Professor Green: Musician & Mental Health Campaigner
How Professor Green Bravely Battles Stigma
Chances are, the stage name Professor Green doesn't ring a bell. But the musician's real identity just might: Stephen Paul Manderson.
Under his edgier persona, the English rapper remains a down-to-earth advocate for mental health. His candid conversations about internal struggles aim to normalise disorders still shrouded in shame.
From Trauma to Triumph
Professor Green’s early life was marred by trauma, beginning with his father's suicide at age one. Raised by his grandmother, Green dove into rapping as an emotional release. Music became his salvation and his career.
But the long unresolved anguish didn't stay buried. In his late twenties, Manderson's mental health took a sharp decline. The tipping point was a violent mugging where he was stabbed in the neck. Suddenly forced to confront internal wounds, Green emerged ready to own his mental health publicly.
Rising to fame gave him a platform to advocate for discourse on disorders. He chose transparency over silence and stigma. As Green once told, "People talking about their mental illness is the most important thing ... When you have someone that people can relate to that suffer from the same thing, it makes you feel like you're not alone."
The Internal Struggles
During a pivotal period in 2016, Professor Green released several initiatives giving voice to mental illness. First was a deeply personal BBC documentary titled Suicide and Me. This chronicled his lifelong grief since his father's suicide.
Candid interviews with family members and experts shed light on suicide's lasting impact. Manderson also met others dealing with suicidal loved ones. His heartfelt conversations put human faces on alarming statistics. After the film won acclaim, Professor Green continued public discourse on mental health.
Next, Green released "One Eye on the Door," a song addressing his mental state after being stabbed. Lyrics like "I’m a product of the system, I’m a victim of circumstance" revealed his trauma. The music video reenacted the violent mugging in reverse.
Green again called for a more compassionate understanding of mental illness. As he told The Guardian, "We need to remove the stigma ... You can change people’s lives if you talk."
Behind the Toughened Exterior
Professor Green's parents broke up shortly after his birth. When his grandfather died, his unstable father took his own life at age 21. Green's grandmother raised him in working-class Hackney, East London. Surrounded by gang violence and crime, he learned to project a hardened exterior.
Music initially provided an outlet for the neglected child's emotions. Green channelled his bleeding heart into raw raps about poverty, absent fathers, and pain. After signing with a label, his 2006 mixtape caught fire. Before age 25, he rose to fame with hits like “I Need You Tonight."
Though living a rap star's life, Stephen Paul Manderson was profoundly unwell.
No Shame in Seeking Help
After opening up through music and film, Professor Green took further steps to heal. He entered therapy to process buried hurts. Now a mental health ambassador, Green wants his honesty to empower others struggling silently.
What core message does Manderson aim to convey?
Asking for help takes courage, not weakness. The strongest among us cannot power through mental illness alone. Innermost emotions, when left to fester, derail lives. But there are always people ready to listen, whether a friend, therapist, or support group.
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