GEORGE THE POET

INTERVIEW

We had the opportunity to interview up and coming writer George The Poet, with an amazing year George has appeared on Hackney 2012 Launch Film, LinkupTV, Business in the Community’s Awards Dinner 2012 and numerous High profile events. We discussed topics such as education, writing, music, Debut EP and more.

 

What inspires you to write?

Everyday experiences, anything, the only thing about writing is putting it in a format other than just simply thoughts and trying to arrange it in an artistically impressive way.

Your older brother was an influence to start rapping, what made you shift to poetry?

I feel in the world of grime, there wasn’t much room for me to say the things I wanted to say, there are a lot of egos and at the time a lot of negative energy. To an extent that’s changed with people like Wretch who have made a name by being generally positive.

What made you choose a socially conscious approach rather than a mainstream commercial appeal?

When you know yourself you know where your heart is. I go back to the endz and I see madness and I get vex, the angrier or more passionate I am the better it comes out. It’s not in me to speak that fake stuff, there’s certain prominent artist not going to call no names I feel how you can look in the mirror?

US artist or UK artist?

US

Do you think UK is changing because you have people like Mic Righteous, Wretch?

I feel as Drake “The real is on the rise” that’s beautiful to see but there is also a counter current, whereby people are just trying to be hard like all the youngers, as opposed to back in my day when all the youngers are trying to be good, as good as the movement.

With a message?

Before the message, this is what I was saying about grime, I don’t feel people really cared about the message but now there is a proper focus on being the biggest trapper, a trap star, everyone thinks there that.

Being at Cambridge studying Politics, Psychology and Sociology how has that influenced your poetry?

That just immerses me deeper in to all of this, it’s mad because I love my degree. I’ll sit in a lecture and the lecturer will quote a mad and interesting statistic and I’ll be twitting about it, like did you hear what he said, then I’ll go home and I’ll sit on that and think to myself my God, then I write something based on that.

What advice would you give to youth regarding education?

Make it matter to you because, trust me it matters the stuff in the classroom is not what your teacher just thought up and is trying to piss you off with. Its real life and when you start approaching your education as real life you are going to start to make more use of it.

What was it like being recognised by the BBC and doing the Hackney 2012 Launch Film advert?

That was really flattering, at the time I hadn’t done anything on that level, so when I went back to the hood, even people who I didn’t really get along with were saying they were proud, every time the advert came on I got 100 tweets, I just left my phone, it’s a myth.

Can you say a bit about your performance at Business in the Community’s Awards Dinner 2012?

Prince Charles’charity Business in the Community, they give big companies like M&S, awards for responsible business and business with a conscious, they commissioned me to do a poem about responsible business and giving back to the community. Like really and truly when you do business are you just trying to tick boxes and receive rewards or do you truly care about people?

When writing ‘Mother Tongue’ why do you think it’s so important to know your native language?

It comes back to Cambridge and people don’t perceive me as posh, it is really important to tap into the entire world and what’s available to you because that makes you a more rounded person. With Mother tongue, I don’t know the language that my parents speak and that language is like a bridge back where my story proper stated. I wasn’t born there but I will be able to slot back in and feel like I’ve come full circle, if I could just go there and talk to everyone. Its calm anyway I can be there for months and I get on around on my own.

Which poem of yours is your favourite and why?

I have new stuff that my favourite, I can’t give away yet but out of my current stuff, ‘The Olders’ is my favourite poem, because it’s just my heart laid out there.

Are there any poems you feel that you regret or think you could have done better?

Most poems I feel I could of done better, like’ Mother tongue’ I feel I got the message across but at the time when I wrote I wasn’t writing out of hunger, passion or anger but more of something on my mind and me trying to get it out, I wasn’t 100% happy with the finish result but if you are devoted to your craft like I am, more times you think you can do better.

Have you started to learn your mother tongue?

Yeah, most time when I’m around Ugandan people it will come, most of my friends can speak it and I’ll start saying words and phrases I forgot, but I need to be in Uganda for a year to soak it all up.

Why the name ‘George The Poet’?

Coming out of grime and rap I got tired of gimmickry and there are a lot of gimmicks in music and jumping through hoops, and I thought keep it 100%. Also it involves people, who aren’t familiar with tag names like older or middle class, it’s not intimidating or alienating.

What’s your motivation for doing workshops and working with youth organisations like The Hackney Pirates?

If what you’re doing doesn’t leave behind something positive for the future, you need to question what you are doing because the future is just the present later. If you’re not improving the present for someone else later on what are you doing?

What does the future hold for George The Poet?

I haven’t been promoting this because I’ve just been writing but there’s an EP coming, haven’t decided on the title or date but will come out later on in this year. More music collaborating with prominent artist, I got stuff in the bag.

‘Blame Game’ and ‘The Olders’ both are over Hip Hop beats, what do you think the state of Hip Hop now?

The state of Hip Hop, as usual there is a lot of aspects to Hip Hop, there some things going on that is good that make me happy like Drake’s music, I feel it’s just pure him, proper Hip Hop and RnB., J. Cole is real but obviously there is always other stuff were you can tell money is the motive but to each his own.

What is your favourite Hip Hop Album?

Marshal Mather LP, it was amazing right now he’s not the same but I’m happy for him, because that’s a tortured soul if you listen to him, I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about him, I am happy he’s in calm place.

Top five Hip Hop artists?

Eminem, 2Pac, Nas, Jay-Z and people might be angry for me George. I got to be real, who always been there for me you know what Will Smith, you know Will smith is not easy he does his thing, hes serious.

Top five Grime Artists?

Ghetts, Wretch, Wiley, Skepta and Bashy.

http://georgethepoetblog.tumblr.com/

 

Text:  James Childs – @jaimz

Images: Jehan Hamze and Mark Dear 

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