Have You Heard George's Podcast?

A young teacher's daily struggles provide the backdrop for this harrowing reflection on the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

In a move from journalism to drama, George departs with the documentary-style narration of previous episodes to deliver a heart-wrenching story of resilience and neglect in London's inner city.

Enlisting the help of rising star Jade Alleyne, poet Sophia Thakur as well as his own brothers, Freddie, Michael and Kenny Mpanga, George introduces a small universe of characters whose witty exchanges offer insight into their respective environments.

Featured songs: Chika Dole - Touch Abi Ocia - Running Written by George the Poet Original score by Benbrick Produced by Benbrick and George The Poet

George explores the roles of family and formal education in the lives of marginalised young people. With more elaborate scene-setting, his lyrical stream of consciousness flows over a soundscape that is increasingly cinematic and journalistic. The Poet argues that inner city music acts as a pressure valve for voiceless young people who face systemic disadvantage. Expanding on the points of the previous episode, he advocates for youth having space to "speak their truth," and for listeners to take consideration of the problematic realities behind this art.

In Uganda’s capital city, a young cab driver forms an unlikely bond with a sex worker during the crippling lockdown of 2021. They are both forced to make tough decisions.

Written by George the Poet Produced by Benbrick & George the Poet Original Music and Sound Design by Benbrick.

George’s Train of Thought travels through the madness of 2020 to find light at the end of the tunnel - his audience. The success of this journey depends on your next move. You've heard George’s podcast, and now George wants to hear from you. He’s driven by the idea that Black culture could one day provide economic security for Black people worldwide. As a listener, you play a special part in this vision. George’s Train of Thought is departing from his new online platform, built for the Chapter 3 audience. Your seat has been reserved. Go to GTPCG.com

Credits:

Written by George the Poet Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet Mixing, recording and editing by Benbrick.

With music from:

J Hus - Repeat (feat. Koffee) Marc Five - It’s Go Stormzy - Crown

All original music is written by Benbrick and recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

We had the following guests:

George’s nephews, Sandra Makumbi, Marc 5, Darshan Sanghrajka, Anne Whitehead, Benbrick.

Thank you to:

My team Sandra, Vidhu, and Birungi. The Common Ground team. Dylan Haskins and the team at BBC Sounds, BBC Concert Orchestra, JET magazine, AKA Dope, CNN, Podbible, NTV Uganda, David Lammy, Windrush Campaigner Anthony Brown, Florence Eshalomi, Jane Wing, Remel, Mo, Julie Adenuga, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Robert Bruce, John Boyega, Evan Rogers, Jade Alleyne, Anne Isger, Tom Kelly & Adam Miller.

Archive:

The quote from John Lennon on importance of Black Musicat 06:50 is taken from JET - A Johnson Publication. October 26, 1972, Vol XLIII, No. 5.

We use various clips of people talking about George’s work between 08:18 and 08:40: Remel London (taken from George's Black Lives Still Matter YouTube show), Mo Gilligan and Julie Adenuga (from the GRM Awards), Krishnan Guru-Murthy (taken from Ways to Change The World podcast), AKA Dope introducing George, and Robert Bruce (from George’s MOBO Instagram Live).

The two clips used between 09:38 and 09:59 on George’s headphones are taken from George's CNN interview, and Podbible episode #39.

We used various clips over Stormzy’s Crown: the BBC News report on Feltham Young Offenders Institute (used at 15:09), NTV Uganda Report on the Presidential campaign (used at 15:19), the BBC News report “Thousands join anti-racism demonstrations across the UK” (used at 15:24).

We also had various voices in this section - John Boyega (used at 15:35), David Lammy talking about the cruel and inhumane treatment of the Windrush Generation taken from Parliament TV (used at 16:20, and 16:46), Windrush Campaigner Anthony Brown on Sky News (used at 16:34), Florence Eshalomi on structural inequality taken from Channel 4 (used at 17:01), and The Guardian's 'Just the Beginning': Voices from the Black Lives Matter protest in London video (used at 17:11)

Soundtrack:

Benbrick - My Nephews 04:17 - 08:10

J Hus - Repeat (feat. Koffee) 08:13 - 10:42

Benbrick - The Secret to Survival 11:36 - 12:42

Marc Five - It’s Go 12:57 - 14:11

Stormzy - Crown 14:20 - 17:40

Benbrick - Train of Thought 20:49 - 24:44

Benbrick - The Secret to Survival 24:55 - 26:26

Have You Heard George’s Podcast? is a George the Poet Ltd. production for BBC Sounds.

Commissioning Executive for BBC: Dylan Haskins

There was a moment, somewhere between the 1980s and 1990s, when Black music turned gangsta. This moment shaped two of the world’s most influential genres: American Rap and Jamaican Dancehall. The story behind the music is one of oppressed Africans unlocking the ancient powers of their ancestors to break free. The dark side of this story is that many of those Africans, descended from slaves, embraced the pattern of violence that had cursed them for so long and slowly turned against each other. Was gangsta music the explosion of Black culture, or the implosion of Black power? In the end, the market decides.

Warning: This episode contains very strong language and language which may offend, as well as adult themes.

Credits:

Written by George the Poet Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet Mixing, recording and editing by Benbrick.

With music from:

Bob Marley - Get Up Stand Up The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper’s Delight Billy Boyo - One Spliff A Day Ninja Man - Murder Dem Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full Super Cat - Boops Ice-T - New Jack Hustler (Nino’s Theme) Mad Cobra - Bad Boy Bounty Killer - Copper Shot The Notorious B.I.G - Juicy Craig Mack - Flava In Ya Ear Remix Bounty Killer - Disrespect The Notorious B.I.G - Hold Ya Head (feat. Bob Marley)

All original music is written by Benbrick and recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Thank you to:

Benbrick, my Groomsmen and my nephews. My team: Sandra, Vidhu and Birungi. Dylan Haskins and the team at BBC Sounds, Alex Entwistle, Adam Eland. BBC Concert Orchestra.

Archive:

The first four clips document scenes of street violence and are taken from various YouTube channels. The channel names are Toyin Made (used at 01:14), axolotol (used at 01:18), Eyez-wide-Videos (used at 01:41), and The Scuttlebutt Report (used at 02:01).

The clip of Sam Cooke used at 03:27 is taken from his interview with Dick Clark on American Bandstand.

The clip about Rastafari used at 03:51 is taken from the BBC documentary “Roots, Reggae, Rebellion”.

The clip about Black people expressing their true selves used at 04:21 is taken from the BBC documentary “Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music”

The two clips used at 05:06 and 05:22 are taken from the BBC documentary Jamaica 40: Blood and Fire.

The clips used at 07:55, 08:03 and 08:08 are taken from the ABC News 20/20 Hip Hop special report from 1981.

The clips used at 19:40, 20:36 and 21:01 about Bounty Killer are taken from the 1994 classic feature with Jamaica TVJ ER host Anthony Miller.

The clips used at 19:51, 20:21 and 20:58 is taken from the Yendi Phillipps Untold Journeys interview with Bounty Killer.

The clip used at 20:46 is taken from the BBC documentary “Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music”

Have You Heard George’s Podcast? is a George the Poet production for BBC Sounds.

Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Senior Producer: Alex Entwistle Commissioning Executive for BBC: Dylan Haskins