Alicia Keys and John Legend are celebrating the historic holiday of Juneteenth with a special edition of the “Verzuz” battles. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz‘s “Verzuz” series has become a pivotal source of entertainment these past few months in quarantine, giving us musical duels from pairs of opponents like Lil Jon and T-Pain, RZA and DJ Premier, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, Babyface and Teddy Riley, Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch, Nelly and Ludacris, and more. The most recent battle took place between gospel singers Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond at the end of last month, and after a brief hiatus, “Verzuz” is back with a piano face-off for the ages.

On Saturday (June 13th), “Verzuz” announced that the special Juneteenth battle between the two master pianists would (of course) be taking place next Friday, June 19th, at 8:00pm (EST). The idea of a piano battle against Alicia had been floated by John prior to the official announcement. “I think that would be the best thing,” John said about the prospect at the time.

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This special Juneteenth battle coincides with the release of John’s new album, Bigger Love, which also drops on the 19th.

Will you be tuning in?

Last night, we were treated to a new IG Live Battle, this time between two legendary r’n’b groups in Jagged Edge and 112. While it proved a successful battle, with plenty of viewers tuning in, Jagged Edge became the topic of a few jokes following the live event due to their audio troubles.

Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, the masterminds behinds the VERZUZ TV Instagram Live Battles that have been keeping us entertained all through out quarantine, discussed last night’s battle and how to avoid these audio issues in the future, announcing that they will enact a new rule for the battles moving forward.

Swizz revealed that the brand Roland made a new set-up for VERZUZ specifically, in order to supply fans with the best audio possible. “You can tell who’s using the set-up and who’s not using the set-up. It’s only a couple of plugs that will change your life. So 112 was using it, and I don’t think Jagged Edge was using it.” Timbo replied, “Which threw off the frequency of the whole thing, if one uses it and one doesn’t, it’s all messed up.”

“We’re going to make that a forcible rule,” Swizz continued, “You cannot do VERZUZ unless you use the technology that we’re sending you, cause we’re sending it to you for a reason.”

Peep the clip below. 

Let us know if you tuned in to last night’s instalment, what you thought of it.

Although Lil Durk and G Herbo are set to go head-to-head in a hit battle as part of the Verzuz series tonight (May 23rd), both Chicago rappers joked about taking the opportunity to just praise each other’s catalogue instead. The battle, which will take place over the Chicago radio station, WGCI, was announced on Friday (May 22nd), much to the excitement of Herbo and Durkio fans alike.

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The pair seem more or less like worthy opponents, and considering they’re not only frequent past collaborators but also good friends, the chemistry will definitely be on point. However, it looks like the two of them are a little too fond of each other’s music, as they both joked that they’re planning on just playing their favourite joints from one another.

After DJ Akademiks informed his Instagram followers that the battle would be taking place, Lil Durk left a comment saying, “Battle ? I’m playing my fav herbo songs.” Herbo seconded this sentiment, writing, “Lol I’m finna get in super fan mode wit my top 15 Lil Durk hits.”

Although the premise of a Verzuz battle is to compete by strategically using one’s own catalogue of hits against each other to determine a “winner,” many past participants have also used the opportunity to praise their opponent’s work in the same way that Durk and Herbo plan to do. In particular, viewers noted that Erykah Badu and Jill Scott’s recent battle felt more like a celebration of both artists’ phenomenal catalogues, and considering Durk and Herbo are so tight, it’ll come as no surprise when they both go straight into fan mode over each other.

We may not know who DMX will go up against in a Verzuz battle, but the rapper certainly is ready for his moment to shine. The beloved rap icon has been vying for his spot on the increasingly popular Instagram Live series, and there has been much conversation about who will share a split-screen with the New York emcee. We know that DMX wants to take on Jay-Z, but there were rumors that Eminem was a contender after N.O.R.E. teased that a battle with the Detroit legend may have been in the making. However, Fat Joe doesn’t think that Eminem can be touched, and he told Noreaga just that on a recent episode of Drink Champs.

