Alive Till I'm Dead

Alive Till I'm Dead is the first studio album by the English rapper Professor Green, released on 16 July 2010.[9] The album includes guest vocals by Lily Allen, Example, Labrinth and Emeli Sandé, among others.

Alive Till I'm Dead
Studio album by
Professor Green
Released16 July 2010 (2010-07-16)
Recorded2010
GenreBritish hip hop, grime, UK garage
Length42:52
LabelVirgin
ProducerFuture Cut, Alex 'Cores' Hayes, Mike Skinner, The ThundaCatz, Labrinth, Naughty Boy, True Tiger, Semothy Jones
Professor Green chronology
The Green EP
(2008)		 Alive Till I'm Dead
(2010)		 At Your Inconvenience
(2011)
Singles from Alive Till I'm Dead
  1. "I Need You Tonight"
    Released: 9 April 2010
  2. "Just Be Good to Green"
    Released: 25 June 2010
  3. "Monster"
    Released: 1 October 2010
  4. "Jungle"
    Released: 31 December 2010
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
BBC Musicfavourable[2]
Daily Mirror[3]
Metro[4]
MusicOMH[5]
RapReviews(6.5/10)[6]
The Guardian[7]
The Independent[8]

Background

"Just Be Good to Green" was originally written and produced back in July 2007 when Green was signed to Mike Skinner's record label, The Beats. It was composed and produced by Semothy Jones, and at the time featured Neon Hitch on the chorus. When The Beats closed down, the track was put on hold, and later purchased by Green for use on his next record. Green spoke about how the collaboration came about between him and Lily Allen, saying that they began speaking through Facebook.

Green said, "We got chatting on Facebook and I mentioned the track, which turned out to be one of her favourite songs. She suggested her singing the chorus. I didn't take much persuading! Lily's wicked. She's straightforward and honest, you always know where you're at with her."[10]

Singles
  • "I Need You Tonight" was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the first single from Alive Till I'm Dead. The song features guest vocals from Ed Drewett. It was written by Professor Green, produced by The ThundaCatz, mixed by Steve Fitzmaurice. The single debuted at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart and also did well in Ireland, where it charted at number 15. "I Need You Tonight" samples the 1987 rock/new wave song "Need You Tonight" by INXS.
  • "Just Be Good to Green" is the second single from the album. It features guest vocals from Allen and was officially released on 25 June 2010. It has been released around the world. The song charted at number 52 in Australia. "Just Be Good to Green" samples the 1983 R&B song "Just Be Good to Me" by The SOS Band.[10]
  • "Monster" is the third single from album. It features vocals from Example and was released on 1 October 2010. Video shooting started on 8 September. The video was released on 17 September 2010.
  • "Jungle" is the fourth single from the album. It features guest vocals from Maverick Sabre and was released on 20 December. It peaked at 31 on the UK Singles Chart and 9 on the UK R&B Chart.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart.[11] The album is now platinum, selling 400,000 copies in UK.

Reception

Alive Till I'm Dead received positive reviews from music critics, with BBC Music describing the album as "fizzy, dramatic and inventive as pop should be without losing his initial grime edge". Paul MacInnes of The Guardian gave a similar review, agreeging that it was "Pop music, yes, but sparky and cleverly composed pop that still has an ear for the club". He also remarked that Professor Green has a "flow like an estuary Eminem and a humorous sensibility reminiscent of Lily Allen".

Helen Clarke of MusicOMH also praised the album, also comparing Professor Green with Eminem, saying that "Alive Till I'm Dead grabs you like the first few times you heard The Slim Shady LP". She also wrote that the album was a "ball of tightly wound bitterness, anger and aggression", while also managing to be "cheeky, playful and almost frighteningly confident and experimental". Jesal Padania of RapReviews gave a positive review, tempered with a feeling that Professor Green is "so much more" than what his record label have allowed him to display thus far.

Track listing
Standard edition[12]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Kids That Love to Dance" (featuring Emeli Sandé)Stephen Manderson, Emeli Sandé, Shahid Khan, Harry Craze, Hugo ChegwinNaughty Boy2:46
2."Just Be Good to Green" (featuring Lily Allen)Manderson, Terry Lewis, Andrew Hughes, Samuel HarrisSemothy Jones3:26
3."I Need You Tonight" (featuring Ed Drewett)Manderson, Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence, Moore, El BergamyThe ThundaCatz3:45
4."City of Gold"Manderson, Lee Bailey, James Murray, Mustafa OmarMojam4:02
5."Oh My God" (featuring Labrinth)Manderson, Timothy McKenzie, Marc WilliamsLabrinth, Da Digglar3:51
6."Jungle" (featuring Maverick Sabre)Manderson, Maverick Sabre, Sukh Knight, John Gowers, Blue Bear, Stanza, ChunkyTrue Tiger3:13
7."Do for You"Manderson, Hanni Ibrahim (Orchestral arrangement by Jules Buckley)Sunny Productions4:21
8."Falling Down"Manderson, Bailey, DeLeon Blake, Yogi Tulsiani, Costas NicolaidesYogi Tulsiani3:53
9."Monster" (featuring Example)Manderson, Elliot Gleave, James Murray, Mustafa OmarFuture Cut, Mojam3:08
10."Closing the Door" (featuring Fink)Manderson, Fink GreenallFink4:00
11."Where Do We Go" (featuring Shereen Shabanaa)Manderson, Alex 'Cores' HayesAlex 'Cores' Hayes, 12 Milagram3:47
12."Goodnight"Manderson, Alex 'Cores' Hayes, Edward Hayes (Orchestral arrangement by Jules Buckley)Alex 'Cores' Hayes4:43
iTunes Store deluxe edition bonus tracks[13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Crying Game" (featuring The Streets)Manderson, Mike Skinner, Kevin Mark Trail, Johnny Drum MachineMike Skinner3:55
14."All to Myself" (pre-order only)Manderson, HayesAlex 'Cores' Hayes4:25

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Platinum 300,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Jon O'Brien (19 July 2010). "Professor Green Alive Till I'm Dead". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  2. Martin Aston (8 July 2010). "Professor Green Alive Till I'm Dead Review". BBC Music. United Kingdom. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  3. "Professor Green album review of Alive Till I'm Dead". Daily Mirror. United Kingdom: Gavin Martin. 16 July 2010. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  4. Siobhan Murphy (18 July 2010). "Professor Green's Alive Till I'm Dead is full of welcome surprises". Metro. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  5. Helen Clarke. "Professor Green - Alive Till I'm Dead". MusicOMH. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  6. Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania (24 August 2010). "Professor Green :: Alive Til I'm Dead :: Virgin Records". RapReviews. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  7. Paul MacInnes (15 July 2010). "Professor Green Alive Till I'm Dead CD Review". The Guardian. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  8. "Album: Professor Green, Alive Till I'm Dead (Virgin)". The Independent. United Kingdom: Andy Gill. 16 July 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  9. "Alive Till I'm Dead by Professor Green". Itunes.apple.com. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  10. "Professor Green releasing single with Lily Allen after 'Facebook chat'". NME. United Kingdom: IPC Media. 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  11. Paul Sexton (26 July 2010). "Eminem Spends Fourth Week Atop UK Chart". Billboard. United Kingdom. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  12. "Alive Till I'm Dead". Amazon. United Kingdom: Amazon. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  13. "Alive Till I'm Dead by Professor Green". Apple. USA: Apple. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  14. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 225.
  15. "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 22 July 2010". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  16. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  17. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  18. "End of Year 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  19. "End of Year 2011" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  20. "British album certifications – Professor Green – Alive till I'm Dead". British Phonographic Industry.
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