Verzuz
Webcast series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Webcast series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Verzuz is an American webcast series created by record producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. It was introduced during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as a virtual DJ battle, with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz facing off in its first iteration through an Instagram Live broadcast in March 2020.[1]
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| Verzuz | |
|---|---|
| |
| Created by | Timbaland and Swizz Beatz |
| Presented by | |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 43 (with 5 specials) |
| Original release | |
| Network |
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| Release | March 24, 2020 – present |
The series invites two musicians, predominantly R&B and hip hop, such as Mario and Omarion, to highlight their discographies in two 10-song rounds during a three-hour session.
Episodes include battles between producers Teddy Riley and Babyface, singers Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, Brandy and Monica, Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle, and rappers Ludacris and Nelly, as well as Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane.
The web series won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Variety Series in 2021.
Verzuz began as an impromptu broadcast before taking on the form of a brand, adopting a logo and official social media accounts with subsequent matches.[2] The Verzuz brand gained its official trademark in April 2020, as registered by Timbaland.[3] In August 2020, after a bidding war, the series began a partnership with streaming service Apple Music and social media platform Twitter, integrating Apple's audiovisual capabilities with Twitter's social-engagement aspect, a first for the former.[4]
The idea of creating a live battle was conceived by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz in 2017, which led to a 'producer clash' battle during a Hot 97 Summer Jam concert in 2018.[5] The live show consists of two challengers in the entertainment industry who compete with their best hit record. There are no actual winners chosen. In an ABC News interview, Swizz Beatz stated "The people won, the culture won, music won" in reference to the music sales and online streams gradually increasing due to both newfound interest and curiosity.[6] Though no winners are selected, Billboard magazine has released scorecards and breakdowns of the battles and selected winners based on these observations.
The Verzuz webcast became an online streaming show during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first three Verzuz matches surpassed a million views, The Ashanti vs Keyshia Cole Verzuz was the most watched webcast with over 6 million total Instagram viewers, breaking the Jeezy vs Gucci Mane record which held over 5 million in total viewers and Brandy vs Monica record, which was the first live stream webcast to pass the million mark with over 1.2 million concurrent in-stream live views, but totaled with over 4.2 million visitor viewers.[7][8]
In its initial inception, the Verzuz battles were performed remotely over Instagram live due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.[9][10] The majority of U.S. states were under strict quarantine to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Challengers often used their own cell phone/tablet device or web camera to live-stream on Instagram live through their verified artist page.[11] Initially, challengers added or requested each other's Instagram accounts to communicate virtually on Instagram Live. The first time this format changed was in the challenge between Bounty Killer vs Beenie Man, in which both challengers appeared together under the VerzuzTV Instagram channel instead of their own channels.
The Verzuz battle may consist of up to 20 rounds of what would be an artist's hit songs or hit features/collaborations to go head to head against each other. During the battle, the artist will play each song one after another, through audio sound systems via computer or recording studio equipment. This format has changed also with the battle of Bounty Killer & Beenie Man who fully performed live with microphones along with DJ's/Sound Equipment, which in turn also provided good acoustics and feedback without interruptions. There was a first attempt by record producer Teddy Riley to perform live against Babyface, but because of technical difficulties, it was unsuccessful.
For the majority of the music tracks selected by the artist, they often share personal stories about the creation of the song and the experience surrounding it before playing or performing the track. Oftentimes, the artist on both sides would gloat or boast themselves to show their competitive spirit along with having the authority of 'bragging rights'.[12]
For many of the live broadcasts, the celebratory competitive streaming went on for an estimated two hours long, with the exception of continuing on their own live feed after the event was over to allow fans and followers to engage with them.
In the past, some technicalities forced a video stream to get booted off due to weak Wi-Fi connection, or a licensed copyrighted song that could only be played to a minimum of 90 seconds before being cut off stream. On occasion, most broadcasts had an allotted time of 1 hour per stream, due to Instagram's rules of live streaming, which cause the artist to restart another live session and continue where they left off. However, during the battle of Jill Scott & Erykah Badu, the live feed stayed continuous for more than 2 hours except for when Badu's livestream stopped because of Wi-Fi issues.
Viewers who are observing the challenges can watch the feed from their electronic device, phone, tablet or computer with their Instagram accounts. It is simultaneously enjoyed as a watch party or listening party with other individuals, whether at home together or as a virtual population over the live stream. Viewers interact by commenting their opinions, judgement, reactions, emotions, and may use special character emojis as a form of expression. Some individuals may try to keep score but ultimately get lost in the rounds.
