Green Machine
It reads like the spec of some terrible Hollywood screenplay; troubled young rapper cheats death to become a chart-topping sensation. But Stephen Manderson, aka Professor Green is yet to have his sweeping, orchestral climax.
Celina Murphy, 28 Oct 2011
If you believe what you read in the papers, Stephen Paul Manderson is a very bad egg. He’s the kind of guy your Mam would dub a “bad influence” and forbid you to hang out with, only this particular troublemaker has so much lip, he’d almost certainly react by saying scurrilous things about her in front of the
whole playground.
Better known as Professor Green, Manderson earned his moniker by dealing weed, but if you happen to catch him being interviewed on morning telly, he’ll say it was because he’s “very green-fingered.” Since hitting the big time, he’s sold over 100,000 albums, but he’s more likely to make headlines for Twitter feuds with other musicians, like rapper Wiley (who, for the record, started it!) and The Cribs’ Ryan Jarman (Green hit on his girlfriend, Kate Nash.)
In fact, in the early days of the Prof’s career, the creative side of his brain was entirely focused on dissing other rappers. He got his start performing at unruly freestyle battles in British nightclubs, where lines like, “I get more head than Princess Diana’s dashboard” made him one of the hottest MCs on the circuit.
Before I meet Green, I’ve been allowed a preview of his forthcoming second album, and if watching those frankly ferocious rap battles on YouTube haven’t rendered me completely terrified, the press-bashing on At Your Inconvenience will certainly do the trick. On the album’s title-track, he even reenacts an interview with a journalist, spitting, “What are your major influences? You serious? Your mum!” (now do you see what I mean about the playground?)
As it turns out, I needn’t have been so worried. Contrary to tabloid speculation, Green is sweet and likable. He apologises profusely for stalling to order a coffee and is careful to thank me for taking the time to conduct this interview. His demeanor is friendly, but no-nonsense, and almost dad-like, even though the chart-topping rapper is only 27-years old. This is especially odd when you consider his troubled relationship with his own father, which he talks about in new single ‘Read All About It’.
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