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California Schemin'

A True Story of Fakery, Money and Betrayal in the Music Industry
Brief Description
Soon to be a major motion picture directed by James McAvoy How far would you go to make your dreams come true? Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd were two ordinary boys from Dundee with one extraordinary ambition: to become the UK’s first hip-hop superstars. Reinventing themselves... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2899
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A true story of how two young rappers from Scotland fooled the record industry. 

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Soon to be a major motion picture directed by James McAvoy

How far would you go to make your dreams come true?

Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd were two ordinary boys from Dundee with one extraordinary ambition: to become the UK’s first hip-hop superstars. Reinventing themselves as Silibil ‘N’ Brains, they convinced the music industry they were Californian rap prodigies – pulling off one of the most audacious hoaxes in modern music history.

For more than two years, they lived the dream: a huge record deal, MTV appearances, non-stop partying, and rubbing shoulders with Madonna and Eminem. They had fame, money, and everything they’d ever wanted – built on borrowed accents and fabricated pasts.

But success came with a ticking clock. The bigger they became, the closer they came to exposure. As the pressure mounted, the lie began to unravel – with devastating consequences.

California Schemin’ is a breathtaking true story of ambition, identity and the cost of believing your own myth – now adapted into a major film directed by James McAvoy.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781398564473

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 April 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Simon & Schuster Ltd

Edition: Film Tie-In

Illustration: none

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Gavin Bain is a musician, a writer and a conman. He has been, amongst other things, a telesales man, a shop assistant, a waiter, a barman in a strip club, an actor, an escort agent, a construction worker, a graphic designer, a signed musician and a professional conman. He's had it all, lost it all and won it all back again. Despite being a hypochondriac, an insomniac and briefly a hermit, he has achieved many things including touring with some of the biggest artists in the world. Gavin's story has inspired a documentary and a feature film with SilverApples Media in Dublin, who have contracted Irvine Welsh to write the screen-play.

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