The streaming service was mired in technical impediments since its inception. Because of the overwhelming response of complaints from viewers, Swizz and Timbaland implemented a new rule on May 25, 2020, that the future participants are required to use equipment kit provided by the brand Roland, who created a new set up to supply the best audio as possible to prevent issues from continuing. The organizers stated, "You cannot do VERZUZ unless you use the technology that we're sending you, because we're sending it to you for a reason."[13]
As nationwide quarantine started to loosen restrictions of social gatherings and began to start public re-opening phases, the lineups in the 2nd part of the series broadcast the event live in-person to stream over Instagram as well as Apple Music, which began streaming the presentation live in HD on June 19, 2020. The live broadcast feed presented by Apple Music, is recorded using Television Studio equipment, teleprompters and a simple character generator editing used to display viewer comments from Twitter, also a ticker format of the stylized names of the challengers integrating with the Verzuz 'V' logo, along with providing the sponsors. As with the Instagram live presentation, it continued in the same format as the first series with improvements of the audio quality as a result of using the Roland equipment.
The new updated series stayed consistent of having challengers meet face to face sharing one room often with DJs or piano accompaniment while continuing to social distance. The participants gathered with an entourage as the event was held from a selected venue. Locations of the venue included, Tyler Perry Studios, which was used for the Brandy vs Monica broadcast and the Fillmore theater in Philadelphia, used for the Gladys Knight vs Patti LaBelle broadcast. The Bounty Killer vs Beanie Man Verzuz in the first series, was held at a club venue in Jamaica, and was the first in-person webcast stream.[14] The only time the new broadcast reverted to its original "duo split-screen style" streaming was in the Verzuz challenge between Ashanti vs Keyshia Cole, due to high rate of California's COVID-19 social distance protocols. It streamed on Instagram live with the Verzuz and Keyshia Cole's live channels, and on Apple Music live broadcast split-screen side by side; and the Triller/Fite TV broadcast Verzuz featuring Eve vs Trina. where Eve was remote live via satellite from the United Kingdom, while Trina was live on location with full audience in Miami, Florida.
The Verzuz broadcast of Brandy vs Monica broke records in numbers over Instagram with over 1.2 million live viewers on that platform being the first webcast to reach that peak, although during the Teddy Riley vs Babyface broadcast in the first series, it was reported 3.7 million people attempted access to view the live broadcast but was unsuccessful of joining the feed due to Instagram live viewership algorithm never reaching 1 million, forcing viewers losing the place of joining the stream upon exiting and possibly being locked out of viewing the stream. The result of this later began to open the population for more viewership on Instagram.[citation needed]
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Each battle is often paired up by the genre of categories. Where a Music producer will go up against another Music Producer, Songwriter against Songwriter, Vocal Production (example: Vocal Artist against Vocal Artist [Sub category: Singer vs. Singer or Rapper vs. Rapper]). Each artist has up to 20 tracks prepared to use in the battle. The guidelines for competing are to have produced, written or sang on the track used. As for many rap artists, they can use their collaborations or 'feature' segments from other artist tracks. Producers who 'remixed' a track have been called in question, especially if they are not the originator of the song produced, as a pun joke from Babyface,[16] but is still acceptable as it is a form of their own works. The winners are solely to the discretion of the viewers' preference, there are no direct chosen winners, however accolades surrounding an artist's accomplishments may make one person outshine the next. The real winners are the views counted by how many tuned in to watch as it shows the popularity and support given. During the battle, they are allowed to gloat, flaunt, tease as it is friendly competition. Spectators, whether celebrities or general viewing public, keep score on who they believe won each round sometimes losing count. The challenger usually feeds off the last contender's song choice or word play 'puns' to complement the flow. The curators who preside over the live feed remotely monitor the competition.
| # | Line Up / Match | Episode | Category | Date | Instagram Live Concurrent Viewers
(estimated views based on the visitor peak during the live presentation - Not total) |
Duration | Billboard Scorecard Winner
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swizz Beatz vs Timbaland[17] | 1 | Music Production & Songwriting/Vocals | March 24, 2020 | 22,000 apex peak | 5 Hours | No Data Available |
| 2 | Boi-1da vs Hit-Boy[18] | 2 | Music Production & Songwriting/Vocals | March 27, 2020 | 18,600 apex peak | 2 Hours | |
| 3 | The Dream vs Sean Garrett[19] | 3 | Songwriting & Music Production | March 28, 2020 | 46,000 apex peak | N/A | |
| 4 | Ne-Yo vs Johnta Austin[20] | 4 | Songwriting & Music Production | March 29, 2020 | 80,300 apex peak | N/A | |
| 5 | Scott Storch vs Mannie Fresh[21] | 5 | Music Production & Songwriting/Vocals | April 1, 2020 | 145,000 apex peak | N/A | |
