Swizz Beatz wants you to put some respect, and money, on the names of the hip-hop founders!

During a late-night Instagram Live session with Joe Budden on Beatz’s Zone Radio, producer and hip-hop artist Swizz Beatz is petitioning to raise “a million dollars for each icon who started hip-hop”—or as Joe put it “rapper reparations”—for paving the way for other artists.

“The fact we’re not paying taxes on who started hip hop shows we don’t fucking really love hip-hop,” Swizz told Budden. “We need to be paying taxes to the creatives of hip-hop that gave us freedom of speech to go forward…Melle Mel, Grandmaster Flash and Sugarhill Gang, minimum a million a piece.”

With a discography spanning over two decades, Swizz has always championed the state of hip-hop. He continues to make shock waves with Verzuz, the Instagram battle series he co-chairs with fellow producer, Timbaland, which has been the cornerstone of the current coronavirus culture.

What do you think of Swizz’s suggestion for artists to pay taxes to hip-hop pioneers?