Verzuz

Earth, Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, Method Man, And Redman Are Among The Next ‘Verzuz’ Contestants

by
Getty Image

On Saturday, Verzuz made its return with a hip-hop focused battle between Wu-Tang Clan members, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. The matchup saw fans head on a trip down memory lane through the artists’ respective catalogs, both as solo acts and with their Wu-Tang cohorts.

From Ghostface’s Supreme Clientele and Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx to Wu Tang’s 36 Chambers, viewers enjoyed the battle, which proved to be more of a collaborative affair if anything. Once the night came to an end, Verzuz returned with exciting announcements for the future.

Shortly after Raekwon and Ghostface Killah’s battle concluded, Verzuz announced a string of matchups folks can expect to see over the next couple of months. First, the platform will welcome The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire for an exciting Easter Sunday competition on April 4.

“Time to SHOUT for the #IsleyBrothers!” Verzuz said on Instagram, referencing their 1959 debut album, Shout! Less than three weeks later, the Timbaland and Swizz Beatz-led platform will return with a battle between Redman and Method Man for a “How High” special on April 20.

As if the pair of announcements weren’t enough, Verzuz also confirmed an untitled battle on May 8, a “Mother’s Day Special” on May 9, and a “Rematch” during Memorial Day weekend. A “Ladies Night” and two additional untitled battles were also revealed, but their dates were not shared. Participants for these matchups were also withheld in the announcement.

You can read the flyer for the upcoming Verzuz nights above.

Raekwon And Ghostface Killah’s Verzuz Battle Date Has Been Set

by
Getty Image

A few weeks ago, Swizz Beats and Timbaland confirmed that rap legends and Wu-Tang bandmates Ghostface Killah and Raekwon The Chef would participate in an upcoming episode of the popular streaming concert series Verzuz, and today, they revealed the specifics of the upcoming kung-fu duel. Raekwon Vs. Ghostface has been set for Saturday, March 20 at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET. Fans will have a new viewing option, as well; in the wake of Swizz and Tim’s partnership with Triller, the next battle will stream on the app rather than Apple Music, where it has previously streamed.

While Ghostface and Rae have spent much of the last year laying — typical of the Wu-Tang brotherhood as a whole when they’re not promoting a new album (or squabbling over it) — Ghost did reveal in 2019 he’s working on a horror thriller with RZA and in 2017, he was early on the cryptocurrency bandwagon, so don’t be surprised if he flogs an NFT or two during the show. Meanwhile, Raekwon celebrated the 25th anniversary of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with a deluxe vinyl reissue, teasing work on a second sequel to turn the Cuban Linx brand into a trilogy. The Wu-Tang as a whole has an elaborately-produced photobook coming out but getting ahold of it sounds like the luck of the draw.

Check out the upcoming Verzuz on 3/20 on the Verzuz Instagram and Triller app.

50 Cent Calls Out Jeezy For Using Gucci Mane VERZUZ To Sell Records

by

50 Cent Calls Jeezy's Verzuz Battle Desperate

New York rap veteran 50 Cent isn’t holding his tongue. During a recent interview, the G-Unit boss went off on the November 2020 VERZUZ battle between fellow rap veterans Jeezy and Gucci Mane taking notable aim at the Snowman. 50 Cent Calls Jeezy’s Verzuz Desperate Fif didn’t hold back and specifically singled out Jeezy, saying […]

The post 50 Cent Calls Out Jeezy For Using Gucci Mane VERZUZ To Sell Records appeared first on SOHH.com.

Swizz Beatz + Timbaland Capitalize On Verzuz Success

by

Swizz Beatz + Timbaland Capitolize On 'Verzuz' Success

VERZUZ co-creators and veteran producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland are making big moves and elevating their platform to another level. New reports state that the two hip-hop legends have made a partnership with Triller Network. Swizz Beatz + Timbaland Capitalize With New Deal Verzuz’ new deal will leave the two producers as members of the Triller Verzuz management […]

The post Swizz Beatz + Timbaland Capitalize On Verzuz Success appeared first on SOHH.com.

Verzuz Has Been Acquired By The Company Behind Triller

by
Getty Image

Billboard reports Triller Network, the company behind the popular Triller app, has acquired the popular “hits battle” streaming show Verzuz, giving its creators Swizz Beatz and Timbaland positions on the Triller management team. Swizz and Tim will also receive equity in Triller, which they say they will share with the 43 artists who have appeared on the show to date. Verzuz exploded in popularity last year after an impromptu hits battle on Instagram Live between the two veteran producers expanded into a full-blown concert series, complete with corporate sponsors like Ciroc.

