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."
Little Secrets
Professor Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought I was losing my mind, I did
I even convinced myself it was all in my mind, all of this time
I think it's high time
That some truth comes of this lie I've lived
We've lived or we live together
At least we did when we were together
All of the things that we did together
The first sign of temptation, you gave in
First heard when you tripped up, stumbled over
And did something that I'd never even contemplated
Stick your story, save it
Whether it was a mistake, or were you sober
Or were you wasted?
Did you show him all of your little faces?
If everyone knows
Why ain't nobody telling me, telling me?
Found out all your little secrets
Uncovered all your little lies
The amount of times you'd had me believe it
You were pulling the wool over my eyes (my eyes)
I found out all your little secrets (my eyes)
Uncovered all your little lies
And now I'm starting to put all the pieces
Together in my mind, together in my mind
Did I ask too much of you?
Did I expect too much?
Could I have given you a little extra?
Would it have made you a little less of a strut?
And you walk wherever you walk
Dress barely holding on for the ride
Guess I knew we'd always end premature
I can't say it didn't come as a surprise
So tell me, was it good, was it?
Was it worth it? Did you work it?
Would you be as kind as to
Tell me what it was I did to you to deserve it?
'Cause nah, I ain't perfect
But I ain't ever shown nobody where you sleep
Are you gonna have somebody in my bed?
Guess I better get new sheets
If everyone knows
Why ain't nobody telling me, telling me?
I found out all your little secrets
Uncovered all your little lies
The amount of times you'd had me believe it
You were pulling the wool over my eyes
Found out all your little secrets
Uncovered all your little lies
And now I'm starting to put all the pieces
Together in my mind, together in my mind
Together in my mind
I found out that you've just been hiding the truth
Now it's shows, oh
If everyone knows (If everyone knows)
Why ain't nobody telling me? (Why ain't nobody telling me?)
If everyone knows (If everyone knows)
Why ain't nobody telling me, telling me? (Why ain't nobody telling me?)
If everyone knows (If everyone knows)
Why ain't nobody telling me?
If everyone knows (If everyone knows)
Why ain't nobody telling me, telling me?
I found out all your little secrets
Uncovered all your little lies
The amount of times you'd had me believe it
You were pulling the wool over my eyes (my eyes)
I found out all your little secrets (my eyes)
Uncovered all your little lies
And now I'm starting to put all the pieces
Together in my mind, yeah, together in my mind
The song "Little Secrets" by Professor Green is about being betrayed by someone close to you, specifically dealing with infidelity. The lyrics describe the singer's feelings of confusion and distrust, having uncovered the deceit of a partner. The lyrics suggest that this partner has been living a lie, and that the truth is now coming to light, prompting the singer to question what else they might be hiding. The repeated refrain of "If everyone knows, why ain't nobody telling me?" emphasizes the feeling of isolation that comes with discovering a secret betrayal, as well as the sense that others may have known about it all along. The final verse suggests a mix of anger, sadness, and resignation as the singer confronts the reality of the situation.
Overall, "Little Secrets" is a powerful depiction of the pain and trauma that can arise from discovering someone's betrayal. The lyrics are honest and raw, showing the emotional complexities that come with such a revelation. The song is relatable to anyone who has been betrayed by a friend or partner and is struggling to come to terms with what they have learned.
Line by Line Meaning
I felt like I was going crazy
I was experiencing extreme confusion and anxiety.
Thought I was losing my mind, I did
I believed that my mental health was deteriorating.
I even convinced myself it was all in my mind, all of this time
I convinced myself that the problem was internal and not external, for a long period of time.
I think it's high time
It is the appropriate moment or chance for something to happen.
That some truth comes of this lie I've lived
I hope to finally reveal the truth behind the deception I have been living with.
We've lived or we live together
We have either previously or currently coexisted as partners.
At least we did when we were together
We lived together during our romantic relationship.
All of the things that we did together
All the events and activities that we shared as a couple.
