Professor Green - At Your Inconvenience
- By Christian Parker -
- Nov 03, 2011
Professor Green returns with his second studio release ‘At Your Inconvenience’. Notorious for his soul destroying punch lines, razor sharp wit and capricious humour, it’s no wonder he has elevated through the charts higher than his DJ I.Q at a team-green after party.
Born in Hackney, London, the professor of hip-hop and all things pop Steve Manderson rose to fame battle rapping at ‘Jump-Off’ one of the UK’s leading hip-hop events. (Winning 92 out of 100 battles, just in case you were wondering). Not bad really, for an artist that fell into the world of rap purely by chance. When you reminisce back to the days of ‘The Green Lectures’ where his talents were focused primarily on rapping about sacrificing a certain sacred plant to the fire gods (Where do you think he got the name Professor Green?) he has truly transcended the boundaries cemented by rappers worldwide, when it comes to lyrical fluidity, originality and innovation.
‘At Your Inconvenience’ displays a solid musical progression, showcasing just about every genre you can think of. Packed full of haunting melodies, polyrhythmic textures and enough hooks to keep even the most musically schizophrenic mind pre-occupied. Whether you’re in the mood for hip-hop, dubstep, drum and bass, electro, or pop, eclectically, this album has it all. When comparing this to Green’s previous release ‘Alive Till I’m Dead’ it has to be said that this time, it seems to be heavily focused on the music. His vision. It’s not just a case of get *Insert popular artist at the time* lay the vocals over a passé dance track and voila, a number one single is born, ready to sail through the charts amongst a sea of mediocrity. Green has travelled back to his roots.
The utilisation of live instruments throughout the record adds an unquestionable element of authenticity and in turn, ceases it from becoming just another polished rap/pop hybrid. This is especially evident on the single ‘Read All About It’ which was recorded at London’s Abbey Road studios, where the use of a twenty-four piece string section adds an electrifyingly grandiose quality to the track. The self-titled opening track ‘At Your Inconvenience’ boasts a maelstrom of pop culture references, disjointed beats, sub-sonic bass lines and filthy electronic melodies to get your blood pressure rising.
Adding an appropriately professorial element to his lyrical repertoire, the humorously calculated ‘DPMO’ (Don’t piss me off) features the word ‘Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis’ probably used for the first time in the history of music. (And subsequently, the first time in a piece of music journalism) This track is bursting full of captivating hooks, facetious punch lines and yes, the longest word in the dictionary. Listen to this track and challenge yourself not to start chanting the words “Don’t piss me off” under your breath like some kind of bewildered, escaped mental patient. It’s inevitable and shouldn’t be fought.
The old school drum and bass vibes of ‘Trouble’ which wouldn’t sound too out of place on a High Contrast vinyl, will have you stumbling towards the Fabric bar in a nostalgic haze of musical bliss. A definite club hit in the making. It probably should be noted, if you’re looking for a rehash of previous albums, you’d best look elsewhere. Green has taken a refreshingly new direction in his approach, discovering elements one might not have been so inclined to try in previous releases. You can only really appreciate this if you’re a musician yourself, no one wants to be trapped creating the same music you made a year ago, let alone three. It becomes stale to the ears and in a way, almost embarrassing to listen to. Music progresses and so do people. Live with it. It’s so painstakingly apparent that this is the album Professor Green wanted to make for himself and really reflects throughout.
One example of this is in the closer of the album ‘Into The Ground’ which has a distinctive, jazzy Bonobo-esque feel to it. Not forgetting the effortlessly crafted digs at Kate Nash and Ryan Jarman, frontman of The Cribs. A dispute which escalated after a heated spat on Twitter. One lesson should be learnt from this: Don’t f*ck with Professor Green, you might just end up on an album getting compared to Krusty the Clown. In all fairness, it was a pretty accurate representation.
One track that may leave veteran Prof Green fans a little baffled is the radio friendly ‘Avalon’ featuring American emo queen-sensation Sierra Kusterbeck. It’s not something that you instantly think of when picturing lewd, crude, potty-mouthed Professor Green, however it’s strangely captivating and seems to blend into the album with some merit. Something the younger generation of fans will lap up in all its glory no doubt. On the whole, this album seems to be the most accessible of Green’s discography to date. Whether you’re after tracks so filthy they make you want to take a shower, or hip-hop with just the right amount of pop, this album is for you.
8/10
By Christian Parker. Tweets @CHR1STIANParker and blogs at @The Drive Theory
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