Swizz Beatz Had to Show Kanye ‘Tough Love’ Over MAGA Hat

Swizz Beatz may have been one of the many famous folks who jumped on Kanye West for wearing a MAGA hat, but he wants people to know that he was coming from a place of love. In a new interview with Hot 97 host Nessa, Swizz said that he went after Ye because he had to give his friend a little “tough love.”

Swizz came after Kanye for his Saturday Night Live rant on Instagram, urging Kanye to call off the shtick. 

  

“And I hear you talking about being bullied for the hat. It feels kinda funny because we were just talking about the hat less than 48 hours ago…. I was just addressing how uncomfortable the culture feels with you representing somebody who’s blatantly hurting our people,” he said at the time, “Ain’t nobody bullying you, we love you…. But you gotta stop that shit man, that shit ain’t right, and you know how I feel.”

In his interview with Nessa, Swizz said that he’s sticking with Kanye even if he disagrees with his decisions. 

“I want to be there to help him. I don’t want to be shooting at him with more negativity. I don’t want to be on that side of the fence. I want to be on the side of the fence that, if he do need help, he can call somebody that will really help him because it might not be a lot of those people really around him,” he said. “And for me to take myself out of that because of something I don’t agree with what he’s doing, I might regret that later.”

That Swizz would be open to sticking with Kanye through headline-grabbing antics makes sense. After all, he was behind the boards when Kanye made “Famous,” a song that made news for weeks afterward. In a recent interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1 Radio, Swizz explained how he pushed Ye to go further on the Life of Pablo track. 

“I done gassed him right up, too. Talk that talk, man! He talked that talk for real. I ain’t tell you to say that, but that’s what he had to say,” he said.

Back at Hot 97, Swizz said that he’s not going to soften his stance on Kanye’s trollish behavior and he wants to be around for a long-term friend. 

“I can tell him I agree with it, but I also need to let him know that…I’m here,” he said. “That’s been my brother for 20-something years.”

Check out the whole interview up top to hear about his latest album and his work on Tha Carter V.