Professor Green AKA Stephen Manderson is an English rapper from Hackney, Ea… Read Full Bio ↴Professor Green AKA Stephen Manderson is an English rapper from Hackney, East London, currently signed to Virgin Records, after Mike Skinner's The Beats label closed, and ended a run of his own radio shows on BBC Radio 1.

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."

Hard Night Out
Professor Green Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

′Coz I'm in a rave with a chick
You think I ain′t with my click
You're gone, they're in the background waiting for it
I′m drunk Blazing a spliff
And with two fingers in the sky if I′m liking the show
I'm sick of all the bullshit, though I hear it all the, time
I wasn′t watching you it was your chick that caught my eye
So talk to your girl don't be all mad at Green

I ain′t looking at her backside it's looking at me
I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar's still getting quite loud so I guess it's gonna be another hard night out
I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar′s still getting quite loud so I guess it's gonna be another hard night out
If I ain′t got my blade in a jam
I'll be throwing bottles at babies in prams
Acting like a mug, but could I give a fuck, no?
Fuck no! I won′t remember none of it tomorrow
So I lie I'm a white light
Drink liquore and smoke bud until I white out
I was looking a half pint, not a night out
But I guess it′s gonna be a hard night naaa!
I wasn't looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar's still getting quite loud so I guess it′s gonna be another hard night out
I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar's still getting quite loud so I guess it′s gonna be another hard night out
I wasn't looking for a hard night, na
I wasn′t looking for a hard night out
I wasn't looking for a hard night, na
I wasn′t looking for a hard night aaaaaaaout!
I admitt that I'm wreckless, and a bit demented
At the bar taking more shots that 50 cent did
I don't sip drinks I down mine
And not a rap in the club until I get picked up and kicked out side
And get picked up by policemen, Who cares
At least I get a free bed even if it is freezing
I believe in releasing
I work hard all week then get battered at weekends, what?
I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar′s still getting quite loud so I guess it's gonna be another hard night out
I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar's still getting quite loud so I guess it′s gonna be another hard night out
I wasn't looking for a hard night, na
I wasn′t looking for a hard night out
I wasn't looking for a hard night, na
I wasn't looking for a hard night aaaaaaaout!

I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar′s still getting quite loud so I guess it's gonna be another hard night out
I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar's still getting quite loud so I guess it′s gonna be another hard night out

Overall Meaning

In "Hard Night Out," Professor Green describes his experience at a nightclub or rave where he initially had no intention of getting into any trouble. He expresses frustration with the "bullshit" and drama that often occurs in these environments. The lyrics suggest that while he is with a group of friends, he becomes detached and disinterested in the chaotic atmosphere surrounding him. Instead, he becomes fixated on a woman who caught his eye.

The song explores themes of intoxication and reckless behavior. Green admits to being drunk and high, engaging in destructive actions like throwing bottles at innocent bystanders. He embraces a carefree and impulsive mentality, caring little about consequences or responsibilities. The line "I won't remember none of it tomorrow" reflects his lack of concern or remorse for his actions.

Ultimately, the song captures the conflict between wanting a fun night out and the negative aspects that can often arise. While Green may have desired a relaxed and enjoyable evening with a lady by his side, the presence of an obnoxious person at the bar threatens to disrupt his plans and make it another difficult and troublesome experience.

Overall, "Hard Night Out" explores the chaos, temptation, and self-destructive tendencies that can occur when socializing in nightlife settings.

Line by Line Meaning

′Coz I'm in a rave with a chick
Because I am at a party with a girl

You think I ain′t with my click
You assume I'm not with my friends

You're gone, they're in the background waiting for it
You are unaware, while my friends are waiting for something to happen

I′m drunk Blazing a spliff
I am intoxicated and smoking a joint

And with two fingers in the sky if I′m liking the show
And raising two fingers in the air if I enjoy the performance

I'm sick of all the bullshit, though I hear it all the, time
I am tired of all the nonsense, even though I constantly hear it

I wasn′t watching you it was your chick that caught my eye
I wasn't paying attention to you, but your girlfriend caught my attention

So talk to your girl don't be all mad at Green
So go and have a conversation with your girl instead of being angry at me

I ain′t looking at her backside it's looking at me
I am not deliberately staring at her behind, it seems to be staring at me

I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar's still getting quite loud so I guess it's gonna be another hard night out
I didn't intend to have a difficult evening, just wanted to meet a girl, have a normal time, avoid any fights at the bar, but this obnoxious person at the bar is still causing a ruckus, so I guess it will be another challenging night out

If I ain′t got my blade in a jam
If I don't have my weapon in a dangerous situation

I'll be throwing bottles at babies in prams
I might react in a reckless manner, even to the point of throwing bottles at innocent babies in strollers

Acting like a mug, but could I give a fuck, no?
Behaving foolishly, but do I really care? No, I don't

Fuck no! I won′t remember none of it tomorrow
Absolutely not! I will not have any recollection of these events tomorrow

So I lie I'm a white light
So I pretend to be sober and innocent

Drink liquore and smoke bud until I white out
Consume alcoholic beverages and marijuana until I become extremely intoxicated

I was looking a half pint, not a night out
I was seeking a small drink, not a full night of partying

But I guess it′s gonna be a hard night naaa!
However, it seems like tonight is going to be a challenging night, unfortunately

I admit that I'm wreckless, and a bit demented
I acknowledge that I am careless and slightly insane

At the bar taking more shots that 50 cent did
While at the bar, consuming more shots of alcohol than the rapper 50 Cent did

I don't sip drinks I down mine
I don't casually drink, I consume my drinks quickly

And not a rap in the club until I get picked up and kicked out side
I won't stop rapping in the club until I am forcibly removed and thrown outside

And get picked up by policemen, Who cares
And get arrested by the police, but it doesn't matter to me

At least I get a free bed even if it is freezing
At least I get a free bed, even if it is uncomfortably cold

I believe in releasing
I believe in letting go and releasing myself through wild behavior

I work hard all week then get battered at weekends, what?
I work diligently all week and then indulge in excessive drinking and partying on weekends, what's wrong with that?

I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar′s still getting quite loud so I guess it's gonna be another hard night out
I didn't intend to have a difficult evening, just wanted to meet a girl, have a normal time, avoid any fights at the bar, but this obnoxious person at the bar is still causing a ruckus, so I guess it will be another challenging night out

I wasn′t looking for a hard night, na
I did not desire a challenging night, no

I wasn′t looking for a hard night out
I did not intend to have a difficult evening

I wasn't looking for a hard night, na
I did not desire a challenging night, no

I wasn′t looking for a hard night aaaaaaaout!
I did not intend to have a difficult evening!

I wasn′t looking for a hard night, maybe a lady, nothing crazy, no bar fights, but this prick at the bar's still getting quite loud so I guess it′s gonna be another hard night out
I didn't intend to have a difficult evening, just wanted to meet a girl, have a normal time, avoid any fights at the bar, but this obnoxious person at the bar is still causing a ruckus, so I guess it will be another challenging night out

I wasn't looking for a hard night, na
I did not desire a challenging night, no

I wasn′t looking for a hard night out
I did not intend to have a difficult evening

I wasn't looking for a hard night, na
I did not desire a challenging night, no

I wasn't looking for a hard night aaaaaaaout!
I did not intend to have a difficult evening!

Writer(s): Colin Latter, Darrin Mcfadyen, Kevin Briscoe, Reece Gilmore

Contributed by Jasmine K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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