| 6 | Ryan Tedder vs Benny Blanco | 6 | Music Production & Songwriting/Vocals | April 2, 2020 | 12,000 apex peak | N/A | |
| 7 | T-Pain vs Lil Jon[22] | 7 | Music Production & Songwriting/Vocals | April 4, 2020 | 270,000 apex peak | N/A | |
| 8 | RZA vs DJ Premier | 8 | Music Production & Songwriting/Vocals | April 11, 2020 | 150,000 apex peak[23] | N/A | DJ PREMIER[24] (14-9-2) |
| 9 | Teddy Riley vs Babyface | 9 | Music Production / Songwriting &
Vocal Recording |
April 18, 2020
April 20 (Rematch) |
400,000 (Day 1) 500,000 (Rematch) apex peak 3.7 million attempted access |
1 Hour 1 Hour 40 Minutes |
BABYFACE[25] (13-10-2) |
| 10 | Erykah Badu vs Jill Scott | 10 | Vocal Production / Songwriting & Recording | May 9, 2020 | 700,000 apex peak | 3 Hours | ERYKAH BADU[26](11-9-4) |
| 11 | Nelly vs Ludacris | 11 | Vocal Production / Songwriting & Recording | May 16, 2020 | 500,000 apex peak | 2 Hours | LUDACRIS[27] (12-9-4) |
| 12 | † Bounty Killer vs Beenie Man | 12 | Vocal Production / Songwriting & Recording | May 23, 2020 | 500,000 apex peak | 1 Hour 50 Minutes | BEENIE MAN[28] (13-10-3) |
| 13 | † 112 vs Jagged Edge | 13 | Vocal Productions / Songwriting & Recording | May 25, 2020 | 262,000 apex peak | 1 Hour 40 Minutes | 112[29] (13-9-3) |
† Other Media have also contributed scorecards for their selected winner:
Vibe Magazine Winner: Beenie Man [13–10–3][30]
Revolt TV News Winner: 112 [11–8–1][31]
Verzuz went under new rule changes and technical maintenance to provide quality performances and returned on May 31, 2020, with a special Verzuz.[37]
Each broadcast in this 2nd part of the series stayed consistent with better video and audio quality.
| # | Line Up / Match | Episode | Category | Date | Instagram Live Concurrent Viewers
(estimated views based on the visitor peak during the live presentation - Not total) |
Duration | Billboard Scorecard Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14
♥♥ |
Kirk Franklin vs Fred Hammond
with opening words and prayer by Bishop T.D. Jakes |
14 | "THE HEALING" – Special Edition
Gospel music Production / Songwriting & Vocals |
May 31, 2020 | 276,000 apex peak | 2 Hours
20 Minutes |
NO JUDGMENTS |
| 15 | Alicia Keys vs John Legend | 15 | "JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION" - Special Edition
Music Production / Songwriting & Vocals |
June 19, 2020 | 154,000 apex peak | 2 Hours
30 Minutes |
NO JUDGMENTS |
| 16 | † Fabolous vs JadaKiss | 16 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | June 29, 2020 | 387,000 apex peak | 1 Hour
20 Minutes |
JADAKISS[38] (15-9-2) |
| 17 | DMX vs Snoop Dogg | 17 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | July 22, 2020 | 525,000 apex peak | 2 Hours | DMX[39] (12-10-4) |
| 18 | Rick Ross vs 2 Chainz | 18 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | August 6,
2020 |
215,000 apex peak | 2 Hours | RICK ROSS[40] (11-10-4) |
| 19 | Brandy vs Monica
(Live from Tyler Perry Studios) |
19 | Pop/R&B Music Production,
Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
August 31, 2020 | 1.4 million apex peak | 2 Hours
30 Minutes |
BRANDY[41](12-7-5) |
| 20 | Gladys Knight vs Patti LaBelle
(Live from THE FILLMORE in Philadelphia) |
20 | "ONE NIGHT ONLY MASTER CLASS"
R&B/Soul Music Production Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
September 13, 2020 | 600,000 apex peak | 2 Hours | ≠ DRAW TIE[42]
GLADYS KNIGHT & PATTI LABELLE (7-7-5) |
♥♥ *A Special VERZUZ webcast titled "The Healing" was streamed live on May 31, 2020, in honor of lifting awareness and providing comfort from the racial climate of ongoing police brutality in the United States. The event began with opening word and prayer by Bishop T.D. Jakes. Kirk Franklin & Fred Hammond celebrated various music from their catalog.[43] During the webcast, special appearances were made by notable stars in the gospel genre: Grammy Nominated Gospel Artist Marvin Sapp, appeared to interlude his landmark song "Never Would Have Made It" and Grammy Award winner, Tamela Mann appeared to fully sing live, "Take Me To The King". Even though this special verzuz was a celebration with no intentions to battle and was used as a platform service to uplift and heal the world, Revolt TV declared Kirk Franklin as champion scoring at 17–4.[44]
† Other Media have also contributed scorecards for their selected winner:
Revolt TV News Winner: Jadakiss [11–9][45]
≠ DRAW/TIE - According to the Billboard Magazine Scorecard, Gladys Knight & Patti LaBelle both won for their Verzuz match, respectively. Making them the first contenders judged from Billboard to score a draw in the series.[42]
| # | Line Up / Match | Episode | Category | Date | Instagram Live Concurrent Viewers
(estimated views based on the visitor peak during the live presentation - Not total) |
Duration | Billboard Scorecard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Jeezy vs Gucci Mane | 1 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | November 19, 2020 | 1.8 million apex peak | 1 Hour 40 Minutes | JEEZY[48] (12-9-5) |
| 22 | E-40 vs Too Short | 2 | "LEGENDS OF THE BAY"
Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
December 19, 2020 | 271,000 apex peak | 2 Hours 30 Minutes | E-40[49] (11-10-5) |
| 23 | Ashanti vs Keyshia Cole | 3 | R&B Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | January 21, 2021
(Original date-December 11, 2020 - Event was Postponed)[50] |
1.2 million apex peak
1.1 million (steady average) |
2 Hours | ASHANTI[51] (12-10-3) |
| 24 | D'Angelo & Friends
(Live at the Apollo Theater) ☆ Solo concert dubbed as "D'Angelo & Friends" |
4 | R&B / Neo Soul Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | February 27, 2021 | 130,000 apex peak | 2 Hours | NO COMPETITION[52] |
