Spanian

Viral hip-hop star Spanian was trapped in a vicious circle of crime, violence, incarceration and drug addition, heading for total annihilation. But then the artist within emerged, not only giving his life new meaning and purpose, but actually saving it. By the time he was twelve, Spanian knew he would follow in his family's footsteps and become a career criminal. What followed was a decades-long string of brazen crimes and brutal violence: stabbings, ram raids, drug runs and a notorious high school siege. Throughout the Sydney social housing enclaves of Redfern, Waterloo and Woolloomoolloo, Spanian earned a reputation as one of the city's most flagrant crooks, armed with a boxcutter in one hand and a syringe in the other. But it all came at a damning price: Spanian became a longstanding resident of jails across New South Wales, wasting thirteen years of his life behind bars. As an inmate, he was exploited by authority figures, and embroiled in racial divisions, prison politics and jailhouse justice. As a man, he was in the throes of heroin addiction and headed for certain death in a vortex of self-destruction. Until music and books became an unlikely lifeline. Reading and rapping became new rituals, and a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Released from Bathurst Correctional Centre in 2017 with newfound purpose, Spanian has since found viral fame and a sprawling, worldwide audience through hip-hop and his magnetic social media presence. This is the powerful, unflinching and high-octane memoir of how a young inner-city kid became Spanian. It is an unapologetic snapshot of the gritty socio-economic underbelly of Sydney, the criminal justice system and the correctional system. Spanian's story proves that even the most stubborn cycles can be broken, and new dreams made.