When George the Poet — also known as George Mpanga — decided to be a poet and not a rapper, he wanted to undermine the expectations that come with it. So after leaving Island Records to develop his BBC Sounds Peabody award-winning podcast Have You Heard George's Podcast? he found a way to use fiction, non-fiction and music to tell expansive stories about society, history and culture. In his latest book, Track Record: Me, Music, and the War on Blackness, he continues to tell our side of the story through his anti-colonial messaging and elegant use of words. In this episode, we speak about his complex relationship with rap music, how becoming a dad changed the way he measures success, why language can be political, and the responsibility Black writers have to our community.
Listen to George's podcast Have You Heard George's Podcast?
Order George's new book Track Record: Me, Music, and the War on Blackness.
Buy tickets to The Poets' Revival at Royal Albert Hall.
Follow George on Twitter and Instagram.
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Follow Black Prose on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
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Produced by New Strange.
Artwork by Matt Munday.
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