He was signed to The Beats, a record label run by Mike Skinner and Ted Mayhem from 2006 until 12 February 2008, when the label terminated. He rose to success upon winning the inaugural JumpOff MySpace £50,000 battle rap tournament in July 2008. Following this in 2009, Manderson worked with Lily Allen on her 2009 concert tour.
Growing up on the Northwold estate in Upper Clapton, Green's familial situation saw him being raised by his grandmother while he traded up school attendance for just hanging on the estate, like kids do. The Read All About It Songfacts reports that he had a turbulent relationship with his father, who was rarely around during Manderson's childhood and committed suicide in 2008. In his hit single, Read All About It, Green responds to accusations made by his stepmother that his debut album, Alive Till I'm Dead, was "cashing-in" on his death.
While the usual nefarious stories of low budget living played a part in his life, Green's formative years were also characterised by fun: skating was big on the estate, etc. He also had an early inkling that the art of verbal sparring would somehow play a part in his life, confessing how, he always wanted to be a barrister or a lawyer. "I like debates and I've always been argumentative, I think that's helped me in battles a lot."
However, while becoming obsessed with hip-hop at the age of nine "Biggie [[artist]The Notorious B.I.G.] is my greatest hip-hop influence", Green only switched up from passive fan to active participant at a relatively late stage. After turning 18 years old, he coined his first rhyme completely off-the-cuff when put on the spot at an impromptu freestyle jam session round a friends house. Passing the test with aplomb and impressing his music making peers, the underground rap battle scene suddenly opened up before him.
After seeing a poster advertising a rap battle at the Lyric Pad night in London, Green turned up and won. From that he graduated to competing at the prestigious Jump Off events, performing at venues like The Scala and Sound in Leicester Square, and becoming the first ever contestant to win six straight weekly finals in a row. While his seventh showdown ended in defeat, he returned undeterred, put together a second run of consecutive victories and became the first string seven wins together. Throw in a further series of seven straight wins and a dalliance with pay battles, and Green became a man to fear on the battle circuit.
Cue a change of scene and a flight to the exotic climes of the Bahamas to spar for $50,000.
Entering the Power Summit battle against America's finest freestyle icons (think 8 Mile but with no holds barred), the crowd may have first viewed Green as this white English kid who's not going to do anything, but his gift of gab and ability to coin scathing punchlines saw him through to the final where he faced Jin, a member of DMXs much amped Ruff Ryders camp. The judges decided in Jin's favour, although with the Ruff Ryder man having been given a bye to the final and Green having already been through seven prior knockout bouts (including taking out representatives from Eminem's Shady Records camp), by his own admission it was "more a case of me losing it as opposed to Jin winning it."
Still, with a crowd featuring US big rap guns like Busta Rhymes and Saigon, Green made a name for himself and in September went off to Hawaii to compete in the battle again.
A performance at the B-Boy Championships last summer ultimately paid greater dividends and opened him up to a new audience in Mike Skinner of The Streets fame.
"Mike approached me after the B-Boy Championships and wanted to bring me on tour with The Streets" he recalls. I ended up doing an opening battle on the tour and we formed a great relationship from that. At first it wasn't about me looking for a record deal though it was more a case of us deciding to lay down some tracks and seeing where it went.
At the end of April 2006 he signed on the dotted line to release his debut album on Skinner's The Beats label. And while UK hip-hop's profile is certainly in the ascendancy thanks to acts like Skinnyman, Sway and Kano, Green has his eyes on breaking out beyond the usual urban tag affixed to British rappers.
Name-checking Portishead, Radiohead, Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega as song-writing influences, Green is well aware of the importance of adapting his lyrics from the immediacy of the live battle circuit to cater to the depth of the album format.
"The thing with hip-hop is if you take a lot of rap songs outside of rap then they aren't great songs, whereas with something like country if you take them outside of the genre then the song-writing skills are still incredible, he rationalises. And I'd like to take those skills into rap."
So while never completely leaving behind the entertaining punchlines that have characterised his battle persona, the album will take in everything from songs about his estranged parents to wish lists of things to do before he passes away and the plight of the average stereotypical man in the eyes of the average stereotypical female (see Stereotypical Man, complete with the catchphrase "'Til my breathings done I'll be reading page three of The Sun").
As Green concludes of his new goals "I wouldn't be happy to sell just 30,000 copies of my album. I don't think that there's anything wrong with aiming above that, giving people an album they can relate to, and wanting to be successful."
Falling Down
Professor Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't wanna live my life this way. No!
