Alive Till I'm Dead

Background

"Just Be Good to Green" was originally written and produced back in July 2007 when Green was signed to The Beats, Mike Skinner's record label. The track was composed and produced by Semothy Jones, and at the time featured Neon Hitch on the chorus. When The Beats folded, 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, stating that the pair got speaking through Facebook.

Green stated "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."

Singles

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart. As of 6 September 2014 the album has sold 250,000 copies in UK.

Reception

Alive Till I'm Dead has received positive reviews from music critics, with BBC Music stating that the album is "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, likewise 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 asserts that the album is 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.