Michael "Harry O" Harris is defending Snoop Dogg for performing for Donald Trump ahead of the inauguration ... he says the gig doesn't mean Snoop betrayed his community.

The Death Row Records co-founder joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him about all the backlash Snoop is getting because of the Trump event.

Michael says Snoop wasn't making a political statement by performing at Trump's pre-inauguration ball ... telling us the Doggfather is supporting the office more than the person.

Snoop's definitely aware of the blowback, but Michael's got a strong message for anyone calling him a sellout ... take a look at Snoop's track record -- namely, a youth football league that's helped 50 inner-city kids become pro athletes.

For Michael, it's all about separating the performance from the politics ... and that goes for Snoop and the other hip hop artists who performed at Trump events, like Nelly.

Snoop and Michael have been close for years, so it's an interesting conversation ... and  Michael explains why scoring some brownie points with Donald Trump is a good idea.

Catch the full interview on "TMZ Live."