A hip hop artist from America who moved to Toxteth to escape his ‘treacherous lifestyle’ says his stint in a U.S prison turned his life around.
Duane "dboii" Spooner, who is set to hit the big time with his new single, Stay Up, was sentenced to seven years in jail at the age of 19 after ‘rolling with the wrong crowd’.
At the time, he described his mindset as being in a ‘didn’t give a f*** mode’ but after serving his time in prison, he knew things had to change.
He reconnected with family in the UK and moved over from the States permanently, initially settling in Toxteth.
Always having a talent for music and writing, Duane, now located in New Brighton, began taking things more seriously.
He put the trials and tribulations of life in America behind him to raise a family of his own and set out to break into the music industry.
Speaking to the Echo, Duane who said his stint in jail turned him into a 'proper man'.
He added: “In America it’s a different ball game, you live by the code or you die by the code.
“It was a treacherous lifestyle and I was in the wrong places at the wrong times and rolling with the wrong crowd.
“I did prison time in America and this was during a time of me coming up as a young man into a proper man.
“We all go through trials and tribulations in life. I went in when I was like 19 and I got sentenced to seven years and I did four and then did the rest on papers.
“Me going through those struggles, it mentally made me stronger and it let me know what my purpose is in life."
Duane came to the UK in 2012 and hasn't been back to America since.
He said: " It was a totally different life over there. Here, you don’t have to wake up and worry about who has got a pistol in their pants, that’s one exclusion.”
Duane, now 40-years-old with a girlfriend (Zoe) and three daughters, recalled the later years of his teens when music was a big part of his life but he ultimately went down the wrong path.
He added: “During those times I was slowly starting to get into the music industry. In my younger life I was writing music and stuff but during that time I was kind of in ‘didn’t give a f***’ mode.
“When I came out of jail I started working, but really I ended up keeping my head down and it came to a point where I started enjoying that.
"I just told myself you need to start getting your s*** together. It was either that or back to the cell.”
The hip hop artist who is currently contemplating a contract offer from a Canadian record label says he is lucky to have experienced both sides of the Atlantic but considers the UK his home.
He said: “I’ve got the best of both worlds being from America and the UK.
"I’ve got S couse in my blood, I’ve just got a longer story to tell when it comes to where I’ve lived.
“You see what’s going on in America, it’s crazy over there, I’m peaceful, happy and calm here.”
Duane puts his recent success down to his hard work and dedication to the cause, adding: “I’ve been singing and writing for a number of years now but I’ve always thought of it as a hobby.
“As things kept going and going I just took it more seriously. I guess with the type of music I’m putting out now it’s starting to draw attention and I’m taking it a bit more seriously.
“I’m a hip hop artist, I do hip hop music and try to keep on the new generation wave because really I’m an old school rapper but I can do different styles.
“The door for me is definitely open now. The single I’ve just released, Stay Up, it’s going worldwide this week. It’s on every platform including Spotify, Apple, you name it.
“But yeah, it will go on the music chart in a couple of days. It’s had radio play on stations like In Demand Radio. It’s even had radio play in America.
“I’ve got another music video coming up in about two weeks so it will be good to put the face to the voice.”
Juggling his hip hop lifestyle with family life and his day job is something that comes with the territory but he believes by continuing on this path, it will lead him on the road to success.
He said: “Me and my girlfriend both work full-time and I currently work at Cadbury and she works at Asda. I’m lucky because due to my schedule I’m able to juggle work with the writing and performing.
“I’m usually up at night working on songs. When you’re sleeping, I’m up writing.
“This is the time I can focus more because during the day I’ve got a six-year-old pulling my leg asking me to get a fruit shoot and I can easily get side tracked.”
On what it’s like for his daughter’s to have a rapper dad, Duane joked: “Sometimes the kids get embarrassed and say ‘dad stop rapping’.
“But my girlfriend, Zoe, she’s done everything for me. She’s done promotion and we’ve done some pretty big shows before the lockdown supporting artists like Method Man and Red Man.
“When you’ve got a partner like I have that’s got your back then there’s nothing that can stop you. When you’ve got a good woman behind you and the kids behind you, there’s nothing to worry about.”
The adopted Scouser can’t say for certain what the long-term future has in store. He may be 40 years old, but with a new single which is set to hit the charts this week and an opportunity to sign with a record label, anything is possible.
He added: “Age ain't nothing but a number this day and age. I’ve got three albums sitting there ready and if I got that lucky break there are a lot of people I would be taking with me.”
Duane "dboii" Spooner's new single is available to download and stream via a number of online platforms here.
