Rapper Pro Green vows to give son Slimane, 3, a 'different life to what he had' after heartbreaking childhood trauma

The rapper, real name Stephen Manderson, has been open about his fractured childhood, which saw his mother walk out on him at a young age, and his father commit suicide

Professor Green, born Stephen Manderson in Hackney, has certainly lived a life. The 41 year old rapper and father to three year old son Slimane, with actress Karima McAdams, has been candid about his troubled upbringing which saw his mother abandon him at a young age and his father take his own life.

Raised by his grandmother on a North London council estate, the feelings of abandonment sparked deep-seated anxiety that he continues to grapple with. However, it's also driven him to become an outspoken advocate for mental health, turning his personal darkness into a force for good. In this exclusive interview with OK!, the musician, who was once married to Made In Chelsea's Millie Mackintosh, speaks eloquently about his resilient nan, upcoming music projects, and a venture that might finally help him get a good night's sleep...

Hello, Stephen! How are you?

Good, bit stiff - I was on a horse yesterday. Welcome to the wonderful world of mid-life. I hadn’t been on one since I was on holiday in Jamaica. I got bitten by a police horse in primary school, too. But they say, ‘Get back on the horse’ - so I did. And I enjoyed it. The rhythmic sound and pace of the hooves is really calming. I’ll definitely do it again.

And how’s life with your little boy, Slimane?

Great. He’s always running round the house shouting, ‘I do NOT want to wear these pants!’ Fatherhood’s magic - you see things in a more childlike way. I’d never stopped to examine a leaf for half an hour since I was a kid! I try to give Slim a life different to the one I had - to understand what he’s feeling.

How do you want to do things differently?

Feelings have been an issue for me my entire life. Especially as boys, parents still say, ‘Don’t cry!’ I say ‘Cry, don’t suppress that.’ He’s just doing what he needs to. It’s not easy - there are times you are stressed, exhausted - but you try your best not to pass that down.

Is there still too much talk about men needing to be ‘tough’?

It’s important to challenge and facilitate that. You should be able to be sensitive amongst people you feel safe with. But also puff your chest up and get through something, rather than mask feelings with anger. I’ve learned anger’s a secondary emotion - it normally comes from a place of hurt or confusion.

So you feel you need that resilience too...

There’s a lack of resilience today. People say, ‘Engage with your feelings, be sensitive.’ Yes, but that’s not how you survive everything. People say, ‘I wish my parents had been in therapy’. If my nan had done that, there’d have been even less of a chance of me getting through life. She’d have fallen apart - that’s what you need to do, in therapy. She didn’t have that luxury, it was post-war, and she had to raise three incredible children on her own - then me. Whinging doesn’t do you any good - and that’s coming from an ex-complainer!

You seem content. So parenthood’s not too stressful?!

Wonderful and stressful, but definitely more wonderful than stressful! Ironically, one of our favourite songs to dance to round the house is Boys Don’t Cry! And my top karaoke track is Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. I love indie and punk. I used to skate - but I had to hide that back in the day, I was a rude boy!

Your last album came out five years ago. When’s the next?

Next year. I released Got It All in 2019, went on a sold out tour, everything was amazing and I was trending No.1 on TikTok (I didn’t even have TikTok at the time, I was like, what does that even mean!’). Then Covid hit, then pregnancy, illness in the family, I became a dad. So much has happened. I’ve been making music throughout, though.

What can you tease about the new tracks?

There are still some feathers to be ruffled. I’ve always survived through humour - and there’s a lack of social commentary right now that’s not dull and overly political, and you have to understand really long words to ‘get’ it. I like to speak how I was spoken to growing up. The first song is a day in the life of a bloke called Terry. He’s had a hard life, he doesn’t really understand the world outside. There’s no malice in him, but he’s straight-talking. It’s going to be interesting.

You’ve just turned 41. Did hitting your forties feel big?

Yeah, your illusion of forever starts to disappear. You start to condense your past, it becomes a handful of key moments. It makes it feel like 40 years have gone by in a minute. So it’s about making more of those moments. Also, I was really baby-faced for years, but in the past couple of years I look in the mirror in the morning and see new lines. I’m like, ‘What the hell is that? Was I frowning in my sleep?!’ What you thought was a pillow mark is still there six hours later and you realise it’s just your face, now!

You’ve just created ASMR-style tracks for IG Hotels, too…

Sleep’s never come easy for me, so it’s been interesting to work on this Restless Rhythms playlist. I do a voiceover, which I didn’t want to be preachy, but say simple things about being grateful, leaving yesterday’s stresses behind, with music and beats that trigger feelings of restfulness. I use my soft ‘telephone voice’!

Are you a good sleeper?

I have to put so much in place to have a decent sleep. My head worries about everything. When you realise it’s a conscious effort, it’s even harder. You can see my neuro disposition coming into play! I use ASMR to drift off, anything gentle - it quietens the noise in my head, which has long been a problem for me.

You have ADHD. That must play its part…

It plays a huge part. I’d no idea it was that, for a long time - I’d no idea people didn’t have noise in their head, constantly. It’s brilliant, artistically. I was bright as a kid, I didn’t have learning difficulties, so it was masked well when I was younger. Also, in the 80s (ha, the 80s!) people weren’t as aware

How does it affect your day to day?

ADHD and OCD have both negatively impacted my life, but also propelled me to really positive places. For instance, I can’t deal with any mess - but I also can’t tackle it. It’s paralysing. It’s balancing those things. But it’s like life - it’s all a learning curve.

Professor Green's Restful Rhythms is now available to stream globally on Spotify, just in time for the 15th of November supermoon To book your next stay at Holiday Inn Express, visit ihg.com/holidayinnexpress