Growing Up in Public

There’s talent here, although it’s often buried deep beneath generic beats and lyrical self-obsession that eventually becomes a bit exhausting to listen to.

Professor Green’s whiny rap and the tired chart-house riff detract from the power of the narrative.

We get predictable rock-rap joints like "I Need Church" and "Dead Man's Shoes"; embarrassing skits involving Robbie Williams; abysmal jokes at other celebrity targets; saccharin singles like "Lullaby" (which retreads most of "Read All About It") and "Little Secrets"; getting outshone on your own song by the Rizzle Kicks ("Name In Lights"); ripping off The Streets' old shit ("Fast Life"); a surprisingly soulful joint that clearly ended up on the wrong album ("Not Your Man"); the sound of a rapper all but giving up ("Shadow of the Sun") and subsequently ruining dope instrumentals like the title track.