George The Poet, an award-winning poet, musician, and thought leader, shares insights from his colorful journey from NW London to Cambridge and beyond. He dives into the complexities of navigating the music industry, balancing authenticity with commercial demands, and the significance of representation in creative spaces. George candidly discusses his experiences with fame, including performing at the Royal Wedding, and the impact of fatherhood on his personal and artistic life. Plus, he hilariously recounts his adventures in the book publishing world.

George the Poet discusses power dynamics, Black creativity limitations, personal journey from liberalism to radicalism, fatherhood, and Tupac's influence. Explores identity struggles, cultural displacement, Uganda connection, racial identity complexities, and political philosophy reflections on representation and societal change.

George the Poet and journalist Symeon Brown discuss George's new memoir exploring the music industry and discrimination. They delve into cultural forces, capitalism, and the war on blackness, highlighting the complexities of discussing race and the importance of political education within the black community.

Special guest George the Poet joins Nish and Coco for a fascinating conversation about disillusionment with Westminster politics and the pitfalls of social media arguments. They discuss a villainous Tory campaign ad, the plight of WASPI women, and why Alan Titchmarsh's trousers were censored in North Korea.

Created in partnership with Sotheby's, in a debate that spans the centuries, Peabody Award-winning spoken word performer George the Poet and Booker Prize-winning author Howard Jacobson go head-to-head over which form of cultural expression best resonates now and forever. Does hip-hop and slam poetry speak more to society than historical texts that require background knowledge to be fully understood? Or does the lasting appeal of Shakespeare and other great figures from the canon show that some works have a universal value that stands the test of time?This event was recorded on the 9th of June 2022, at Sotheby's in London and produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye and Audience Development Producer Yosola Olorunshola—We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us at @intelligence2. At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices