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NJ COPS WANT SWIZZ BEATZ TO STOP ‘SNITCH’ TALK: But artist says they’re barking up the wrong tree.
*The police department in Camden, New Jersey is threatening to pull its sponsorship of today’s scheduled “Peace on the Streets” rally unless one of the performers, Swizz Beatz, agrees to stop his anti-snitching campaign.
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 those kinds of lyrics that trouble the police department, who fear that lines advocating violence and the removal of snitches will stir up trouble in a city that is already among the most violent in the nation.
However, Swizz released a statement to the AP explaining the “Snitches” part of the song title.
"The use of the word `snitches' in the song was just an edit for radio," Swizz says. "If I supported violence or the `Stop Snitching'
campaign, I wouldn't have agreed to be a part of the event ..."
Other city officials say they have been assured that Swizz is no longer rapping about hard-core violence and will have a positive message in the two songs he's scheduled to perform at the rally today.
"He's actually sharing a lot of positiveness," says the Rev. Tony Evans, a spokesman for Mayor Gwendolyn Faison. "A lot of artists, even though they have material that might not be appropriate for all ages, they do want to position themselves as having a positive impact on communities."
Swizz, whose real name is Kasseem Dean, is to be paid by Philadelphia radio station Power 99 to appear at the rally, sponsored by local government and school board.
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