Over its first year, Verzuz invited such guests as Alicia Keys, DMX, Gucci Mane, E-40 Patti LaBelle, and many, many more legends in the game to appear, celebrating their musical legacy in a nostalgic style similar to a sound clash in the West Indies/Caribbean. With little else to do during a partial shutdown of live entertainment nationwide, fans tuned in by the thousands to watch these celebrations of artists who may no longer be trendy, but who have all contributed greatly to the broad spectrum of Black music culture.

Meanwhile, Triller, a video-creation app similar in function to TikTok, has been a fixture on many young music fans’ phones for a while, although it hasn’t received as much attention in that time as its neophyte competitor. It’s likely Triller Network is hoping that the Verzuz acquisition can bring an influx of attention similar to TikTok’s so that it can likewise become one of America’s primary social media obsessions.

You can read more about the acquisition here.

Ghostface Killah And Raekwon Will Bring Their Classics To The Table In An Upcoming ‘Verzuz’

by
Getty Image

The music world is still recovering from a great display of R&B talent thanks to D’Angelo’s Verzuz show on Saturday night. Rather than facing another artist like other participants on the platform have done, the legendary singer put on a concert that saw him go through his beloved albums — Brown Sugar, Voodoo, and Black Messiah — with some special guests. Once D’Angelo’s show came to an end, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland got together on Instagram Live to discuss the night and tease what would be next for the platform and it was here that they revealed an upcoming battle would take place between Ghostface Killah and Raekwon.

Neither Swizz nor Timbaland revealed when the matchup would take place, but their excitement for it was clear. They delivered the news after excitingly playing select songs from the rappers’ catalogs, including Raekwon’s “Incarcerated Scarfaces” and “Verbal Intercourse” as well as Ghostface’s “Run.” Raekwon and Ghostface will now be the third and fourth members of the Wu-Tang Clan to participate in a Verzuz. RZA went against DJ Premier last April while Method Man joined D’Angelo last night to perform “Left & Right” and “Breakups 2 Makeups” with him.

The upcoming Ghostface Killah and Raekwon battle joins a growing list of matchups that have been teased. Foxy Brown and Lil Kim were reported to be locked in for a Verzuz, but Swizz Beatz said it was unconfirmed. Bun B also said a matchup between him and 8Ball & MJG was in the works, but it had yet to be confirmed.

You can watch a clip from Swizz and Timbaland’s Instagram Live above.

D’Angelo’s ‘Verzuz’ Was Supposed To Be Against Maxwell And Take Place On Valentine’s Day

by
Getty Image

It’s been more than a month since the last Verzuz battle, one that took place between Keyshia Cole and Ashanti. While the platform made its return on Saturday night, the rules were a little bit different this time around. Rather than a matchup between two artists, legendary R&B singer D’Angelo took the stage for what became more of a livestream concert. It wasn’t an entirely solo affair, however, as the singer promised the appearance of some “friends” which turned out to be HER, Method Man, and Redman. While the show was definitely an enjoyable one, it wasn’t the plan from the start.

Once D’Angelo’s Verzuz concluded, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland hopped on Instagram Live to recap the event and it was here that Swizz revealed the battle was supposed to be D’Angelo against Maxwell and take place on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, the plans fell through.

“That didn’t work out…the fact that D’Angelo was still ready to go…and motivated, we had to celebrate him…no matter who was on stage with him,” Swizz said. “We had to celebrate that king because, as you can see, those songs that he played tonight, man, that’s real music and this is celebrational stage…and we couldn’t play around with him. We had to let him get his garden because he showed up and showed out.”

You can watch Swizz’s comments above.

Watch D’Angelo’s ‘Verzuz’ Battle Against A Slate Of Friends, Live At The Apollo

by
Getty Image

Since the advent of the pandemic and subsequent quarantine measures pretty much shut down live music and touring as we know it, Verzuz battles have taken off in a big way. Streamed live on Instagram, and now Apple Music, the face-off framework usually pairs two legends from the same era and style, who take turns playing songs from their discographies to determine a winner. Of course, like in most subjective battles like this, the real winner is the friends we make along the way… AKA the chance to celebrate the artists who have impacted our lives and made history. It’s much less about anything competitive as it is celebrating the artists and songs, as past setups with Gucci Mane and Jeezy, or Ashanti and Keyshia Cole (which went off when Cole finally showed up) or the Bay Area championship between Too Short and E-40 clearly illustrated.

Tonight things take a slightly different turn, though, probably because R&B icon D’Angelo doesn’t really have any nearby peers in terms of talent and status. Instead, D’Angelo is appearing live for a Verzuz at the equally legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem to face off against a crew of as yet unannounced friends. Tune in via the Verzuz Instagram, or Apple Music if you have it, to see who shows up. The DJ is spinning his warm up tunes, but D’Angelo is just taking the stage around 7 PM PST, so you still have time to settle in.