few years ago, he committed suicide and we hadn’t seen each other for six years, so yeah, it’s just me clearing my thoughts,” Green says of the song. This honesty has prompted his late fathers’ widow to apprise UK media he is ‘cashing in’ on his dad’s death. Understandably, Green is pissed off.

“I never said anything about him initially. I really don’t want to talk about it. All I ever spoke about was my relationship with my dad… all I ever said was I wish we could have rectified all this trouble we’d had before he’d done that and without him dead,” vents Green.

Green has every right to write of his experiences; after all at just 27 he’s already “spent a strong 25 years struggling.” His most noted battle came in May last year, when he was stabbed in the neck. He now sports a tattoo in the spot which reads ‘Lucky’. “I remember all of it. It was someone causing trouble, I tried to let it go but he kept causing trouble and when I stood up for myself he ran away and then ten minutes later he came back and put a broken bottle in my neck.”

Green claims the incident hasn’t changed his music, but he admits it has changed his perspective of the world. “It made me more appreciative you know, I was always quite a pessimistic person and I found it quite hard to be happy. I suppose I’m still like that somewhat but I’m getting better at it, I’m trying. To be honest with you although the money’s a lot better now, the problems haven’t changed.”