Picture me behind a desk, picture that a nine to five I ain't into that, I'm into rap and I don't see me getting an office job with these tat's.
So what choice do I have man? Do I sign on or do I bag grams? Long signing for dole, I wanna get signed for my flow and my rhymes.
I'm a pro and I'm nice I know, if I grind then I'll blow so why am I wasting time on the roads.
Now Mike's interested I should probably give it a rest before I get arrested, but then I got arrested whoops.
Why don't I learn from my mistakes? Why oh why oh why.. All I want's to change my ways Why oh why oh why Do I always end up back here, stuck on the wrong side of town.
With my head spinning I keep on falling down.
Never been arrested for so much as an eighth of weed and I get arrested for kidnap, blackmail, false imprisonment and possession with intent to supply.
Typical of my fuckin' luck really innit, just as I'm about to sign a deal with Mike I might be doing a fucking bird.
I don't wanna sell weed no more, hated the cycle but I kept peddling.
Nan just found food under my bed again, I'm a let down again, And she's screaming "get this shit out of my house" again.
There's no curving the truth, the bags too big to be for personal use, there's no excuses she knows what the truth is.
I do flip Keys of green to get me a few quid.
She's looking at me so disappointed, all I can say is I wont do it again, but she knows I will..
[Chorus]
Never learn man. There's no plan B for me, I ain't got shit to fall back on! I left school in year 8 I don't have an education, selling weed and writing lyrics is all I know.
I got arrested and raided then I got signed and I bust case so now everything's fine.
But now everything's not, not only did I get dropped the whole label did, and I wasted my advance so I ain't got shit.
I'm stuck at warners and them pricks wont push my album, but it's cool; as soon as I'm free I'm gonna do it without them.
Eight months later I'm still stuck in my deal, in debt with my lawyer time to get back on this ferris wheel.
I'm stuck on this carousel when will this ever end!?
This is hell for me I'm back at the beginning again! Somebody please get me off this circus ride
The horse that I'm riding is hurting my thighs erm..
[Chorus]
And before some funny guy tries to make a joke about me riding a horse, it is a metaphor! What I mean is I am sick of hustling, I am sick of the grind, I am sick of things going to shit, Just when things are looking up! I don't know if this shit is ever gonna work for me. I swear down blud I am so fed up Yogi, I cannot be dealing with it anymore.
In Professor Green's "Falling Down", the artist expresses his frustration with the constant struggles of his life. As soon as things start to look up for him, they fall apart again. He is caught in a cycle of selling weed and writing lyrics, but he knows deep down that he doesn't want to live this way. Green raps about his desire to make it as a rapper, but he feels trapped between signing on for unemployment benefits or continuing to sell drugs.
In the first verse, Green talks about his passion for rap and how he can't see himself working a regular nine to five job. He knows he has talent, and he wants to get signed for his flow and rhymes. The problem is that he has tattoos and an image that doesn't fit the corporate world. He feels like he's running out of options and doesn't know what to do. In the second verse, Green is arrested for serious crimes just as he's about to sign a record deal. He's tired of selling drugs but feels like he has no other skills. He disappoints his family, and he knows that he'll probably end up making the same mistakes again.
"Falling Down" is a deeply personal song that touches on the struggles of trying to make it as a rapper. Green speaks honestly about his disappointments and setbacks, but he never gives up on his dream. He knows that he's talented, and he's willing to work hard to achieve his goals. The song is a reminder that success is never guaranteed, but it's worth pursuing anyway.
Line by Line Meaning
Yogi man, I'm sick of this shit bruv, swear down.
Expressing frustration about constantly falling down.
Just as things start looking up, it all goes to shit again story of my fucking life.
Reflecting on the cyclical nature of success and failure in his life.
I don't wanna live my life this way. No!
Expressing a desire for a different lifestyle.
Picture me behind a desk, picture that a nine to five I ain't into that, I'm into rap and I don't see me getting an office job with these tat's.
Rejecting traditional job options and embracing his passion for music.
So what choice do I have man? Do I sign on or do I bag grams?
Reflecting on the limited options available to him.
Long signing for dole, I wanna get signed for my flow and my rhymes.
Desiring success in music rather than relying on government assistance.
I'm a pro and I'm nice I know, if I grind then I'll blow so why am I wasting time on the roads.
Confident in his talents and questioning why he's wasting his potential on drug dealing.
Now Mike's interested I should probably give it a rest before I get arrested, but then I got arrested whoops.
