A rapper who left his bad boy past behind to concentrate on music is being hailed as an inspiration to schoolchildren.

MC Romeo, a member of the notorious garage act So Solid Crew, took to the stage and addressed more than 1,000 teenagers during a special show.

The 21-year-old did his part to promote the anti-drugs message at the Think B4 U Act event.

Year 8 pupils from schools across Eastbourne screamed the Congress Theatre down when the rapper/singer and his support act Harry Brooks took to the stage.

Romeo performed his latest chart offering I See Girls and was supported by Harry, who wrote boy band Blue's song, You Make Me Wanna.

Speaking to The Argus, Romeo said: "I was a bit of a ruffian when I was young, a bit of a rough lad but I always thought of the long-term consequences, so I never did drugs.

"When you sit down and tell a 13-year-old not to do stuff they end up wanting to do it. I'm here to talk to them from my point of view and tell them to think about the long-term effects of drugs."

So Solid Crew has received national attention, having been accused of promoting gun violence and shootings at their shows - a claim vehemently denied by the outfit.

Romeo insisted his message was anti-violence and anti-drugs.

He said: "We are here to please the crowd and give something back to them. I was flattered to be asked and I like to do things like this."

Aspiring radio presenters Jayson Wheatley and Neil Thrower, both 14, from Ratton School, polished their interviewing skills with Romeo and will broadcast their work on Eastbourne Youth Radio.

Think B4 U Act is the third anti-drugs event to be staged in the town, organised by the Eastbourne Crime Reduction Partnership (ECRP).

Chief Inspector Martin Stevens said: "The message is that the kids can enjoy music and dance acts without having to use substances and get on a high.

"We did an evaluation of the children who attended last year's event and their knowledge of substance abuse had increased massively."

Mick and Pauline Holcroft also returned to talk about the death of their daughter Rachel Whitear, who died at the age of 21 after taking heroin.

Rachel's story has been used as a weapon in the war on drugs through poster and schools campaigns.

Neil Fuller, chairman of the ECRP, said over the three years the event had been running more than 5,000 pupils had heard the anti-drugs message.