When we first began to experience the impact of a global lock down, it was DJ”s like D Nice, Questlove, Kid Capri, and host of others who saved our lives via Instagram by doing what they do best and that is commanding the 1’s and 2’s. Then Swizz Beatz and Timbaland stepped in like, “Hold my beer” and gave us the glory of the Verzuz battle via IG Live.
They gave us Teddy Riley vs. Babyface, Jadakiss vs. Fabolous, Jill Scott vs. Erykah Badu, and Alicia Keys vs. John Legend, which also streamed on Apple Music. The deal is official now. Verzuz is partnering with Apple Music and Beats 1 to stream its live musical “battles,” with the first official session since announcing the partnership to occur on July 22.
For those who love IG, not to worry, it is still going down on Instagram Live as well. Apple Music will make it available simultaneously and the battles will be available on-demand as well.
The next battle is a friendly competition between the “Dogs.” Snoop Dogg and DMX are set for July 22 at 5 p.m. Pacific (8 p.m. Eastern).
We had to know this was coming because the numbers have been phenomenal for the series. Since its launch in mid-March, Verzuz has been bolstering numbers upwards of 400,000 views per session. Artists also benefit from the series as each artist has shown significant jumps in streaming after appearing on the show. My final thought is this- what would happen if Swizz and Timbo took this show on the road in a live setting once outside opens back up?