LETHAL INTERVIEWS: PROFESSOR GREEN

Lethal recently caught up with the infamous Battle Champion Professor Green to talk about his history in the game and what the future holds for this talented wordsmith.

Now signed to Mike Skinner’s label ‘The Beats’ it looks like 06 is going to be a great year for the Professor.

Lethal:
Yes bro, everyone knows your history, you’ve been killing the battle circuit, smashing the competition at events like the Jump Off and more recently the Power Summit in the Bahamas. What first made you wanna step up and clash like that? Why was that your route into the game?

Professor Green:
It was just a freestyle thing cause I started off by freestyling. I guess that was the natural route to take for me. It was the only thing I had to do to get myself out there cause I never really did the other grind, as far as getting tracks to DJ’s and asking them to play my s**t. I kinda left it long enough so the DJ’s were banging my door down.

Lethal:
Well, the heat is definitely there. For those who don’t know you need to peep Green’s Drunken Freestyle on his Mix CD when Semtex was just throwing out subjects…

Professor Green:
Yeah that was jokes; I was nice and drunk in the studio…

Lethal:
He was like ‘rhyme about Rhyme Fest’…

Professor Green:
Rhyme Fest deserved everything he got and I think I was tame as well. I don’t really let off properly on him. He’s a di**head.

Lethal:
I like that bringing drama…well everyone know’s your freestyle ability is mad sick. Is that something you practice or is that something that comes natural?

Professor Green:
It’s something I need to practice more you know cause I ain’t been doing it as much as I used to. I think it’s a natural talent, its something you can either do or you can’t but at the same time it is something you can practice. It’s something the more you do it the more fluent you become with it.

Lethal:
Cool, let’s stick with the battling ting for a minute. Break down what went down at the Power Summit for those who don’t know…

Professor Green:
I got out there, the night before and had about three hours sleep. I Got up at 8, was awake all day just getting mashed really, having fun in the Bahamas. When it came down to it I was s***ing myself.
It was one of the most of the most anxious experiences of my life, just getting into the bloody ring in front of 400 Americans to battle. I battled Axel from Shady Records first and beat him. Then I went up against Serious Jones but by that time I had the crowd chanting ‘UK UK’ which built my confidence up a bit.
I just thought ‘you know what if this was in England and an American was ripping an English MC there is no way the crowd would start chanting USA’. When I battle Serious Jones there was a bit of a mix up. I got stopped half way through my round for no reason which through me off a bit. But the crowd wasn’t having it, they gave us another round. I got dragged back to the stage, took Serious Jones off and got to the final with Jin and everyone know’s what happened. I came second to Jin but I think I achieved enough.

Lethal:
Well, to have them man screaming ‘UK UK’ is incredible…

Professor Green:
Yeah bro and I was so scared, I was just thinking getting on stage; I’m a white English boy in front of an American Hip Hop crowd. Plus I was talking to Clinton Sparks before and he said ‘the only thing I would say is that I don’t know if there gonna take to your accent so that didn’t feel me with confidence.

Lethal:
Well it’s all-good, you got the deal now. Were up in the Beats office…

Professor Green:
As you can see we live lavish up here. We’re in a shed that’s about 10 by 15 and we’ve got a toilet for a vocal booth!

Lethal:
So how did you hook up with Mike Skinner?

Professor Green:
He saw me battle at the Brixton Academy for the B Boy Championships a couple of years ago and wanted to get that on his tour. He got his people to speak to the Jump Off as I was the champion at the time, I went on the tour and we just carried on speaking afterwards.

Lethal:
Cool, well gotta big you up on the mix CD. I think people get a deeper insight into you on there. Feeling the track with Loudmouth, how did that come about?

Professor Green:
That was a quick ting really. He messaged me on My Space and we got talking. I was feeling what he was doing, I’d heard ‘Name Drop’ and if I like an artist I’m happy to work with them. I like working with good artists. The track as done quickly, we wrote it in a day, he came down here and it was done.

Lethal:
Bad, well another one I really like is the ‘So Sick’ remix. I relate to that! What made you write that though?

Professor Green:
Just realness, I was just getting so sick of these pr***s writing they’re soppy love songs. And the thing is most people hear that and think it’s an insult to women when I’m actually being nicer to women than any of these pr***s making soppy love songs are. Neo’s not a pr**k by the way, I may have sounded a bit wrong, its just a couple situations I’ve been through.

Lethal:
And of course can’t forget you’ve got the hot single ‘Stereo Typical Man’ produced by The Streets. That girl on their sounds like a lot of girls I’ve dealt with over the years…

Professor Green:
That’s actually an ex girlfriend! That’s real authentic. She wasn’t an ex at the time.

Lethal:
So what can people expect from you album?

Professor Green:
I would like to say I know but I’m not that far into it. So far I’m about six tracks deep. I can give you a rough idea. There’s quite a lot of personal stuff on there. People get me wrong; they think I’m a joker. Don’t; get me wrong I’ll have a laugh but it aint all fun and games. There’s gonna be some serious stuff on there.

Lethal:
Who’s doing the beats?

Professor Green:
Everybody. Mike Skinner, a guy called Appetite from up north, my bredrin Cor. I’m gonna do some stuff with Davinche. I’m just open, there’s a few American producers as well, Dre’s right hand man who did a couple sessions with last year. Just whatever I write the best songs to.

Lethal:
Cool, you’ve got one of the hottest labels backing you right now. So your aims for the album are you looking to crash the mainstream with that?

Professor Green:
Yeah man definitely. I made not end up selling many copies but I’m not going to be happy if I only do 10 to 30,000 copies. And I don’t think there should be any shame in saying you wanna sell records. English people are too down on themselves. F*** the UK Hip Hop scene bruv, I wanna get out of that. I don’t wanna get caught in that circle and if anyone’s takes offence to me saying that come see me and I’ll explain to you the reasoning behind it. I’m not making suicidal music, I’m not going to make an album that depresses you or that’s about the sun, the moon and the stars. I’m not for that s***. I wanna make music people relate to.

Lethal:
Wicked, and finally I just wanna big you up on your take on the Streets ‘When Your Famous’ single. I got that through and couldn’t stop playing that. Plus, you done a video with Jodie Marsh, what’s she saying?

Professor Green:
Yeah man Jodie Marsh is cool. No I didn’t slam it!!! (Pro’s man in the back hollers ‘I DID!!!)

Lethal:
Well, big ups to Soul 2 Streets, The Beats, shouts to the Mitchell Brothers. I caught them up in the studio earlier laying some new tracks. Anything you wanna say before we are out…

Professor Green:
Yes fam check out www.myspace.com/professorgreen Big up to you. Bless.