Havoc, one half of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep and the producer behind Kanye West‘s “Famous,” has spoken out about the controversy surrounding the song, insisting that Taylor Swift should move past the disrespectful way it portrayed her.
In a recent conversation with The Daily Beast, Havoc (ironically) brought up the old feud in order to criticize Swift for dwelling on the situation: “I think artists are artists, and she should really chill out. It’s not that serious. She has an awesome career, and she don’t need to be fighting with another awesome artist,” he told the publication. “Freedom of speech is alive and well — or should be — and she shouldn’t be going out there complaining about not clearing this.”
Swift’s anger towards West was over the fact that the rapper never informed her of the derogatory nature of the lyrics about her, and that “Famous” promotes a misogynistic message. Instead of speaking to her valid issues with the song (or not speaking at all), Havoc insists that there is “no time for soft skin” in the music industry.
On the Havoc-produced track, West raps: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.” The song drew a wealth of criticism for disrespecting Swift, which Kanye countered by stating that he “called Taylor and had an hour-long convo with her about the line, and she thought it was funny and gave her blessing.”
Last month, a recording of the call leaked, revealing Kanye had not in fact cleared the lyrics in question with Taylor Swift.