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."
Monster
Professor Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no one's gonna mess with me I'm a monster
I'll give you anything you'll ever need and I'll find a way to turn you into a monster
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no one's gonna fuck with me, I'm a monster
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde saw a chick walking with a big behind
Now I'm stalking my victim,
I'm unrecognisable 'cause I'm in disguise
Crept up behind but she turned and screamed
Everybody turned to see,
I tried to run, tripped up and hurt my knee
I can't believe that she got away
Think of all the love that we could of made?
Jade, I really did mess it up I ruined my only chance with a sugababe
Now I'm a bit ticked off, back to the flat
Hat and kick's off, to relax with a glass of milk
Apparently Pixie drinks Lotts?
I'll give you anything you'll ever need and I'll find a way to turn you into a monster
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no one's gonna mess with me I'm a monster
I'll give you anything you'll ever need and I'll find a way to turn you into a monster
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no one's gonna fuck with me I'm a monster
No so so shit not from me, not Pro, no me?
My flows so piff, Quasimodo with a dick bigger than both my legs
It looks like a pogo stick
Admitted I am a fruit loop
Frankenstein with a screw loose
In search of a new neck bolt
How long will this neck hold?
I'll be fine with a needle and thread
A lid of Jack an I'm evil again, scheming again
Introduce me to anyone decent and I'll find evil in them
Everybody's P.C., I don't feel them, if I could I would kill them
Before I go I'd like to say thanks to Peter Andre for looking after my children
There ain't a line I ain't took too far
To find me you ain't even gotta look hard
Don't get it confused I'm a crook star
Pubert, I was born with a moustache
There ain't a line I ain't took too far
To find me you ain't even gotta look hard
Don't get it confused I'm a crook star
Pubert, I was born with a moustache (monster, monster, monster)
I'm a monster! (monster, monster, monster)
I'll give you anything you'll ever need and I'll find a way to turn you into a monster
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no one's gonna mess with me I'm a monster
I'll give you anything you'll ever need and I'll find a way to turn you into a monster
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no one's gonna fuck with me I'm a monster
The song "Monster" by Professor Green featuring Example, is a rap song that depicts the insecurities and psychotic nature of the main character. The lyrics talk about how he is willing to give anything to a woman to turn her into a monster and help him rule the world. He describes himself as a monster, referencing the fictional characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The singer is obsessed with a woman named Jade, who he stalks, but she ends up getting away. He then reveals that he is willing to find evil in anyone and expresses anger towards political correctness.
The lyrics suggest that the main character has a twisted sense of hierarchy where he views himself at the top of the world and the woman he is pursuing as his equal. He is willing to do anything, even turning her into a monster, to rule the world together. The imagery of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Quasimodo, and Frankenstein suggests that the main character sees himself as an outcast and a monster. The reference to Peter Andre taking care of his children gives us an insight into the character's carelessness and detachment from societal norms.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll give you anything you'll ever need and I'll find a way to turn you into a monster
I can provide anything you desire and I have the ability to transform you into a fierce, intimidating creature.
Me and you we can rule the world 'cause no one's gonna mess with me I'm a monster
Together, we have the power to dominate and conquer due to my formidable nature as a monster.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde saw a chick walking with a big behind
Referencing the classic tale of duality, I spot an attractive woman with a notable physique.
Now I'm stalking my victim, I'm unrecognisable 'cause I'm in disguise
I've become the villain in the scenario, and my disguise allows me to be anonymous while I follow my target.
Into eyes and hers were green, Crept up behind but she turned and screamed
Her green eyes captivate me, but my attempt to approach her from behind caused her to scream in fear.
Everybody turned to see, I tried to run, tripped up and hurt my knee
My failed attempt to approach the woman causes a scene and my clumsy escape results in injury.
I can't believe that she got away, Think of all the love that we could of made?
I'm disappointed that my plan failed, and I'm left to wonder what could have been if she had stayed with me.
Jade, I really did mess it up I ruined my only chance with a sugababe
I acknowledge my mistake in ruining my opportunity with a desirable woman.
Now I'm a bit ticked off, back to the flat, Hat and kick's off, to relax with a glass of milk
I'm frustrated and return home to unwind with a simple activity like drinking milk.
Apparently Pixie drinks Lotts?
A random statement about a celebrity's beverage preference that is unrelated to the overall context of the song.
No so so shit not from me, not Pro, no me?
A rhetorical question questioning whether or not the listener expects subpar content from myself or the featured artist Example.
My flows so piff, Quasimodo with a dick bigger than both my legs
My rap skills are impressive and unique, akin to the character Quasimodo, and I boast about my genitalia size.
Admitted I am a fruit loop, Frankenstein with a screw loose
I confess to being erratic and unstable, likening myself to the infamous monster Frankenstein.
In search of a new neck bolt, How long will this neck hold?
Continuing the Frankenstein reference, I search for a replacement part for my abnormal anatomy, wondering how much longer it will last.
I'll be fine with a needle and thread, A lid of Jack an I'm evil again, scheming again
Despite my unconventional nature, I suggest that basic fixes will suffice in keeping me functional, and I revel in my mischievous tendencies.
Introduce me to anyone decent and I'll find evil in them
I proclaim my ability to identify negative traits in anyone, even someone with initially positive qualities.
Everybody's P.C., I don't feel them, if I could I would kill them
I express my disdain for political correctness, and I take it to an extreme by admitting I would harm those who practice it.
Before I go I'd like to say thanks to Peter Andre for looking after my children
As a final note, I thank a celebrity for an unspecified act of kindness involving my offspring.
There ain't a line I ain't took too far, To find me you ain't even gotta look hard
I boast about my audacity in lyrics, claiming that my controversial content is easy to find and recognize.
Don't get it confused I'm a crook star, Pubert, I was born with a moustache
I clarify that despite my talent and popularity, I embrace the identity of being a flawed individual, evidenced by my early appearance of facial hair.
I'm a monster! (monster, monster, monster)
As the chorus repeats, I solidify the notion that I possess a monstrous nature, to be both feared and revered.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Bucks Music Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Stephen Manderson, Murray James, Mustafa Omer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gewoonzakelijk
Every few years i come back to this masterpiece 🎉
@mrpoki9
This still gettin the attention it deserves, see yall again in another 10 years
@realnpc3763
Unless corona takes uz
@CyborgDuck
@星 better late than never
@legion5225
星 g
@CyborgDuck
@星 better finding the song now rather than never
@czesinka0882
yes
@chadg2422
15 years old listening to this I'm 27 now 😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫
@danielkonradi152
same here
@RiverGlow
Same bro