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."
Oh My God
Professor Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Chorus]
Sometimes we take it too far, knocked out sick on my guitar an' hear them say Oh My God, Say Oh My God, say Oh My God, lay my head down on the bar cause whisky never tastes so good, When I hear them say Oh My God, Say Oh My God, say Oh My God.
The first toke on the piggy made me shiver, sip a, K, while picking at yesterdays dinner, the way I say things it figures I'm paid, slicker when I think say, spitters made victims a they. If your insane and wanna get in my way pick a day when you wanna get hit with a rake Mr, diss me not, I'm frisky what? Still itching to stick me cock in Pixie Lott. Just call me rap's George Best with a lot more cess, a little more liquor an' a lot more sex, yes.
[Chorus]
I do drugs 'cause I like the buzz, go sleep and wake up feeling like I tried to fight a bus. A barely functioning alcoholic, Living like a student with a pop stars wallet, Always smiling with my new teeth, Two E's two pupils, two two P's. In a chemical romance and I'm loved up. The mascot for a generation full of fuck ups. Don't be afraid its alright, don't be afraid its all good, I'm in a daze, Always my yesterdays a blur. Don't be afraid its alright, don't be afraid its all good, I'm in a daze, Always my yesterdays a blur.
[Chorus]
In "Oh My God" by Professor Green featuring Labrinth, the two artists create a narrative that revolves around the experiences of an alcoholic and drug addict. The lyrics are explicitly descriptive of the persona's lifestyle, which comprises smoking, drinking, and engaging in casual sex. The singer in the song admits his lack of understanding for his addiction, but he gets caught in the cycle anyway. He also portrays himself as the life of the party, the one who is always willing to push things to the limit. The chorus encompasses the persona's experiences, where he is often so consumed by his addiction that he is knocked out on his guitar or passed out on a bar counter.
The song's lyrics interpret the debauchery that is often associated with irresponsible youth. It depicts the singer's loss of control, which becomes his undoing. The persona in the song enjoys his addiction and loves the high, and instead of seeking help, he is happy to be the mascot for a generation full of fuck-ups. The lyrics motivate audiences to take responsibility for their actions and avoid the excessive lifestyle that can lead to severe consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you ready for the revolution?
Are you prepared for the change that comes with my presence?
Me elocution is execution, I am electrocuting.
My speech is powerful and intense, captivating and overwhelming.
What the hell I'm doing? I've no idea.
I don't even know what I'm doing with my life.
But catch a whiff of my fingers and you can still smell Susan.
My past is still with me, even if it's just a memory.
Mouth like a ash tray, breath stinking a liquor.
My alcohol and drug use has taken a toll on my health.
Pocket full of change in yesterdays get up.
I'm still stuck in my past, both physically and metaphorically.
The same jeans I had on the day before last.
I'm not exactly living the high life.
I guess I'm raps George Best with a lot more cess, a little more liquor an' a lot more sex, yes.
I'm like George Best, a famous soccer player known for his reckless lifestyle, but with more drugs, alcohol, and sex.
Sometimes we take it too far, knocked out sick on my guitar an' hear them say Oh My God, Say Oh My God, say Oh My God, lay my head down on the bar cause whisky never tastes so good, When I hear them say Oh My God, Say Oh My God, say Oh My God.
We sometimes push ourselves too hard, until we collapse from exhaustion and people react with awe and concern. We then numb ourselves with alcohol and revel in the sensation of the crowd's approval.
The first toke on the piggy made me shiver, sip a, K, while picking at yesterdays dinner, the way I say things it figures I'm paid, slicker when I think say, spitters made victims a they.
My drug use has made me paranoid and jittery. I talk a lot of smack and people pay attention, even though my words can hurt them.
If your insane and wanna get in my way pick a day when you wanna get hit with a rake Mr, diss me not, I'm frisky what? Still itching to stick me cock in Pixie Lott.
If you're crazy enough to try to challenge me, be prepared to get hurt. Don't disrespect me, I'm unpredictable and wild, like still wanting to have sex with a famous singer at a moment's notice.
I do drugs 'cause I like the buzz, go sleep and wake up feeling like I tried to fight a bus.
I take drugs for the high, but it leaves me feeling terrible the morning after.
A barely functioning alcoholic, Living like a student with a pop stars wallet,
I'm barely getting by, yet I have the money of a wealthy celebrity.
Always smiling with my new teeth, Two E's two pupils, two two P's.
I may look happy and well-kept, but inside I'm still a mess, with dilated pupils and a drug addiction.
In a chemical romance and I'm loved up.
I'm addicted to the rush of chemicals that love and drugs can give me.
The mascot for a generation full of fuck ups.
I represent a generation of people who have messed up their lives through drugs, alcohol, and other vices.
Don't be afraid its alright, don't be afraid its all good, I'm in a daze, Always my yesterdays a blur.
Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'm just living in a haze of my past mistakes and memories.
Chorus: Sometimes we take it too far, knocked out sick on my guitar an' hear them say Oh My God, Say Oh My God, say Oh My God, lay my head down on the bar cause whisky never tastes so good, When I hear them say Oh My God, Say Oh My God, say Oh My God.
We sometimes push ourselves too hard, until we collapse from exhaustion and people react with awe and concern. We then numb ourselves with alcohol and revel in the sensation of the crowd's approval.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Bucks Music Group
Written by: STEPHEN MANDERSON, TIMOTHY LEE MCKENZIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ABurns97
This era of Prof 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@dineroboyjay9964
As an American ifgaf this album straight hip hop🔥🔥🔥
@synthoify
Watched this guy work his way up and this album came out.Had to buy it out of the U.K. cause it wasn't for sale in the U.S. I love this album and I love this song.
@AP3XJU1C3
2020 where y'all at?!
@hanginthere3
good song to wake up to
@or3das1kblik
pro green= one of the symbols of great british rap FUTURE KING
@conorhoney7776
sick song. good memories
@vDemiiGod
sikk tune, this Manns the future !
@musicplayer2009
probably the best song ive ever heard
@foxer6969
Me in 2021: wow this was a thing back then still cant find the og version on any music's apps