Galloway Rapper's First Video Tackles Violence in Atlantic County

Galloway Township resident Rashad Floyd was jarred when this year began when one of his friends was shot to death on New Year’s Eve in Atlantic City. Shortly thereafter, another of his friends was killed, also in Atlantic City.

Floyd, formerly of Atlantic City, was disturbed by both murders, and he pointed out that his friend who was killed on New Year’s Eve had a master’s degree.

“He was getting his life turned around,” said Floyd, who added he was disturbed by the murder rate in Atlantic County for all of last year. “It raised my eyebrow. This was my county, and I wanted to do something,”

That’s when Floyd, a rapper who goes by the rap name Rush Life, decided to team up with Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford and Pleasantville Mayor Jesse Tweedle for his first music video.

Floyd’s “Think About It,” which features Langford and Tweedle in the video, launched on Feb. 10 and is attached to this story.

Although Floyd said he’s written more than 100 songs, this is his first video. He dedicated the video to Uthman Griffin and Kendal Hudgins, and said his goal is stop the violence in Atlantic City and the county.

“I wanted to be myself in the video,” said Floyd, who has written songs about domestic violence and getting into rap, as well as party songs and a variety of other topics. “I write about whatever’s happening around me. I have another video coming out in the spring that’s about not giving up.”

Floyd, 30, and his wife, Santa, 27, have lived in Galloway with their three young children for five years.  While he wants to ensure his children grow up in a good environment, Floyd has three brothers in the age group his video is targeting. The youngest, Carmelo Hernandez, is 15 and has the lead role in the video. Kenny Floyd is 19 and Kani Ruffin is 25.

Floyd said the video took about five hours to make, and he recorded the song in Philadelphia with producer Noisette St. Jean, who goes by the producer name Saint Man.

“It cost $600, and I paid for everything myself,” said Floyd, who works as a poker dealer at the Borgata.

Floyd graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1999. He attended Norfolk State University briefly before pursuing a career as a rapper. However, that wasn’t always his goal.

“I wanted to own my own music label,” said Floyd, who helped one of his friends perform a song for his final exam in college and decided to pursue a career in the industry after that.

His goal with his first music video is clear.

“I always wanted my first video to have an impact,” said Floyd, whose long-term goal is to have his video seen nationally. He had close to 400 views the first two days his video was posted. “I want young kids to think about their decisions before they act. Everything has consequences. I want to stop the violence and stop the bullying.”