Show Notes
The two competing parts of George’s brain - contentment and ambition - battle it out. George looks at how black creativity shapes trends through music to fashion and beyond. Written by George The Poet. Produced by Benbrick & George The Poet. Original music by Benbrick. Featured songs: Didn’t Cha Know by Erykah Badu, 1,2,1,2 by George The Poet, Scribble Paper by Little Dragon, Real N****** (feat. Cam’ron, Jimmy Jones & Juelz Santana) by The Diplomats, Ambition (feat. Meek Mill & Rick Ross) by Wale Featured guests: Ty Logan as Benji, Arnold Jorge as Damario, Young Talented Individuals, Hussain Manawer (presenting the Best Arts & Culture award at The British Podcast Awards 2019), Patrin, Andrew Bell, Tyra Mai, Tasneim Zyada, and Kenny Mpanga. Thank you to CJ Obi and everybody who attended my meeting to discuss the future of St Raph’s, Matthew Walker and Penguin for allowing us to use elements from the book Why We Sleep, Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson for writing the book Why Nations Fail, and Peter Gregson for his cello performance. Clips taken from the BBC Archive: BBC News October 28th 2019 Brexit delay agreed as MP’s vote again on an election & EU agrees Brexit extension to 31 January. Have You Heard George’s Podcast? is a George the Poet production for BBC Sounds. Commissioning Executive for BBC: Dylan Haskins Commissioning Editor for BBC: Jason Phipps
More from Have You Heard George's Podcast?
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 responds to audience questions taken from Common Ground, the platform he co-created in Chapter 3. Listeners discuss everything from art to race using prompts from previous episodes, reaffirming the importance of the artist/audience relationship.
Shaken by the passing of his grandmother, George reflects on the post-colonial struggles of her generation. 1970s Jamaica provides an early case study of the weaponised debt that went on to re-colonise much of the global South. A look back on previous episodes illuminates patterns of exploitation and extraction across African/Western relations. This is the global context that frames the questionable role of the International Monetary Fund in the perpetuation of poverty. George is reminded by his grandmother’s legacy that fighting for justice is always an option.
When keeping it real goes…wrong? For a moment in the seventies, Jamaican democracy produced an ambitious plan to end inequality between countries. But when the island’s socialist leader, Michael Manley, flew too close to the sun, he got burnt. What was the New International Economic Order? Why did it rattle Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan so much? On this fast-paced tour of Jamaican history, George looks back at the rise and fall of the Third World’s biggest political project. Written by George the Poet Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet Original score composed by Benbrick and recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra
When is a breakup not a breakup? When your ex controls every aspect of your life. After walking through the freedom struggles of Ghana and the Congo in previous episodes, George turns his attention towards the “former” French colonies of West and Central Africa. What happens when freedom is gifted conditionally, not won through revolution? Is all independence created equal? Written by George the Poet Produced by Benbrick and George the Poet Original Score by Benbrick recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra Sound Design by Benbrick