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Professor Green - real name Stephen Manderson - is set to release his second album At Your Inconvenience on Monday (31 October). Q caught up with the man himselves to discuss the record, the fact the Pixies are fans and why he won't be caught heading to Stamford Bridge in make up any time soon.

How the devil are you?
"I'm good! Caught up in the whirlwind [of releasing a new album], I suppose - when I got this week's schedule from my manager it came with an apology - it's been pretty frantic, but it's good man!"

You've been busy with festivals and gigs this year, so when did you find time to record At Your Inconvenience?
"I haven't really stopped. I didn't have that many days in the studio so I had to make them count. I went through a bit of a bad patch after the last album, the change was a lot to deal with and the one thing that brought me out of that was being in the studio. It's what I enjoy, it's what I do. So the process was really quite fun. I went into this album with a much clearer direction.

There's quite a spectrum to the music on this record, did playing live influence that approach?
"Entirely! We were quite rushed on the first album, we put the single out to see what would happen then there was a panic, Get the album done! When I was touring the first album I had a live band and that gave me so much freedom to play things out, so I wanted that freedom with this album. Also with the success of the first album and going through that process I found my voice in terms of the music and getting my ideas across, so I was able to lay my hands at everything this time. I don't read music, but I make a lot of silly noises and I hum. That was the whole story throughout production. It's nice to be able to get those ideas out. I hope people notice the musicality and depth of this record, I don't want to get tarred with the brush that some of peers get because of the music we make."

You incorporate the Pixies Where Is My Mind into Spinning Out (feat. Fink), how did that come about?
"I had to do a cover for a session which I only found out the night before. So that was the first song that came into my head as it's one of my all time favourites. So I had to wake my band up and tell them and I had to stay up all night learning my verses. So we did that and didn't think anything of it because we weren't going to use any samples on the album, almost to prove a point, but everyone started mentioning how much they liked it and Fink, who is one of my favourite singer-songwriters, said he'd be up for doing a version. So it was done on the basis that we'd never clear it but it would be fun to do. We tried to clear it and the Pixies came back saying they really liked it and gave us their blessing. The only stipulation was we had to change the song title."

What's your record collection like then, people probably thing you only listen to Eminem?
"All I listen to is gansta rap, yeah! I've got everything, on my iPod I've got Tricky, Morcheeba, Emancipator, Finley Quaye, Bjork, Radiohead, Burial, Drake, The Streets, Portishead, Alicia Keyes, Eminen, Biggie, Snow Patrol... there's everything!"

Talking of a wider influences, Avalon on the album almost has a Bond theme quality...
"It feels powerful. Another rapper could have done the usual bollock bravardo shit, but I thought I'm really going to knuckle down and keep to concept. Avalon is where Arthur retreated to when he was injured, it was where Excalibur was forged, so I wanted to stay true to all that but still have it make sense to people listening to it. It was quite hard to write but I was adamant I could do it without cheapen it. A Bond theme? That would be brilliant, could you imagine? I might have to change my name, Professor Green is more likely to be an enemy of James Bond: the evil Professor Green!"

Emeli Sandé is on the album, you've had a hand in bringing her to the fore and last time you gave Maverick Sabre a step-up, how do you pick your collaborators?
"For the most part it's people I know and have been around. I like working with people I have some kind of relationship with. On this album I was lucky enough to work with a couple of Americans who I just reached out to. It's nice when there's a respect there. With Royce Da 6'9" his payment from me was a verse. We swapped versus. That's the old school way of doing things. There were some people I reached out to who wanted to change me 35 grand! What am I going to pay you 35 grand for? That doesn't make sense to me. It's about the music, obviously it's a job, but if you want to make money from it it's about selling the record. If you have a mutual respect with someone you don't charge them. I do verses whenever I get the chance with underground artists. We all got into this because we love the music, it's rap, when did you get so deluded that you think you should get 35 grand for fucking verse? That winds me up."

There's a lot of famous names mentioned on the album, a thank you to Lily Allen, and a reference to footballers John Terry and Wayne Bridge's falling out. Any of them got in touch?
"You know, I just say what I see. The way I record, I don't put things on paper and just vibe until I get four or eight bars, and work on it from there. If something is in my head it's libel to come out. It's public domain, I'm not exposing any secrets. It's social commentary.

We can't work out if you'll get free tickets or banned from Chelsea for that reference.
"I don't want to go to Chelsea anyway, I'm an Arsenal supporter."

Apparently you've launched your own money - Greenbacks - for your online Inconvenience Store, so who needs freebees anyway?
"I'm still trying to get my head around it. I'm going to have a fiddle with it myself, my manager had a go and he got a question wrong! It's an online currency but I'm not too up on it."

Do you have the most Greenbacks by default?
"That's what I want to work out. I want to do this quiz to see if I get all the questions right. It probably knows more about me than I know myself."

With your fly on the wall fly on the wall 4Music series airing this month, that might be the case anyway.
"It's a strange one. It's cool because my mates have done all the filming, it's nothing contrived or set up, it's just what we were doing, basically me and a bunch of degenerates. It's weird watching it, because it is what it is you can't change it."

You're bound to be offered reality TV shows of the back of this, anything you'd do?
"I'm not interested in any of it! Fuck all that, man. Because it's my mates filming, it doesn't feel like reality TV. That said I do find The Only Way Is Essex quite fun, would I do a cameo? Well I'm only down the road..."

Looking forward to touring the album?
"Yep I'm looking forward to getting back on the road and not having to do any TV. I like doing TV, but what winds me up is they put make up on your face, and make up winds me up! Not because I'm such a man I don't want make up, but because it irritates my skin, so it's an even more feminine reason. Obviously the more it irritates my skin, the more make up they put on. I just want my skin to breath! I bet you never thought you'd hear a rapper say, I want my skin to breath! So I can't wait to get on tour and be free of all that and be performing?"

So you'll be taking a skincare kit on the road along with all the band?
"Skin care? Maybe a bit of moisturiser. [laughs]"
Paul Stokes @stokesie

For more,to hear music and to earn some "greenbacks" head to Professorgreen.co.uk.

10:33 AM | 28/10/2011