An 11-year-old from south Atlanta has a simple message he hopes will save lives.
Dashawn Calhoun's stage name is DFresh. He attended a community clean up event put on by the Young Generation Movement last summer. It was there when he heard a mix-tape and saw the words on their shirts. The logo said "Pants Up, Guns Down."
It was also the weekend he heard news of an 8-year-old girl named Jada Page being shot in a drive-by shooting in Miami. Dashawn felt the need to do something, so he wrote one of his first singles, "Pants Up, Guns Down."
"A lot of adult rappers, all they talk about is money, drugs, and like how they dropped out of school and getting all this money and and getting all this cash. That's not what it's all about. We need more positivity, love and like lift up each other instead of putting people down. We need more sticking together as one," he said.
He says he feels disappointed when he sees men and boys wearing sagging pants. "Especially with my mom and my sister with me. I don't want them to see that and I don't want to see it and so I think it's an embarrassment to us and the community."
His mother, Deshune’ Heard-Watkins, is proud her son is thinking beyond himself. He's performed at 10 schools in Metro Atlanta and has a longer list set for next year. He's also made appearances on the Ricky Smiley Morning show and iHeart radio.
"To want to help others and to want to be a voice to the youth. I feel like it's something that is very needed and us as adults, we can say it all day, but it's different when it comes from your peers," said Heard-Watkins.
Before music DFresh started his own T-shirt company where he used his money to buy turkeys for families for Thanksgiving. This year he's taking it a step further. He's using the nearly $700 he's raised to serve a Thanksgiving meal to five families in need this Sunday, proving you are never too young to give back.
PHOTOS | DFresh in the community
DFresh in the community
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