| 25 | Raekwon vs Ghostface | 5 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | March 20, 2021 | 104,000 apex peak | 2 Hours 30 Minutes | ≠ DRAW TIE[53]
RAEKWON & GHOSTFACE (12-12-1) |
| 26 | Earth, Wind & Fire vs The Isley Brothers
Hosted by with special guest resident DJ |
6 | R&B/Soul Music Production
Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
April 4, 2021 | 465,000 apex peak | 3 Hours 30 Minutes | THE ISLEY BROTHERS[55]
(16-10-4) |
| 27 | Redman vs Method Man
(live at the St. George Theatre) with guest DJ |
7 | "'HOW HIGH' - 420 SPECIAL"
Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
April 20, 2021 | 175,000 apex peak | 2 Hours 40 Minutes | NO COMPETITION[56] |
| 28 | SWV vs Xscape
(with resident DJ's DJ Spinderella / DJ AOne) |
8 | R&B Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | May 8, 2021 | 460,000 apex peak | 2 Hours 45 Minutes | SWV[57](13-11) |
| 29 | REMATCH
(live from Club LIV, Miami) |
9 | Music Production & Songwriting/Vocals | May 30, 2021 | 460,000 apex peak | 2 Hours 15 Minutes | TIMBALAND[58](13-10-3) |
| 30 | Eve vs Trina | 10 | "1st FEMALE RAP VERZUZ"
Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
June 16, 2021 | 335,000 apex peak | 1 Hour | TRINA[59](12-10-3) |
| 31 | Bow Wow vs Soulja Boy | 11 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | June 26, 2021 | 705,000 apex peak | 1 Hour 25 Minutes | Soulja Boy [60](11-9-2) |
| 32 | Keith Sweat vs Bobby Brown
(with resident DJ |
12 | ESSENCE SPECIAL EVENT
R&B Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
July 1, 2021 | 400,000 apex peak | 1 Hour 45 Minutes | BOBBY BROWN[61]
(15-10) |
| 33 | The Lox vs DipSet (live from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City) |
13 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | August 3, 2021 | 645,000 apex peak | 2 Hours 15 Minutes | BILLBOARD SCORECARD RESULTS DISCONTINUED[62]HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENT |
| 34 | Fat Joe vs Ja Rule (live from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City) |
14 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | September 14, 2021 | 400,000 apex peak | 2 Hours 15 Minutes | BILLBOARD SCORECARD RESULTS DISCONTINUED[63]HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENT |
| 35 | KRS-One vs Big Daddy Kane (live from Barclay's Center, Brooklyn, New York City) |
15 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | October 17, 2021 | 140,000 apex peak | 2 Hours | BILLBOARD SCORECARD RESULTS DISCONTINUED[64]HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENT |
| 36 | Chaka Khan vs Stephanie Mills
(Live from the United Artist Theater at the Ace Hotel, Los Angeles) |
16 | "A NIGHT FOR THE QUEENS"
R&B/Soul Music Production Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
November 18, 2021 | 65,000 apex peak | 2 Hours | BILLBOARD SCORECARD RESULTS DISCONTINUED[65]HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENT |
| 37 | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony vs Three 6 Mafia
(Live from Los Angeles) |
17 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | December 2, 2021 | To be determined | 2 Hours 15 Minutes | BILLBOARD SCORECARD RESULTS DISCONTINUED[66]HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENT |
| 38 | Anthony Hamilton vs Musiq Soulchild | 18 | "VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL"R&B/Soul Music Production
Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
February 15, 2022 | To be determined | 2 Hours 30 Minutes | BILLBOARD SCORECARD RESULTS DISCONTINUED[67]HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENT |
| 39 | Mary Mary vs BeBe & CeCe Winans | 19 | "EASTER CELEBRATION"Gospel music Production / Songwriting & Vocals | April 17, 2022 | To be determined | HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENT[68] | |
| 40 | Cypress Hill vs Onyx | 20 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | May 14, 2022 | To be determined | NO HIGHLIGHT REPORTED | |
| 41 | 8 Ball and MJG vs UGK
(Live from Atlanta, GA) |
21 | Hip Hop Music Production, Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals | May 26, 2022 | To be determined | NO HIGHLIGHT REPORTED | |
| 42 | Omarion vs Mario
featuring Bonus Matchup Bobby V & Ray J vsSammie & Pleasure P (Live from Los Angeles, CA) hosted by DeRay Davis |
22 | "A NIGHT OF R&B"R&B/Soul Music Production
Songwriting/Lyrics & Vocals |
June 23, 2022 | 500,000 apex peek | 5 Hours | NO HIGHLIGHT REPORTED |
| 43 | Luny Tunes vs DJ Nelson
(live from the MLB All Star House 2022)[69] Hollywood Hills, CA |
23 | "A SALUTE TO LATIN MUSIC PRODUCERS"Music Production | July 17, 2022 | N/A | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
A lot of heavy criticism about the behavior and pitch quality of vocals from majority of the artists were overshadowed from the overall celebration, particularly centered and focused more on Ray J and Omarion, who were falling flat on their notes during their performances, as they both complained the sound systems were not in their favor. Expressing they could not hear themselves singing due to the microphone leveling and music playback leveling. During all the matches, it was met with intense hardcore back and forth banter and hype between the artists. During the pre-show match, Sammie imitated the vocal hook of Ray J's song "One Wish" where he confidently teased "I sound better than you on your shit", which later set the tone to Ray J being overshadowed by Bobby V., Pleasure P, and Sammie who huddled as they repeatedly harmonized the hook, after Ray J's vocal struggle performing the song.
