Behind The Rapper: Professor Green’s Battle With Suicide & Depression – Legends Report

By Sukh Singh, Associate Partner & Mentorship Coach, Lighthouse International

“You want to empty a room? Talk about suicide.”

– Professor Green (a.k.a Stephen Manderson)

As we’ve covered before on the Legends Report, suicide affects thousands of people across the world. In the UK, it is the single biggest killer of men under 45. Not heart disease, not cancer – suicide. One of Britain’s rising hip-hop talents, Professor Green, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, has come face to face with this. His father took his own life when the would-be rapper was just 24. While he started with a very hard image of a tough rapper growing up on a council estate, over the past couple of years he’s opened up about his experiences…

Trying To Look Strong While Feeling Weak

Researcher and author Brene Brown, has written powerfully about the fact that men in society are told to be strong, look hard, never show any weakness and keep it together. And this is the way a lot of society wants to see men. Yet while many would say they want to see the softer, more vulnerable side of a man, in truth it would scare a lot of people. After all, how can a vulnerable man also be strong? Being vulnerable and showing our underbelly is one of the scariest things a man can do, yet so important for healthy, honest, open relationships.

Losing His Father 

Stephen Manderson lost his father at an early age. As the rapper says, his father didn’t have anyone to speak to or ask for advice. He felt alone and trapped and couldn’t live with what was going on inside his head, despite the responsibilities he had to his family. When we feel alone, even if we are surrounded by hundreds of people, the world can feel like a dark and scary place. It is a real concern that far more people are affected by this than we realise. In the video clip below, Professor Green shares more about his own journey, as well as what he’s learned from making the documentary ‘Suicide and me.’

Getting The Help and Guidance We Need

While Professor Green is, as he says in the interview, seeing a therapist, there is still a huge stigma linked to getting ‘professional help’. Let’s make this clear though, getting help doesn’t make you crazy. If someone wants to get really fit and train for a marathon, they’ll get a coach. If someone wants to excel at a musical instrument, they’ll get a tutor. If someone wants to become the best person, parent, colleague, boss or partner they can be, they will get whatever support, guidance and advice they need to. Whether that’s from a mentor, a coach, a therapist…or anyone who has the wisdom and empathy to help them progress. It is one of the hallmarks of any legend throughout history.