Rapper-turned-reggae star Snoop Lion is donating money to help pay for the funeral of a six-year-old girl who was killed in a gang-style shooting.

He has been joined by fellow rap artist The Game, who has also pledged money towards supporting the victim's family.

Snoop Lion did not disclose how much he was planning to donate to the family.

The 41-year-old said the death of Tiana Ricks in east Los Angeles highlighted the need to step up the campaign against gun violence.

Tiana and her 26-year-old father were shot last weekend outside their home in Moreno Valley, by two men who walked up to them and opened fire.

Police chiefs suggested the shooting may have been gang related although Tiana Ricks was not believed to be involved in gang activity.

The two assailants who have yet to be caught.

"Little six-year-old girls are not supposed to die from a gunshot. But it keeps happening," Snoop Lion, formerly known as Snoop Dogg, said.

"From the mass shootings in Aurora and Newtown, to gang violence in the streets and murders in our own backyards, too many tears are being shed."

The rapper drew attention to last year's theatre shooting in Aurora, Colorado and the school massacre in Connecticut as proof more needs to be done to done to curb gun violence across the nation.

"Too many young lives are being cut short. We need to come together to change this," he said.

"[Tiana] had a whole life ahead of her which should have been filled with love and music."

The Game said Tiana's death was a "very sad story [that] hit me in a place [where] nothing ever has", and announced earlier this week he was also donating $10,000 for her funeral.

Gun violence is common in Los Angeles and the surrounding area and is often linked to gangland activity.

Although many rappers have been criticised for glorifying gun violence in the past, Snoop Lion and some of his contemporaries have spoken out against it in recent years.

Snoop Lion has launched a #NoGunsAllowed anti-violence campaign on Twitter.

AFP