Tainted, jaded
Our relationship has been negatively impacted and damaged beyond repair.
The first sign of temptation, you gave in
You succumbed to temptation at the first opportunity.
First heard when you tripped up, stumbled over
I first became aware of your deception when you made a mistake and revealed your secret.
And did something that I'd never even contemplated
You took an action that I never thought you were capable of taking.
Stick your story, save it
I am not interested in hearing any excuses or explanations.
Whether it was a mistake, or were you sober
I am curious if this was a one-time accident or if it was a result of your state of mind.
Or were you wasted?
I wonder if you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Did you show him all of your little faces?
Did you reveal everything to this other person, including intimate details of our relationship?
If everyone knows
If everyone else is aware of the situation.
Why ain't nobody telling me, telling me?
Why is nobody informing me of the truth?
Found out all your little secrets
I have discovered all of the things that you were keeping hidden from me.
Uncovered all your little lies
I have exposed all of the falsehoods that you told me.
The amount of times you'd had me believe it
You deceived me numerous times and I believed you every time.
You were pulling the wool over my eyes (my eyes)
You were successfully deceiving me and hiding the truth from me.
Did I ask too much of you?
Did I expect too much from you in our relationship?
Did I expect too much?
I wonder if my expectations were unreasonable.
Could I have given you a little extra?
Maybe if I had given you more, our relationship would have been better.
Would it have made you a little less of a strut?
I am curious if my efforts would have changed your behavior.
And you walk wherever you walk
You carry yourself with confidence and dominance no matter where you are.
Dress barely holding on for the ride
Your clothing is barely covering your body and appears to be an invitation to others.
Guess I knew we'd always end premature
I had a suspicion that our relationship would end suddenly and unexpectedly.
I can't say it didn't come as a surprise
The end of our relationship did come as a shock to me.
So tell me, was it good, was it?
I am curious if your experience with the other person was enjoyable.
Was it worth it? Did you work it?
Did the pursuit of pleasure and deceit bring you any satisfaction?
Would you be as kind as to
Could you please do me the favor of
Tell me what it was I did to you to deserve it?
Please inform me of what I did to deserve your betrayal.
'Cause nah, I ain't perfect
I am aware that I am not perfect, and may have contributed to our problems.
But I ain't ever shown nobody where you sleep
I never revealed to anyone any of your personal information or secrets.
Are you gonna have somebody in my bed?
Will you be bringing someone into our former shared space?
Guess I better get new sheets
I will need to replace the linens on the bed if you bring someone over.
I found out that you've just been hiding the truth
I have uncovered that you were keeping the truth from me.
Now it's shows, oh
The truth is now evident and visible for all to see.
Together in my mind
My thoughts and emotions are unified and consolidated.
Yeah, together in my mind
I am combining all the pieces of the truth to form a clear picture of the situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN MANDERSON, THOMAS EDWARD PERCY HULL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Know3ody
When this song came out it hit hard. 8 years on it hits even harder. Live and learn. Not all ropes are ropes, some are snakes.
Chris S
Mr Probz seriously killed it. Amazing voice.
Ox Blood
Bt he thanks god fod auto tune
Mentally Insane
@Ox Blood *for
Comedy Central UK
If you're a fan of Professor Green, head over to the Comedy Central channel to check out the interview we just uploaded with the rapper himself.
Spoiler: He reveals that he thinks he's a werewolf.
The Simple Bidoof
I honestly cannot stop listening to your music, I love it, it reminds me of stuff that has happened to me and I cannot stop learning the songs either, they are truly amazing songs, don't stop, please:)
nathan oshea
Professor Green is incredible he has some amazing tracks and I hope that he plays in Ireland soon:)
Sophie Cook
I love this song i litrally relate to the lyrics i found out bout your little secrets uncovered your little lies 🥰😍😍 professor you did amazingly
Robert Asztemborski
Naprawde swietny utwor.Oby takich wiecej!
Pedrof6
C'mon the voice of Mr. Probz is awesome, this music deserves success.