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“I don’t know who wanna battle Eminem,” Fat Joe said flatly. “I don’t think nobody can f*ck with Eminem. Nobody.” N.O.R.E. said that he believed DMX and Eminem “have the same crowd,” but Fat Joe still wasn’t swayed. “DMX got the biggest hits in the world, one of the greatest rappers of all time. Legendary, iconic, superhero, and everything I’m saying is understating him, he’s bigger than that,” Joe stated. “But there’s something about that white boy and his fans. Nah, bro. You want to see something cracking the internet? That n*gga David Koresh, n*gga. That n*gga different, bro!”

“Eminem was hot when we came out,” Fat Joe continued, adding that some of his fans are in their mid-forties as they’ve followed Eminem’s career from the beginning. “These white people teach their kids that are 10-years-old that Eminem’s the greatest. You go to the airports and 10-year-olds are playing his sh*t like 45-year-olds. Like it just came out right now. There’s a big difference with his boy….When you say generational wealth, they keep teaching their kids that he’s the man to the ultimate science.” Watch them debate Eminem’s reign a little after the 20-minute mark below.

If you thought we'd settled this whole Lil Kim influencing Nicki Minaj debate long ago, you're highly mistaken. Recently, Usher got caught up in the wrath of the Barbz after he told Swizz Beatz that a Verzuz battle between Nicki and Kim wouldn't work because the Queens rapper is a "product" of the Brooklyn emcee. This sparked debate once again on social media, and now LisaRaye McCoy has found herself to be the target of irate fans.

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While speaking about Usher's controversial comments on Out Loud with Claudia Jordan, LisaRaye praised Kim for her contributions to the rap game. After Claudia Jordan clarified that Usher didn't say anything negative about Nicki Minaj, LisaRaye chimed in. "We can all stand together queens and we can all say that all of us are acknowledging the fact that Kim came before Nicki Minaj," LisaRaye said. "So Nicki, just take a seat. You don't have to sit down for long, but just take a bow. Just like Beyoncé said, 'Bow down b*tches."

As you can imagine, the actress's comments elicited a bevy of responses and mixed reactions. We've grabbed a few for you to read through.  Check them out below.

Are we about to watch quartets from Bad Boy and So So Def go hit-for-hit? These Verzuz battles have certainly been a cornerstone of entertainment during this COVID-19 pandemic. As we’ve been quarantined at home, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have managed to craft a formidable business from Instagram Live. The “Stay Home” ordinances have become “Safer At Home” orders as governments worldwide are lifting their quarantine laws, but Verzuz has still managed to be the at-home concerts that hip hop and R&B fans have desperately needed.

In recent weeks we’ve watched Erykah Badu and Jill Scott heal our souls with a few of their noteworthy tracks yanked from their catalogs, and just this past weekend, Nelly and Ludacris had folks jamming to their award-winning songs. While many R&B fans have been waiting on Brandy and Monica to share a Verzuz session, Brandy recently revealed that Monica turned down the opportunity. So, it’s time for Swizz and Timbaland to chat about who’s up next, and the conversation has shifted to Bad Boy’s 112 versus So So Def’s Jagged Edge.

“Get ’em on the phone [Jermaine Dupri], let’s make that happen,” said Swizz Beatz in a video. Timbaland chimed in, “Come on now, don’t play no games.” Tyrese and Keyshia Cole didn’t hesitate to share their enthusiasm in the comment section, but Swizz came through to update that he’s still waiting for Dupri’s call. Check out the clip below and swipe through to take a look at the two group’s radio hits. Meanwhile, while we know these Verzuz battles are really “celebrations of music,” who do you think would take the crown when it comes to Jagged Edge vs. 112?

