When Swizz Beatz and Timbaland teamed up to create Verzuz at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a way to pass the time when hip hop fans were stuck in their houses as part of what felt like a global quarantine. A pair of hip hop legends, Swizz and Timbaland set out to pit fellow hip hop legends against one another, and have them battle it out, song-by-song until the court of public opinion (Instagram’s comment section) decided who was the winner.
Despite a couple of hiccups due to artists testing positive for the virus and faulty technology, Verzuz hit the ground running and within a couple of months, it felt like the entire hip hop community was always anticipating the next battle. And as the battles shifted from Instagram Live to real-life arenas, the Verzuz hype only grew stronger.
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With battles between Dipset and The Lox, as well as Fat Joe and Ja Rule, New York City (and Jadakiss, specifically) dominated the Verzuz scene in 2021, but most recently, it was a Memphis, TN vs. Cleveland, OH that captured the rap game’s attention.
On December 2, iconic rap groups Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony squared off at The Hollywood Palladium in L.A., and madness ensued.
While Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Bizzy Bone demanded some respect, Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J wasn’t having it. The “Bandz a Make Her Dance” rapper cussed out Bizzy Bone and the two rappers nearly came to blows. Bone was removed from the stage, and despite his return shortly thereafter to continue the battle, the dominant narrative has been that he and Juicy J nearly started the first, and biggest brawl in Verzuz history.
In a recent appearance on FOX Soul’s The Mix, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul addressed the heated encounter, and said he wouldn’t change anything about how it all went down.
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“It was perfect. I love the way everything happened,” Paul told The Mix. “The beef with us and Bone was just a big misunderstanding for 26 years. I respect Bone.”
While both groups have said all the right things following their fiery Verzuz battle, it remains to be seen if things are actually smoothed over. Before the battle, Bone called Three 6 Mafia “devil worshippers,” and has lamented that the joint concert was always going to be “Bone Verzuz the entire rap industry.”
Do you agree with DJ Paul? Was the Juicy J/Bizzy Bone Verzuz brawl “perfect?” Let us know down in the comments.