On a recent world-exclusive episode of the Criminal Connection podcast, host Terry Stone sat down with Stacks—a former child actor who swerved into crime, survived multiple attempts on his life, rebuilt himself through combat sports, and is now gaining traction as a UK rap artist. What unfolds is a raw, unfiltered journey through bullying, bereavement, betrayal, and ultimately, renewal.
Early Spotlight: Tiny Tots, Big Jobs, and a Near-Miss with Star Wars
Stacks grew up on the Holy Estate around Farnborough, raised by a single mum. Pushed into acting young, he signed with Tiny Tots and later A&J Management, shooting ads for Haribo, Kinder, Sunny Delight, Disney, and Estée Lauder. He even got down to the last five for Anakin Skywalker—and says George Lucas told him he was the pick.
But the bright lights brought dark shadows. Fame at school meant relentless bullying. The “TV kid” label translated into daily fights and a hair-trigger temper. Drama class? Off the table. Staying safe consumed more energy than staying on stage.
Home Wasn’t a Haven: Addiction, Violence, and a Needle Phobia
Behind the camera-ready childhood was chaos: a beloved sister addicted to heroin, predators hovering, and scenes no child should see—like walking in on a family member injecting. Stacks’ mum did everything she could, even taking in his nephew after the child was horrifically abused by an addict father. Those memories forged Stacks’ uncompromising stance against hard drugs and left him with a lifelong phobia of needles.
The Slide: Robbing Grows, Osman Warnings, and a Police Wrap-Up
Adolescence bled into the street economy. As a young teen, Stacks says he was running with older boys and “doing what it took to survive.” A notorious milestone: stumbling upon a ready-to-harvest cannabis grow, stuffing a car to the ceiling with wet plants, and getting hemmed in at a roundabout by “10 police cars.” He links later attempts on his life to that episode. By his count, he received around 15 Osman warnings (police threat-to-life notices), the first when he was about 14.
Finding Discipline: Boxing, Muay Thai, K-1, and the Jeremy Bailey Chapter
Anger found a valve in combat sports. Stacks boxed, fought Muay Thai in Thailand, and later trained K-1/MMA—crediting coach Ben Rickards as a father figure who kept dragging him out of dark places. He also trained and fought under Jeremy Bailey, earning bouts and respect the hard way.
The Case That Changed the Course
Around 2012, a door-step “debt conversation” escalated into an allegation that he’d pointed a handgun. The indictments, he says, lurched from firearm to imitation firearm to conspiracy to commit blackmail. A witness allegedly tried to shake him for money to skip court. Eventually Stacks took a deal and, with time served on remand, was released.
A Father Found—in Prison
In a twist straight out of a screenplay, Stacks met his biological father for the first time while inside—after putting him on his visitor list. The father was later arrested and landed on the same wing. The reunion didn’t heal old wounds, but it answered hard questions and deepened Stacks’ resolve to be a different kind of dad to his own daughter.
Grief on Grief: Losing Mum and Sister Six Months Apart
2018 brought devastation: his mum died by suicide; within months his sister—long in the grip of addiction—also passed away. Stacks doesn’t sugarcoat the spiral that followed: drinking to numb, fights to vent, and a constant tug-of-war between the man he was and the father he wanted to be.
Knife Crime, Codes, and the Cost of Violence
Stacks rails against the normalization of knives—recounting friends murdered over trivial sums and community names lost to senseless brutality. He contrasts “traveller rules” of fair one-on-ones and handshakes with today’s quick-draw blades. Whether you agree with his code or not, his bottom line is clear: street beefs breed funerals, prison years, and grief without end.
Near-Death and a Turning Point: “If My Daughter Was in That Car…”
One scene seared his pivot into place. After a minor street flare-up (unrelated to him), Stacks says a BMW repeatedly rammed his Mini Cooper—his child’s car seat strapped in the back—until he swerved into a lamppost. “If my daughter had been in that car, she’d be dead,” he says. That realization, plus ambushes on his doorstep and a lifetime of paranoia, pushed him to exit the loop.
Music as Therapy—and a Route Out
Music had been there since school—bars in notebooks, early tracks uploaded as a teen. But only recently did it start to move. One song hit 1.5M; then a new single lit up TikTok, clocking 100,000 likes overnight and millions of views in weeks. Bookings followed. The plan now: stack wins the right way—shows, streams, and stability—and keep family first.
“Age is a number. You’re either good or you ain’t,” Stacks says to anyone side-eyeing a 30-something rapper’s timeline.
Betrayal, Boundaries, and Choosing Better People
The podcast is punctuated by betrayals: a “best friend” who allegedly robbed product while Stacks was on remand; set-ups that ended with shotguns, machetes, and hospital photos; “gangsters” who filed statements after a car chase. Out of it came new rules: fewer “road” friends, more civilians; fewer late-night calls, more studio hours; fewer retribution fantasies, more father-daughter days.
Lessons He Wants Kids to Hear
- Don’t glamorise prison. When you’re out, no one cares—and your mum still cries.
- Hard drugs destroy families. He’s lived the fallout.
- Fair fights > knives. Better yet, walk away.
- Algorithms aren’t validation. Keep building even when views dip.
- Break the cycle. Your kids deserve a new normal.
What’s Next for Stacks
Stacks hints at a legitimate opportunity from a multimillionaire backer, steady show bookings, and a sharpened sound. He’s proud of the man he’s becoming: present dad, working artist, and a survivor who’s finally steering his own narrative.
Final Word: A Story to Learn From, Not Copy
Stacks’ life reads like a series of near-misses and hard resets: child star, street soldier, inmate, father, fighter, and now rapper with momentum. The Criminal Connection episode isn’t a highlight reel—it’s a warning flare. If there’s a headline that serves the most people, it’s this: Choose your circle, protect your peace, and don’t wait for a lamppost to change direction.