Rapper launches social media movement to stop the violence

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - A Charleston Gangsta Rapper whose stage name is "Dirty Dave" is disturbed by the amount of killing that's going on in his hometown.

"It's crazy! For us to be in such a small city, it's crazy how many folks that I grew up with have lost their lives to the streets."

On social media, he recently ended one of his posts with the hashtag #CeasefireCharleston.

Almost instantly, people like his cousin Jason Rouse took notice. Rouse impressed with the tagline wanted to take it further, "I tagged some friends, told them you know if you want this to stop, let me see you hashtag this in every post for a month."

Dirty Dave says from there the use of the hashtag exploded into a movement. Others, he says, who share his feelings about gun violence in the Lowcountry are using his hashtag to speak out against it.

But can you really expect to make a difference by bringing a hashtag to a gunfight? Dave says yes.

"It's already making a difference" says the rapper."A lot of people are tired of this senselessness that's going on in these streets."

Quite ironically, Dirty Dave's movement is against the very culture of drugs and gun violence that he raps about and uses in his music videos.

Search "Dirty Dave" on YouTube and a variety of explicit songs and videos will appear. He admits that this hip hop culture does contribute to the problem.

"It does have some impact on it. We have to take responsibility for some things."

However he says the community's problems are much bigger than his art.

"That's entertainment like any other movie. Let's be real, America loves violence. America loves entertainment. At the end of the day, I'm trying to make money…it's just acting."

"I think we sometimes get wrapped up into making money and sometimes I think we forget that we're the voice of an entire culture and they're going to listen to what we say. And I'm here today to give more positive approach and give them the real. You know what I'm saying?"

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