Rapper says ‘kids need bullies.’ His solution to frustrated parents? Teach them to fight.

Rapper Coolio believes that children are better off when they're bullied, and he believes that it's the responsibility of parents to toughen up their kids.

What did Coolio say?

The rapper, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., made the controversial remarks during an interview Friday on Australia's "Stav, Abby and Matt" radio program.

Ivey, as reported by The Daily Mail, said, "We're going a little overboard with the bullying thing — kids need bullies!"

Ivey went on to describe his upbringing, explaining that he was bullied but noted that it made him a stronger person as a result.

"Bullying actually made me who I am," he said. "Were it not for the bullies in my life I would probably be in prison. I'm serious, they shaped me and made me go hard."

The rapper detailed his experience during his school years, which were apparently rife with peer abuse and included being taken advantage of by those who wanted his shoes, lunch money, or clothing.

Ivey said that he was picked on during those years because he was "one of the smallest dudes," but went on to detail his decision to turn into a "street warrior."

"One day I decided that wasn't going to happen anymore and I started fighting back and I trained and learnt how to fight," he explained. "I became a street warrior."

The rapper went further, adding that every local neighborhood should have "at least one bully."

"The problem is you've got 20 bullies in every neighborhood, so that's not good," he admitted.

Ivey also had advice for parents struggling with the worry of bullies: teach your kids to fight.

"If you know your kid is going to be going to a school where it's a little bit rough, then you might want to get them some hand-to-hand combat training, or karate, or kick boxing, so they can handle themselves," Ivey said.