Recognizing the potential danger of drug dealing but still getting caught.
Why don't I learn from my mistakes? Why oh why oh why.. All I want's to change my ways Why oh why oh why Do I always end up back here, stuck on the wrong side of town.
Questioning his inability to break free from his past mistakes.
With my head spinning I keep on falling down.
Feeling overwhelmed and unable to move forward.
Never been arrested for so much as an eighth of weed and I get arrested for kidnap, blackmail, false imprisonment and possession with intent to supply.
Reflecting on the severity of his current arrest compared to his previous minor offenses.
Typical of my fuckin' luck really innit, just as I'm about to sign a deal with Mike I might be doing a fucking bird.
Expressing frustration at the timing of his arrest and the potential impact on his music career.
I don't wanna sell weed no more, hated the cycle but I kept peddling.
Desiring to leave drug dealing behind but feeling trapped.
Nan just found food under my bed again, I'm a let down again, And she's screaming "get this shit out of my house" again.
Feeling like a disappointment to his family.
There's no curving the truth, the bags too big to be for personal use, there's no excuses she knows what the truth is.
Accepting responsibility for his actions and acknowledging his grandmother's awareness of his drug dealing.
I do flip Keys of green to get me a few quid.
Admitting to selling drugs for money.
She's looking at me so disappointed, all I can say is I wont do it again, but she knows I will..
Feeling guilt and shame for hurting his family, but also acknowledging his struggle to leave drug dealing behind.
Never learn man. There's no plan B for me, I ain't got shit to fall back on! I left school in year 8 I don't have an education, selling weed and writing lyrics is all I know.
Feeling like he has no other options and that music is his only chance at success.
I got arrested and raided then I got signed and I bust case so now everything's fine.
Reflecting on his past success in signing a record deal and beating his previous arrest.
But now everything's not, not only did I get dropped the whole label did, and I wasted my advance so I ain't got shit.
Explaining the negative turn of events that followed his initial success.
I'm stuck at warners and them pricks wont push my album, but it's cool; as soon as I'm free I'm gonna do it without them.
Feeling frustrated with his current label and planning to go independent.
Eight months later I'm still stuck in my deal, in debt with my lawyer time to get back on this ferris wheel.
Feeling trapped by his record deal and legal obligations.
I'm stuck on this carousel when will this ever end!?
Feeling stuck in a never-ending cycle of ups and downs in his career.
This is hell for me I'm back at the beginning again! Somebody please get me off this circus ride
Feeling like he's back to square one in his career and wanting to escape the rollercoaster of the music industry.
The horse that I'm riding is hurting my thighs erm..
Acknowledging that the metaphorical ride is physically and emotionally painful.
And before some funny guy tries to make a joke about me riding a horse, it is a metaphor! What I mean is I am sick of hustling, I am sick of the grind, I am sick of things going to shit, Just when things are looking up! I don't know if this shit is ever gonna work for me. I swear down blud I am so fed up Yogi, I cannot be dealing with it anymore.
Clarifying the metaphorical nature of his previous statements and expressing his exhaustion with the constant struggle of pursuing a music career.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MATHEW ROBERT DYNON, STEPHEN ALLRED, MITCHELL JOSEPH BLAKE, ADAM JOHN NAVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@slackerjames
Whoever makes this man's beats deserves a hand as well
@okamifan1productions458
This shit fxxin SLAPS! Wish it were available on US Spotify.
@danpricr8040
Yess brother! Been listening to this for over 10 years now 😂
@jenitreehugger
Prof Green /Eminem/Mike Skinner - there's room enough for everyone. Recognise their indivdual energy, tune in to it, they all resonate at their own special beautiful frequency, yet connected. As we all are. Feeling the Love xxxx
@OnYoutubeInATutu
still listen to this i will love it forever <33
@c0mmanderKeen
To join the whole em - pro green thing: they do sound very similar at times, but thats about it. different style, lyrics, songs, themes etc :)
@KingSavasx3
His Voice + Dubstep is really Epic & SicK!
@jenitreehugger
I was having this convo with my other half & came to the conclusion that people only compare the two artists because they are both white rappers from similar backgrounds rapping about similar experiences. Someone mentioned there are loads of white rappers who don't get compared to Eminem & that is true; but none of them have reached a similar level of fame apart from The Prof. We shouldn't let that deviate from Professor Green's individual energy & awesomeness :)
@pieduckman
this guy is a fucking legend
@Ludachris0411
This tracks got number 1 written all over it man!!! sik as fuk!!