Emerging from the same Mockney scene as
Lily Allen,
Kate Nash, and
Jack Penate, Steven Manderson, aka
Professor Green, failed to break through to the mainstream with his unique brand of chaotic, dirty, hip-hop. Four years later and armed with a collection of radio-friendly, hook-laden, and sample-heavy tunes, his debut album,
Alive Till I'm Dead, should rectify that situation. Combining the quick-fire delivery of
Wiley, the authentic lyrical content of
the Streets (
Green was previously signed to the latter's Beats Recording label), and the commercial rap of
Tinchy Stryder,
Green's sound is uniquely British, but like
Lady Sovereign's humorous grime-pop, it could easily translate in the U.S., too. Indeed, it's clear from the opening few tracks that
Green doesn't take himself too seriously, with his claims of "I'm rap's George Best," on the
Kasabian-esque "Oh My God" spoken with tongue firmly in cheek as the swaggering male bravado that plagues many hip-hop albums is counterbalanced by
Green's self-deprecating vulnerability, as seen on the acoustic
Just Jack-style "Where Do We Go." Elsewhere,
the Example-featuring "Monster," with its pop culture references to
Pixie Lott,
Peter Andre, and
Sugababes, sounds like one of
Eminem's less-irritating comedy lead singles; "Kids That Love to Dance" is a funky bass-driven number featuring rising R&B star
Emeli Sande; while closing track "Goodnight" is an epic jazz-influenced emotional ode to his late grandmother. Of course, the best two tracks here, are the two big singles, the
INXS-sampling "I Need You Tonight," and the
Lily Allen duet, "Just Be Good to Green," a reworking of
the S.O.S. Band classic, both of which provide ammunition for the critics who compare his heavy use of classic songs to the slightly less credible
Will Smith. But despite its pop sensibilities,
Alive Till I'm Dead is actually far edgier than the more critically-acclaimed of
Dizzee Rascal's most recent output. "Jungle," a dubstep-influenced ode to the streets of Hackney, harks back to
Green's underground roots, while the minimally atmospheric "Closing the Door" echoes Damian Marley's brooding reggae-hip-hop.
Professor Green might have had to wait a little longer for his breakthrough, but on the evidence of
Alive Till I'm Dead, he's leapfrogged his contemporaries to become the obvious heir to
Mike Skinner's urban poet throne. ~ Jon O'Brien