It briefly deflected the attention away from Ray J, which he seemed to show a slight frustration and disappointment by his facial expressions, walking away. He responded by telling the artist they don't own their own records, which was an unfinished conversation and debate by Ray J, Sammie and Bobby V. who went live on Instagram a few days earlier and disputed their claims of ownership of records. Ray J also expressed his excuse as to why he was pitchy due to feeling both "lit" (tipsy or drunk), and because he was holding his son due to him and his wife level of comfortability of anyone having access of their child. Pleasure P expressed he felt he had more hits than anyone on stage, due to his writing production and credits, while Bobby V showcased his ability to woo the crowd. The pre-show time ran overtime as Omarion and Mario were about 2 hours late to the event.
During the main event, Mario started off by insulting Omarion with an imitation B2K to acknowledge he needed his group members to help him but failed to bring them to the event to do so. Omarion struggled majority of the night with keeping up with his vocals but was able to make efforts to rebound particularly with his signature dance sequences and a few antics. He showcased his innuendo sexual skills by gyrating the microphone stand on stage as well as inviting his brother O'Ryan, who served as his DJ, to come center stage and showcase their cunnilingus skills using a quarter of a fraction-sliced watermelon.[86] Mario simply crooned the crowd round by round with his strong and crisp vocals which became as effortless, proving himself by boasting after every song out loud claiming "It's me" and acknowledged he didn't need any gimmicks to showcase his ability, calling out Omarion labeling him a "dancing (expletive N-word)" Mario was also viewed as the villain and antagonist as he bluntly and aggressively bullied Omarion throughout the event shaming him playfully telling him and others they sound "crazy".
One actual moment where Mario ridiculed Omarion was as Omarion finished the B2K song "Gots Ta Be", Mario exposed Omarion to own up and confess that the vocals on the track were actually vocals recorded by legendary group Troop member, Steve Russell, which the members of B2K later confirmed. Omarion brought out Jeremih as a guest, but quickly turned sour as his vocals were pitchy while trying to serenade the audience with roses by a brief a cappella ad-lib freestyle leading to the chorus of his own song "Oui". Omarion also brought out Tank to sing the song "O" which Tank wrote for him, and they shared a brief vocal moment to which Mario sidelined by stepping in the middle and competing his vocals against theirs showing more vocal range against the other two. Many viewers unanimously in their own opinion crowned Mario the champion by the end of the evening, as well as favored Sammie as their unsung heroes, claiming them as underrated singers. Mario went on to claim his own victory after the event reposting many memes and adding his own bragging rights. The next day had an online banter between B2K members Raz-B, J-Boog and Lil' Fizz who expressed themselves over how they felt about their fellow lead member. They simultaneously posted a video clip of the biopic The Temptations, where member David Ruffin was being fired or exiled from the group as the rest of the members watched from the distance.
The post was captioned by all three members quoting "YOU GOT SERVED" with a pen in hand emoji symbol. To which Omarion responded hours later calling them "background dancers" and claimed they always been "praying for his downfall" since they were in the group.[87] Hours later J-Boog, backed by the other 2 members rebutted on social media to expose and slander Omarion with a long 10-page meme rant post written by J-Boog about their journey before and during their history while active in the music boy band to which he expressed his anger and frustration. Raz B followed by releasing an official legal contract which displayed Omarion's dismissal from the group a few year prior. All of these issues were unfolding to the public eye online, while Sammie and Bobby V shared healthy competitive spirit while making an appearance at a venue they shared on the same day. Ray J sister, Brandy, also took to social media to express her disappointment towards her brother in a lengthy comment under the blog site The Shade Room post, to which he kept deleting her comment from his own profile posts. She expressed that if he would have listened to her instructions on being on vocal rest and drink the tea that their father sent, he might have performed better. This Verzuz was the most talked about Verzuz all on social media platforms as it went viral with humiliating memes, videos and opinionated posts.
