A teenage Oxford tearaway has described how music is helping him turn his life around.

Tom Lygo was expelled from school and spent a year getting into fights and trouble with the police because of anger issues.

At one stage he became so aggressive he was nicknamed One Hit Massacre because friends said all it took was one punch and a fight would be over.

But the 16-year-old, from Harolde Close, Barton, has been on the straight and narrow since June after learning to let out his feelings through MC-ing – a form of rapping – and writing tunes on several issues, including the estate’s PCSOs.

Former Cheney School pupil Tom said: “I just feel I am a better person. I am not always getting angry and trying to start a fight. I avoid trouble now and try to put all my feelings into the music.”

Tom’s turnaround began seven months ago when he grew tired of his reputation as a hellraiser. He adopted the stage name Dash — a childhood nickname about how fast he could run — and devoted himself to writing lyrics about growing up in Barton.

He describes his music as a mixture of grime and hip-hop and said his favourite artist was Tupac Shakur.

He said each of his songs involved him ‘spitting’ — a form of quick, rhyming rap — over a background melody.

Tom said love, life, gangs and friends had all helped to inspire lyrics in his back catalogue of more than 150 tunes.

Other tracks pay tribute to his grandfather, who died in 2005, and his friends Charlie Marting, who was killed in a motorcycle crash, and Kyomie Williams, who passed away after battling meningitis.

Tom said he dreamed of making a career in music.

He has collaborated with musicians from across the country for tracks which he uploads to social networking website bebo.com He said: “Music for me is life really. If I didn’t have my music I don’t know where I would be. I would probably be somewhere bad.

“Now when I get angry I just get the pen and get the paper and write and write.”

Tom’s friend Liam Keys, 16, of North Way, said: “He has changed lots. If I was to rate him for spitting I would give him 10 out of 10.”

ghamilton@oxfordmail.co.uk