EXC: Professor Green admits fears of ‘imposing his mistakes’ on infant son Slimane

Professor Green has admitted that he is afraid to ‘impose his mistakes’ on his son Slimane and that he prays that the baby ‘does not suffer as he did as a child’.

The 39-year-old rapper made the moving confession in an exclusive interview with MailOnline, where he also revealed that he felt ‘ungrateful’ after finding fame, as he hoped it would ‘absolve’ him of his past traumas.

His fiancee Karima McAdams, 37, gave birth to their first child together, 21 months old, in March 2021, with the musician confessing that parenthood is “the scariest thing in the world.”

From humble beginnings to a multi-platinum artist, Green, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, grew up on a council estate in Clapton, East London.

He was raised by his grandmother, Patricia, and great-grandmother Edie from the age of one after his mother gave birth to him when he was just 16, and was separated from his father Peter shortly thereafter.

Stephen sold and smoked cannabis regularly between the ages of 16 and 24 and has been outspoken about his battle with depression.

He stopped using the recreational drug when Peter took his own life in 2008, which inspired the lyrics to Read All About It.

Speaking about fatherhood, he said: “I think a lot of people try to impose too much of themselves and their mistakes on their children and I really don’t want to do that.”

“My main concern was that Slimane wouldn’t go through the things that I went through growing up and I pray that he doesn’t, which is why he’s incredibly healthy.”

“I had my first operation at six weeks old, you know, that was a concern for me and a concern, but he’s in incredible health.”

The NME Award winner, who has been dogged by chronic digestive problems since birth, was just a newborn baby when he underwent his first stomach operation.

The surgery was for pyloric stenosis, which meant that food couldn’t get into his small intestine, leading to excessive projectile vomiting and life-threatening levels of dehydration.

Stephen continued: “He’s not showing any signs of anxiety or instability because he’s got a mum and dad and he’s just brilliant.”

‘It’s the scariest thing in the world that becomes apparent. It’s the hardest job in the world too. I guess it’s as hard as you care, and I care a hell of a lot.

‘But with that I have to remember that I can’t project my anxieties and problems onto him. I’ve done a lot of the work, but when I had a child I realized that everything I thought I had processed and dealt with, I actually hadn’t.

‘And I had to deal with it all over again in a new way because I was experiencing something that is a huge life event that I had never been through before.

‘That has happened periodically throughout my life. When big events in life happen, you tend to have to face the same things again, just from a different angle.

On the possibility of Slimane following in his footsteps with a career in music, Stephen said he simply wants his son to “follow his passions”, whatever they may be.

He said, ‘You know what? I just want him to find out what his passion is. He really didn’t have that. There was no one creative in my family. Education was not part of my family.

‘My cousin Charlie was the first person to go to university in the family that I’ve ever known and get a degree. He got the Mastery from him.

I just want her to find what matters to her and have the security and stability to be able to follow her passions.

“It’s very easy to say, ‘Okay, well, I didn’t have a lot of options growing up,’ so I want to give him all the options. I think kids can be given too much and put too much pressure on them. Again, I don’t want to project about him what I never had.

“So I just want to give him the reassurance that he can try what he wants and enjoy what…if he finds something he really enjoys, he can follow it.”

‘I just want to be supportive. It’s so easy to think, “I’ll teach my child this and I’ll teach him that.” I can’t teach you anything other than repetition.

The musician proposed to his actress partner in October 2021, seven months after they welcomed their son into the world.

Asked if they had any specific wedding plans in mind, Stephen said: “We’re so focused on being parents right now.”

‘We’ve been through, you know… there’s been a lot of life events, whether it’s COVID or illness in the family, my own health issues. I haven’t been very good in the last two years.

‘My son gets all my energy, but sometimes that’s the only energy I have with certain things that have been going on.

“It’s scary because all of a sudden you realize, you know, or maybe you wish you hadn’t been such a jerk in your 20s and early 30s and you’re taking care of yourself a little better because suddenly those years that could have taken your life become so precious. .’

The Just Be Good To Green hitmaker may have a string of top 10 hits to his name, having sold 3.5 million copies of his music, but he insists he doesn’t feel like he’s “made it”.

He joked: ‘I’m self-employed with no job security. I definitely don’t feel like I’ve made it. I stopped pinning the donkey’s tail a long time ago.

‘I think a lot of people do the same. When I was growing up and going through it, I thought that if only… once I found the music, if I was successful and absolved myself of my past and everything would be better and I would be happy… yeah, it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work like that.

“And then you go through, ‘Oh my God, am I ungrateful that things are getting better? Everything’s better, but I’m not.”

“And then you realize that no matter how successful you are, no matter who you are, you still have good days and bad days.”

Elsewhere, Professor Green has partnered with Virgin Media O2 and The Big Issue to support all providers with free O2 SIM and data vouchers as the cost of living crisis deepens this Christmas.

Last year, O2 delivered free data plans to over 200 Big Issue providers, enabling them to accept contactless payments, providing vital support at a time when 52% of magazine sales are made via this method.

This year, the company will offer monthly data to the entire network of magazine providers. This comes as it is reported that 18.7 million people are expected to have their ability to go online affected by the cost of living crisis.

The Read All About It hitmaker said: “I think it’s a brilliant campaign because people who can offer contactless payments sell up to 30% more magazines, which is incredibly important to them.”

“But there’s a bigger picture here, and I think connectivity is what we should be talking about as well. For people who are homeless or have been on the fringes of society, there are already enough social barriers to deal with.

“Isolation is a terrible part of homelessness and to be further isolated due to lack of connectivity, without having the freedom to access information or a support network, is a horrible thing to think about.”

“So the fact that they give them the opportunity to accept contactless payments but also to stay connected, I think that’s brilliant.”

Professor Green partners with Virgin Media O2 and The Big Issue to support O2’s campaign to provide all Big Issue providers with free O2 sims and data, enabling them to accept contactless payments, providing vital support.