Chasing laughs during the COVID-19 lockdown, Dyewou Scruggs took life’s ordinary moments and twisted them beyond social conventions.
An admirer of comedians Mike Epps, Eddie Murphy and Bernie Mac, Dyewou would cast family members, friends and neighbors in his Instagram skits @wooxbiddy, crafting punchlines, analyzing camera angles and editing wacky footage to entertain his nearly 12,000 followers.
In one memorable skit, he recreated a scene in which he got so drunk at an underage party that he had to walk home, gave a homeless guy his Wawa sandwich, and grabbed a subway traveling westbound when he had meant to go east. In another, he and his friends brag about meeting some hot women before being sorely disappointed.
“That boy was like a show. Every day we didn’t know what to expect from him,” said Dyewou’s older sister, Destiny Monae Rodgers. “Dyewou just thought that he was a living young legend.”
On Dec. 24, 2020, the lean prankster with a trim mustache was on Instagram Live (as usual) walking on Wynnewood Road to catch the 65 bus in Overbrook to take him to his job stocking shelves at Home Depot.
He calls out to a man behind him, the camera pans to the bare trees above, before the pop, pop, pop of gunshots cut the video short.
Even Dyewou’s smartphone was riddled with bullets.
When his older brother, David, initially saw the video, the shots sounded like a prop in bad taste. He kept waiting for the punch line.
The Chrismas Eve slaying quickly made the rounds on social media, with rumors circulating that Dyewou had been gunned down for posting an earlier video in which he talked trash about Chicago rappers. His family disputes this narrative, explaining that his killing likely stemmed from a friendship gone sour.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with Dyewou’s murder, along with three other homicides and related charges spanning three months. He is awaiting trial.
Because of Dyewou’s public persona and aggressive comedy, (his alter egos were “skinny” and “d—head youngbull”), he attracted tons of friends — and frenemies, his sister said.
Dyewou was always seeking others’ approval, yet he was fearless and pushed the boundaries with his comedy, his older brother, David, said. Not everyone enjoyed being the butt of a joke, however. Dyewou would often get ensnared in highly charged arguments on social media.
Nevertheless, he could effortlessly turn the switch and become a sweetheart with his many nieces and nephews, wrestling them to the ground, picking up birthday balloons and untangling braids.
Born in West Philadelphia on Oct. 1, 2000 and raised in Frankford, Dyewou was convinced that he was “the man” by the time he was six years old,” Destiny remembered.
According to Destiny, Dyewou came to live with his father, Destiny, and David after being abused by a close relative. The three siblings bonded over being deprived of a stable relationship with their mothers. Early on, Dyewou had trust issues, Destiny said, worried that a girl might smack him over the head if he asked to be her valentine.
David Rodgers Sr. was especially lenient with Dyewou, the baby of his six children, his family said. He encouraged his youngest to get an education but to never lose sight of his passion.
Dyewou befriended a comedian who lived next door and soon began begging his father for a pricey Canon camcorder to record his stunts.
Dyewou (which means David in Arabic) was an attention hound, his brother said, contorting his face in goofy expressions and gyrating his body on Snapchat and TikTok.
“He always had to make his presence known,” according to his brother.
Dyewou played football for Frankford High School and NBA 2K and Madden NFL video games, but didn’t particularly excel at either, David said. Energetic and outgoing, Dyewou always felt that he deserved to be the main attraction.
David Rogers Sr. died on Dec. 21, 2017 at the age of 56 from complications of untreated hypertension. The night before Destiny and Dyewou found their father collapsed on his bedroom floor, he gathered his children in a bear hug and reminded Destiny to keep her brother out of the streets.
Dyewou, then 17 years old, was uncharacteristically silent, his mouth crammed with gauze after having his wisdom teeth pulled. The family joked that he could stay that way.
David Rodgers Sr. must have known that he was nearing the end, Destiny said, but he refused to let his family in on the secret: “He didn’t want to be a burden.”
After his father died, Dyewou was sent to live with his grandmother, extended family gatherings took a hiatus and he struggled in school. He eventually graduated from Camelot Academy.
For a time, he gave up comedy and turned to rapping, nicknaming himself “The Real Slim Shady.”
But his Instagram audience demanded the funny man’s return. He performed at open-mic nights at clubs in Northeast Philadelphia and landed a supporting role in the movie, “The Bid,” which is about two Philadelphia rappers who get framed by an overzealous police officer. A buzz was building.
Still, David encouraged his brother to have a backup plan, concerned about his financial security. The world of comedy is cutthroat, he reminded Dyewou. Most people never get discovered.
Dyewou was dismissive. He had no doubt in his mind that he would make it. He would be a millionaire and buy mansions for all his close relatives, including one with a luxurious bathtub for Destiny.
One month before his murder, Dyewou posted a heartfelt message to Destiny, thanking his sister for slipping into the role of his mother.
Shortly after, on the three-year anniversary of his father’s death — three days before Dyewou was gunned down — he texted his brother to bury the hatchet, calling him “the closest thing to my dad.” The two hadn’t spoken for a couple months after arguing about Dyewou’s future.
“I’m sorry my hurt still a wound to me more than all y’all see sometimes,” Dyewou wrote. “I feel like I had to grow up faster.”
Destiny believes that Dyewou knew that his life was in danger. But, like his father, he remained silent because he didn’t want to be a burden.
At Dyewou’s funeral, he was decked out in a gold-trimmed, all-glass casket befitting a celebrity. He is buried next to his father in Merion Memorial Park in Bala Cynwyd.
Destiny is expecting her third child, a boy, in November. The baby’s middle name will be Dyewou and he will most definitely be silly, she said.
“Maybe he was too good for Earth,” Destiny said of her brother. “Maybe his life wasn’t meant for us.”
“Maybe he was meant for the other side.”
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.