In early November 2022, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland announced via Instagram that a new season would be coming soon. This announcement comes after the success of the lawsuit settlement with Triller. The highly anticipated Jermaine Dupri-Diddy matchup has been confirmed to take place during Season 3 of Verzuz.
Upcoming line-ups that have been recently revealed and considered in a full facetime conversation with Timbaland & Swizz Beatz in late 2020. Among those discussed was a potential battle of Destiny's Child vs TLC. The series would most likely explore other cultures of music, touching on Gospel, Latin, African & Soca sound clash, but it may only take place if artists follow the new guideline of rules and regulations. and if the artists energy are intact? and agree to participate.
On January 15, 2021, Verzuz announced to partner with the NFL for a 4-day special presentation event, "The NFL Pro Bowl Verzuz", where NFL stars go head to head for 10 rounds showcasing their best on and off-field highlights from the 2020 season and fans get to judge who had the better plays. The event was aired during the dates of January 26 until the 29th on the Verzuz Instagram account live feed as well as NFL on YouTube live feed. The presentation was presented by Verizon.[88] Deion Sanders, Maurice Jones-Drew and MJ Acosta-Ruiz served as the host with special guests who appeared to provide support for the players.
| Date | Lineup/Match | Position | Guest Appearances / Supporters |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 26, 2021 | Justin Jefferson vs A. J. Brown | Wide receiver | Will Compton
Desi Banks (Comedian/Actor) Ha Ha Davis (Comedian) |
| January 27, 2021 | Cam Jordan vs Myles Garrett | Defensive end | Mark Ingram II
Jeremy Medina |
| Jamal Adams vs Budda Baker | Safety | Shaq Thompson
Town Jimmerson (UNT, Quarterback) Deo Trotter Jamir Rodriguez (Herbon High School '14 Safety) Bryan Lockhart | |
| January 28, 2021 | DeAndre Hopkins vs Jalen Ramsey | Wide receiver & Cornerback | |
| January 29, 2021 | Deshaun Watson vs Michael Vick | Quarterback | Willie Colon
Quincy Avery (Coach, Quincy Avery Quarterback Academy) |
Highlight moments:
R.S.V.P. | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop |
| Years active | 2022–present |
| Labels | Independent Label |
| Spinoff of | Verzuz (Collaborative supergroup) Season 2, Ep. 22 "Omarion vs Mario" |
| Members | |
R.S.V.P. is an independent American R&B/Hip hop supergroup created and developed by Ray J, Bobby V, Sammie and Pleasure P after their post appearance on the Triller webcast series Verzuz in June 2022. The formation of the band came from an idea to collaborate into a singing group after making viral headlines from the event as an experiment.
During one of the final battles of Verzuz season 2 with the headliner competitors Omarion vs Mario, the pre-battle undercard opening act between Ray J & Bobby V vs Sammie & Pleasure P created a series of viral moments between the 4 singers. The four men would then meet on Instagram live multiple days after the match to recap on their performances and tease each other boasting about their flaws and victories which led to an idea of collaborating and forming a supergroup between the solo singers naming themselves R.S.V.P. (Ray J, Sammie, Bobby V, Pleasure P).[91]
During one of the lives, Ray J insisted that the four can create a marketing strategy from this special project adding a suggestion of pitching reality television deals with either BET (as a possible season 2 of The Encore), VH1 or Zeuz to be negotiated.[92] However, there are no details if they reached the deal with any of those networks as of yet. The four men were in limbo deciding if the project would be a one-track collaborative effort or to record a full EP album. Sammie jokingly admitted that the band may never make it through completion of the project and success due to their playful yet ego and personalities which led to distractions to get started. The men were early criticized from many other R&B artists and others of the entertainment industry particularly Q Parker of 112 and RL of Next who watched their Verzuz battle and claimed they were misrepresenting what R&B was and stood for in the male genre and by their behavior and punctual preparedness, which led to a few rebuttals from Pleasure P, Sammie and Bobby V expressing themselves in their rants on social media. They then coined themselves "The Bad Boys of R&B" expressing that R&B doesn't always have to be 'soft' or 'crooning', particularly spoken by Pleasure P, who had responded and voiced himself against Q Parker and others who made judgements about the men involved in the full Verzuz lineup. Q Parker later apologized for his rant on video self accessing his opinion and stated it was taking out of context.
The supergroup began meeting in late July 2022 and began v-logging their progress recording music in early August, hoping to release their project in the near future. According to their social media posts, the four men shared their experience with the public of their newly found journey and expressed working together has been creative, fun, comedic and at times distractive. The RSVP project would become Verzuz first offspring independent collaborative project. According to their Instagram profile officalrsvp, the group was seen teasing their R-rated seductively infused first single "Money Everywhere" set to be released late 2022, as mentioned by Sammie in the 7-minute video post. The track hints at a sexual fantasy pleading, "Girl, let's turn this bedroom to a strip club...with money everywhere, there's money everywhere" as the main line of the chorus.
