George The Poet

Born George Mpanga in London’s Caribbean-centric Harlesden area on January 4, 1991, George the Poet is a socially and politically charged spoken word artist, rapper, writer, and public speaker. Mpanga spent his formative years mired in the rap and grime scene, but by the time he had wrapped up his politics, psychology, and sociology studies at Kings College, Cambridge, he had lost his taste for the more excess-laden aspects of the genre. Drawing on his studies, as well as his inner-city upbringing, Mpanga began honing his craft, relying less on hip-hop genre tropes and more on slam poet-kissed social commentary. He issued his debut EP, The Chicken & Egg, in 2013, and in November of 2014 was short-listed for the Critic’s Choice category at the following year’s Brit Awards. ~ James Christopher Monger