{"id":22184,"date":"2020-12-14T14:00:54","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T22:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000017578"},"modified":"2020-12-14T15:04:36","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T23:04:36","slug":"north-long-beach-gang-member-turned-author-carves-a-name-for-himself-in-publishing-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/arts-culture\/north-long-beach-gang-member-turned-author-carves-a-name-for-himself-in-publishing-world","title":{"rendered":"North Long Beach gang member-turned author carves a name for himself in publishing world"},"content":{"rendered":"

If someone from the streets has a story to tell, chances are northside Long Beach gang member-turned writer Stanley James II<\/a> has the platform to let them tell it.<\/p>\n

The author of a novel loosely based on his life\u2014”The Bust: Live by the Gun Die by the Gun<\/a>“\u2014James, through his publishing company,\u00a0 Certified Gang Tales<\/a>, has helped publish urban-fiction stories from writers who’ve experienced lives in organized crime and are trying to push that life away through their writing.<\/p>\n

“The Bust” was James\u2019 first book and was co-published with No Brakes publications in 2017. The path of being a published writer has allowed James to meet icons in entertainment, such as Vince Staples, and has opened doors to James that had once seemed unimaginable.<\/p>\n

Since the release of his first book, James has offered a platform for others to tell their stories with his publishing business, which officially launched this year. One of his seemingly unorthodox signings was a fellow ex-gang member called Travon Edwards<\/a> from Eastside Rollin 20s Crips, a rival gang that had feuded with the gang James belonged to\u2014Northside Four Corners Blocc Crips “since the beginning.” But bringing on Edwards also served as a gesture of positivity within the two communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf these two Black men from enemy hoods can get money, then it inspires that younger generation,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n

Edwards, originally from Florida, wrote his first book, “Money Mac Murder,” in 2019. His writing began as a way for him to look back at his memories as he got older. When James reached out to Edwards to sign him to his publishing company, Edwards admits there was some mistrust at first.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gotta be honest, at first I didn\u2019t think his intentions were pure,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cI mean, he\u2019s the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Writer Stanley James II stands with Compton-based rap artist Teezy Day1k. Teezy is holding a book called “Project Baby,” written by Travon Edwards and published by Certified Gang Tales. Courtesy photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Edwards quickly realized that James was sincere. The book Edwards wrote under Certified Gang Tales, Project Baby, tells a story similar to James\u2019, in that it\u2019s loosely based on Edwards\u2019 rise in his gang but from the point of view of a woman. Now, it\u2019s nothing but admiration and respect between the two writers, Edwards said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re both grown and past the bullshit, I was like, \u2018You\u2019re just like me,\u2019\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIf we were in prison together we would be like best friends, but in the streets, politics get in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up surrounded by murders, drugs and feuding hoods, James\u2014like most kids\u2014was oblivious to all of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a kid, everything is just, like, \u2018We having fun,\u2019\u201d James said. The only thing he was concerned about was playing basketball at Coolidge Park, growing up in what he calls the last Black-owned neighborhood in Long Beach; from Artesia Boulevard to Victoria Street, the tight-knit community is home to many Black residents and Black-owned businesses.<\/p>\n

When James was in the 6th grade, he began noticing the street life that had surrounded him his whole youth. That street life was the daily operations of the Four Corner Blocc Crips, which originated from the Square Hood Crip in the 1970s. In the 1980s, the organization changed its name to what it is today and expanded its turf to one of the largest in Long Beach.<\/p>\n

When he was in high school, an older friend who he referred to as Big Face, was sentenced to jail for dealing drugs. Big Face was always there to support James and was a prominent mentor in his life. He had shielded James from gang life, but with him out of the picture, James took over Big Face\u2019s role in the gang and began selling drugs himself. James studied at Wilson High School during the day but was working within the Crips organization at night. He was 17 at the time, and was completing his drug runs virtually unnoticed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a good student, had good grades and was active in sports\u2014I kept a low radar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When Big Face returned from jail, he officially introduced James to the gang. From about 2005 to 2014, James made a name for himself within the gang, which earned him the name Baby Face.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until his arrest for robbery and drug dealing at age 18 that made him realize the path of a gang banger\u2014or a “crash-course dummy” as he called it\u2014 was not the path he wanted to continue on. James recalled being handcuffed and escorted through Wilson\u2019s campus. As he sat in a jail cell with grown men, dressed in his school uniform, he thought to himself, \u201cMan, this ain’t it.\u201d<\/p>\n

From age 18 to 22, James was in and out of the prison system on drug charges. While he was doing time, he wrote down his experiences in the gang and the hardships he had been through. James\u2019 mother had instilled a passion for writing early on in his life. His mother would give him notepads and pens, and he would write poems and songs for his church.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t have no one to vent to, no brothers and did not want to vent to the homeboys,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n

He kept a record of everything written in something he called a \u201cchap book,\u201d a scrappy set of pages containing short stories and poems held together with staples.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was writing short stories in jail,\u201d James said as he recalled how “The Bust” was written. \u201cIt was a murder. I lost four best friends to a murder. So, I’m documenting everything, and after so many months, I had a lot of stories that a lot of kids can use.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chap book proved to be his ticket out of the street life as James began selling his short stories on the streets throughout LA County. His stories were eventually picked up by Terry Wroten and Benny Cool from No Brakes Publishing based in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Stanley James II reads an excerpt of his first book, “The Bust: Live by the Gun Die by the Gun.” Courtesy photo 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many readers of James\u2019 first book were kids serving jail time at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, or in other juvenile correctional facilities and federal prisons. He received an outpouring of emails and letters telling him his story and his writing changed their lives. At its core, the mission of Certified Gang Tales is to inspire individuals with personal stories of urban hardships.<\/p>\n

James said he\u2019s never claimed to glorify gang violence or the hardships it may bring. Gang life is a revolving door, James said, and it\u2019s one he\u2019s not keen on opening for the youth. Through example, James is showing younger individuals in his community that a person who once walked in their shoes can make it out of that life. His platform also protects stories from the potential of cultural appropriation that are deeply rooted in niche communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see these large corporations profiting off our culture and lifestyle,\u201d James said. \u201cUs, that originate these stories, get paid with death and incarceration. We get paid for our actions now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately it puts trust in individuals who didn\u2019t feel like their stories would matter, to tell them the way they want to. When James reached out to Edwards for the collaboration, Edwards had just lost his job, he didn\u2019t feel like anyone would give him a second chance. But with his first book selling well, and another book, “Married to the Mob,” on the way, the platform James provided has given him that chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never imagined that anyone would care about what I was talking about,\u201d Edwards said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being a published writer has opened doors for Stanley James II that someone with his background could only dream of opening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":272,"featured_media":71413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5322],"tags":[3,59],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[23994],"class_list":["post-22184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","tag-instagram","tag-north-long-beach","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/272"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22184"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=22184"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=22184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}