In early 2023, the group had made a brief hiatus, placing their recording and productions on pause after an unfortunate tragic circumstance surrounding Sammie personal family issues made headlines. During a live Instagram chat in a February, Pleasure P opened up honestly about releasing a healthy emotion while doing a mental health check in with all the group members hours before releasing their music video. He confessed that all members have been going through personal matters and a brief break was needed, but returning to their presence was cathartic in a sense it keeps them motivated together due to their brotherhood and collaboration . Although the start of the conversation was positive, Pleasure P addressed about getting his feelings hurt by fellow musician Tank who gave him personal constructive criticism about their first single "Money Everywhere", while Sammie and other members valued his opinion. They continued to promote their forthcoming projects which is due to be released throughout 2023.
The new venture was off to a great start until an alleged physical altercation between Sammie and Ray J happened in Atlanta after leaving Magic City in late August. Ray J stated on his Instagram live video, that he fought Sammie due to his intoxicated behavior and felt bad due to Sammie not fighting back, but expressed that he had nothing but love for him. He also felt his actions led to him being verbally kicked out the group, but clarified 'we're at peace now, we good...we straight' and believed this happened because they were 'partying' too much. On a video Sammie posted as he went live on Instagram the next day, he took surprise at hearing that Ray J hit him, but clarified and stated he was too tipsy as he was reaching for the SUV door and fell, displaying his bruises from the right side of his raised cheekbone towards his eye and scarring on the same side of his face. He also acknowledged that he had no issues being a solo artist before, problems only rose since he became part of a singing group. He then stated he had support from his fellow bandmate Pleasure P after realizing what happened the next morning. He believes they were both intoxicated, but wishes he could have fought him back.[93] In an effort to display there was still comradery in the group and issues between the two have subsided, both were later shown on video partnering together as they were creating choreography to one of their songs. Sammie however explained in multiple media interviews months after, that the alleged altercation was misled by social media and that there actually wasn't any physical altercation at all, and that his bruised cheek was from falling out of his SUV, while Ray J joked on Instagram saying that he hit him. They both took the rumor and ran with it to create buzz.
On December 1, 2022, RSVP released their debut independent single "Money Everywhere" on music streaming platforms, despite discrepancies and disagreements within the group coming to a mutual agreement when the single was to be released.[94][95] Ray J, Bobby V and Sammie met live on Instagram to express concern and disagreement over the promotion of the song and production publishing rights and invited Pleasure P to join to explain his side, to which there was a discrepancy with the rollout of the release listed under his touring company. He then further expressed his frustration on his separate Instagram live assuring there were minor mistakes and made certain moves based on a business standpoint.[96] A music video for Money Everywhere was released on February 10, 2023. A second single titled "I Like" will be released following the music video.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Money Everywhere" |
|
| 5:34 |
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Money Everywhere | Antonio Ward | Exec. Produced by: Ray J & AntonioWard / Produced by: Melinda Santiago |
Ray J as a solo artist, is currently releasing an upcoming visual music video album titled "Raydiation X: One Wish Anniversary Album" with a reprise intro of the hit song "One Wish" with a 60s/70s era inspired style featuring appearances from RSVP members (Sammie, Bobby Valentino & Pleasure P) as well as appearances from actors Jackie Long, Hasaan Johnson, Derrell Britt, Merci Mi, and Lil' Zane.
