Professor Green said he wants to pass on financial savvy to young people after reflecting on a childhood shaped by poverty and little formal guidance about money.
The rapper, born Stephen Manderson in Clapton, east London, told interviewer Harvey Dorset that he received "very little" direct instruction about finances while growing up on a council estate. He described early memories of his grandmother starting work at 4 a.m., long hours cleaning banks and houses, and family encounters with debt collectors that left a lasting impression.
Manderson, 41, spoke of learning "plenty of what not to do" when it came to money, even if formal lessons were absent. He said those experiences helped shape his views on the value of financial education and the importance of support and mentorship for young people entering adulthood.
Professionally known as Professor Green, Manderson has released three studio albums and won multiple awards, including three MOBOs and an NME prize. He began pursuing music in his early 20s, releasing his first mixtape, Lecture #1, at about age 23, and he won a televised battle rap tournament in 2008 that carried a £50,000 prize.
His career has combined recording and touring with television appearances and public speaking. Manderson continues to perform live under his stage name and remains active in the U.K. music scene.
Personal details he shared in the interview underscored the contrast between his upbringing and his later life. He left school at 13 with no formal qualifications and has described the practical lessons he absorbed while watching family members work long hours to make ends meet. He was married to television personality Millie Mackintosh for two years before their divorce in 2016. He now lives in London with partner, actress Karima McAdams, and their son, Slimane, who was born in 2021.
Manderson framed his call for greater financial education as pragmatic rather than moralizing. He said that witnessing financial strain in his family led him to want better preparation for younger generations so they might avoid similar hardship. The rapper pointed to the role that mentoring, practical guidance and accessible information can play in helping people manage wages, debt and long-term planning.
Observers note that musicians and other public figures increasingly use their platforms to discuss practical life skills, from mental health to financial literacy. Manderson’s remarks follow a broader cultural interest in financial education initiatives aimed at teenagers and young adults, including school programs and community workshops that focus on budgeting, credit and long-term saving.
Manderson’s blend of personal experience and public visibility gives his appeal a familiar narrative arc: rising from a deprived background to professional success, then seeking to translate hard-won lessons into advice for others. Whether through interviews, social media or public events, he has positioned himself as a voice urging more practical support for people who, like his younger self, may lack access to clear financial guidance.
He did not outline any specific program or partnership in the interview, but his comments added to ongoing conversations in Britain about how best to deliver financial education to young people entering the workforce or managing household budgets for the first time.