First off, the cops that are interpreting the following lines as "anti-snitching sentiments" are clearly off the mark as far as I’m concerned:
The city’s police department has called for Swizz Beatz to renounce anti-snitching sentiments or it will drop sponsorship of a "Peace on the Streets" rally. In his current single, It’s Me Snitches, Swizz raps: "Freeze, you know who it is/ It’s me, snitches" and "I ain’t gonna shoot ya/ I could just choke ya." It’s lines like those that appear to advocate violence and silencing snitches — or police informants — that concern police in a city that is among the nation’s most dangerous.
That seems more like a smack talk moment that’s relatively gentle in a context of gangsta rap and hypermasculinity. That’s been one of my favorite singles since it came out and I’m no advocate of the stop snitching movement.
You can check it out in low rez glory over at VidRap.
Sure, it’s a fairly macho statement but the video as a whole is mostly fun and upbeat. There are beautiful women but they are presented in a context that most professional performers would be comfortable in. They’re sexy and have on somewhat revealing clothes but nothing debasing or exploitative.
Plus, it’s got some of the greatest dancing from both the woman on the platform and a kid that’s just an awesome dancer.
But I don’t know Swizz Beats body of work very well.
What do you think? Is this a fair reaction to Swizz Beats despite the fact that it misreads this song or is this another of what may be many incidents ahead where valid concerns about specific aspects of rap music are being turned on the wrong guy?
Given that I still regularly see news accounts of small clubs around the country getting shut down because people say they can’t control certain elements that show up on hip hop nights, I’m concerned that this kind of thing has the potential to disrupt even more attempts to conduct legitimate business or even to promote peace as this event is intended to do.
Seriously, Swizz Beats fans in particular, what do you think? And how ’bout that awesome choreography. Anybody know who choreographed this?
As in many cases, these police officers may need a Hip-Hop translator for them. Kind of like how MTV always bleeped Biggie’s line from “One More Chance”, “Coogi down to the socks” because they thought he said “Cootchie down to the socks”.
“Its Me Snitches” is the radio friendly edit for the songs’ actual name “Its me B_tches”! If the Police put this amount of effort into finding the crackhead who stole my air conditioning unit, the community would be good!
I know.
The thing is, I know Swizz Beats has written some pretty violent material for The Game and that issue was raised by community people.
But this particular song is clearly being misinterpreted.