Whew, boy. Usher has certainly ruffled a few feathers. While speaking with Swizz Beatz about the Verzuz series, Swizz mentioned that there has been an overwhelming amount of requests to see Nicki Minaj face-off with Lil Kim. Usher replied, “Nah, see…Nicki is a product of Kim.” The pair weren’t able to explore that conversation because Swizz spoke over him to say that Usher was already trending on Twitter.

Unsurprisingly, Nicki Minaj fans responded swiftly to the R&B singer’s remarks, and later, Tamar Braxton passionately weighed in on the topic. “I think of them as two different entities,” Tamar said. “I don’t give a damn, what come, what may, Lil Kim did not give Nicki Minaj her talent. So, therefore, who are you to take Nicki Minaj talents away from her?… You can’t get too involved with the Barbz or the Queen Bees, I don’t know the stans, but you can’t get too involved with it because that’s not fair.”

Tamar added that both Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim helped pave the way for this generation’s women in rap as she continued to criticize anyone who draws comparisons to “discredit [Nicki’s] talent.” Swipe through to watch Tamar Braxton share her opinions below.

The Nelly vs. Ludacris battle took place on Saturday (May 16th) night, and while it was certainly a night to remember, some technical difficulties and questionable song choices on Nelly's part had everyone making jokes.

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Although the event was meant to begin at 7:00pm EST sharp, Nelly was having some issues with his Internet connection due to the bad weather in St. Louis, which delayed the start time. He and Luda were linked for a minute, but unfortunately, he eventually had to hop off and wait for the storm to pass. Once he returned, things kicked off, and the two rappers took the time to commend each other for their impressive achievements and impact and influence on hip hop.

Erykah Badu and Jill Scott’s display of neo-soul excellence took place on Saturday (May 9th), and the Instagram live stream garnered the most viewers on a “Verzuz” battle ever with nearly 750,000. Although many agreed that the “battle” felt more like a mutual celebration of each other’s talent and vast catalogues, it did mark the first female face-off of the “Verzuz” series, and it looks like the people showed their appreciation for finally including some ladies by tuning in in vast numbers. At one point, the two artists garnered nearly 750K, reaching just shy of it with 749K. Regardless, this number blows the previous record of roughly 500K set by Teddy Riley and Babyface last month out of the water.

To prepare for what would become a record-breaking battle, the two Grammy-winners launched a joint line of “Verzuz”-themed merch, which includes hoodies and graphic tees in black, white, gold, and orange colourways. The collection can be found on both Erykah and Jill’s websites here and here.

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The event was also done in partnership with Live Nation’s Femme It Forward series that celebrates women in entertainment. Watch the full battle below:

Nelly and Ludacris will be bringing that Southern hospitality to the “Verzuz” stage next weekend, according to the series creators, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. Following Erykah Badu and Jill Scott’s incredible battle on Saturday (May 9th), the two legendary producers and masterminds behind “Verzuz” went live on Instagram together to discuss the first female face-off of the series, as well as give us a little something to look forward to. 

“Nelly want the smoke with Ludacris,” Swizz declares. “Can we go ‘down down baby’ next week?” Timbo responds, “Yeah, we’ll put our Air Force 1s on?” before the two of them proceed to pump up their viewers, asking over and over if we can make that happen. “Can we get that, Ludacris vs. Nelly?” Swizz asks. “Can we get that next Saturday, Timbaland?” 

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“Yes, we can get it. We got that,” Timbo ensures him. “Will the stadiums be full?” Swizz teases. “Full to the brim!” he sings. “Full to the briiiiiim!” Swizz then makes the most official announcement of the exchange, stating, “Ludacris vs. Nelly. Next Saturday. It’s not a f*cking game.”

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Although Nelly and Ludacris are certainly a good match for a battle, considering they were two of the most prominent Southern rappers of the late 90s/early 2000s, Luda was previously considered as a potential opponent by 50 Cent. However, it looks like he’ll be squaring off with Nelly next Saturday (May 16th) instead, and it’s sure to be one hell of a battle.

Who do you have your money on for the Luda vs. Nelly hit battle?