A total number of viewership across social media platforms was recorded and began midway Season 1 of Verzuz:
| Challengers | Verzuz TV Live | Apple Music viewers | Total impressions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alicia Keys vs John Legend | 160,000+ | 590,000+ | 1 Billion+ | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-11 Trends |
| Fabolous vs Jadakiss | 269,000+ | 500,000+ | 750 million+ | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-20 Trends |
| DMX vs Snoop Dogg | 525,000+ (Concurrent Viewers)
2 million+ (Total Viewers) 26 million+ (In-Stream Likes) |
600,000+ (Concurrent Viewers)
1.4 million+ (Total Viewers) |
1.75 Billion+ | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-30 Trends
>168% Tweets from previous battle |
| Rick Ross vs 2 Chainz | 223,000+ (Concurrent Viewers)
1.2 million+ (Total Viewers) 5 million+ (In-Stream Likes) |
410,000+ (Concurrent Viewers)
800,000+ (Total Viewers) |
1 Billion+ | #1 Trending topic & Various 2-30 Trends
2nd Highest Tweeted |
| Brandy vs Monica | 1,243,000+ (Concurrent Viewers)
4.2 million+ (Total Viewers)◆ 100 million+ (In-Stream Likes) |
1.8 million+ (Total Viewers) | 5 Billion+ | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-30 Trends
1 million+ tweets (USA-surpassed 2020 VMA's) 1.9 million+ tweets (Globally) |
| Gladys Knight vs Patti LaBelle | 612,000+ (Concurrent Viewers)
2.5 million+ (Total Viewers) 28 million+ (In-Stream Likes) |
1.2 million+ (Total Viewers) | 3 Billion+ | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-30 Trends
2nd Highest Tweeted |
| Gucci Mane vs Jeezy | 1.8 million+ (Concurrent Viewers)
5.5 million+ (Total Viewers) 126,800,000+ (In-stream Likes) |
2.3 million+ (Total Viewers) | 7 Billion+ | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-30 Trends
1.3 million Unofficial YouTube/Facebook Views 1.6 million+ Tweets (USA) 3.2 million+ (Globally) |
| E-40 vs Too Short | 285,000+ (Concurrent Viewers)
1.9 million+ (Total Viewers)▶ 6 million+ (In-Stream Likes) |
800,000+ (Total Viewers) | 1.2 Billion+ | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-30 Trends
200,000 Unofficial YouTube/Facebook Views 437,000+ Tweets (Globally) 3rd Highest Tweeted |
| Ashanti vs Keyshia Cole | 1,238,000+ (Concurrent Viewers)6 million+ (Total Viewers)▲ Record Breaking
123 million+ (In-Stream Likes) |
1.6 million+ (Total Viewers) | 4.5 Billion+ | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-30 Trends
500,000 Unofficial YouTube/Facebook Views 1,590,000+ Tweets (Globally) 2nd Highest Tweeted Gained over 11.3 On Demand total streams combined (MRC Data) |
| Omarion vs Mario | 725,000+ (Peak Concurrent views) - all platforms
5,120,000+ (total viewers) - all platforms |
discontinued | N/A | #1 Trending Topic & Various 2-30 Trends
6,935,000+ Live comments across all platforms 650,000+ Tweets |
▲- The AshantI vs Keyshia Cole Verzuz currently holds the highest total viewers on Verzuz TV Instagram live with over 6 million views based on approximate incoming Instagram profile visitors.
▶- Followed by Gucci Mane vs Jeezy who held an accumulate of 5.5 million viewers
◆- And Brandy vs Monica who held an accumulate of 4.2 million viewers
The views are not to be confused with the concurrent estimated apex peaks during the live Instagram presentation, as number of viewers gradually gain throughout the live, and results are totaled at the end of the live with the approximate number of visitors who visited the page.
From 2021 to 2024, Verzuz would be owned by Triller, Inc..[97][98]
On August 16, 2022, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz filed a lawsuit at the Los Angeles County Superior Court against Triller, to pay over $28 million in damages, legal fees, plus applicable interest, as well as further relief that Court may deem just and proper after selling the rights of the brand Verzuz to the streaming app, which had undisclosed terms. In part of the agreement within the partnership with Triller there was a guarantee of an allocation among the 43 artists who had appeared past to present on Verzuz, that would obtain an equity share for their participation in the series.
According to the lawsuit, Swizz and Timbaland was not compensated from January 2022 in which Triller failed to make, but did agree to a settlement to be made by March 20, 2022, requiring Triller to pay them $1 million per month for the following 10 months, making $18 million in total split between the co-creators. However to date, Triller allegedly has not made any payments towards Timbaland or Swizz, which in jeopardy the owing the monetary in as 'past due'.
At the time of the press release, Triller representatives did not respond to a request for comment,[99] however in September 2022 Swizz and Timbaland reached an amicable agreement with Triller in which the case was settled. Triller Executive Chairman Bobby Sarnevesht stated that the “Creators started this and will continue building it, this is a victorious moment in the Triller and Verzuz relationship as we march together toward the public markets.”[100]
By June 2024, Swizz and Timbaland would reacquire Verzuz and begin a partnership with X.[98]
Billboard magazine gave a scorecard sheet ranking the battles from least to favorable, placing the Jill Scott vs Erykah Badu battle at the number 1 spot.[101]
The series' popularity quickly drew in many viewers as a way to cope while on quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became a vehicle for viewers to laugh, sing-a-long, dance, go back in time feeling nostalgic, watch other entertainers communicate and interact with one another through comments and replies while watching and also with each other on-screen during battle, and also it united everyone together during the crisis.[102]
The battles are rooted to pit each artist against each other, but is done tastefully, ending in praises and celebration. One battle noted for this was the Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott match-up, where both were classy and honored each other by complimenting their successes. It was a way to empower women.[103]
VERZUZ has won the Webby Award in the category of Special Achievement – 'Break the Internet' Award in May 2020, breaking the Instagram record for live streaming with over 750K viewers.[104] Verzuz creators Timbaland & Swizz Beatz were the Honoree recipients of the "Shine A Light Award" shared with DJ D-Nice at the 2020 BET Awards.[105]
Bloomberg Businessweek honored Swizz Beatz & Timbaland by listing them as one of the 50 Most Influential People: 'The People who changed global business' on December 4, 2020.[106][107]
Verzuz was nominated and won in the category of Outstanding Variety Show (Series or Special) for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, on BET.[108][109]
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