Verzuz

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

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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

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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.