The murder of George Floyd has been met with outrage across the country with peaceful protests taking places in numerous cities. Though with the involvement of the National Guard and local law enforcement the tensions have rose, many celebrities are chiming in with sometimes unpopular opinions on the matter.

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Erykah Badu took to Twitter where she shared her thoughts regarding some of the protests across America right now, though not everyone appreciated it. "Military just part of a design. POWERS THAT BE designed it this way 100+ yrs ago. It is a flawless plan that has successfully kept us exactly where we are-In a position of servitude &consumerism.They BANK$ on our fear &emotions then pacify us w/ placation if u push bk," she wrote. "They know we are in revolt mode. WE ARE OUT GUNNED. FALL BACK for now. Family. THAT IS AN ORDER." Adding, "FALL BACK is not BACK DOWN." 

Though the bit that confused many was when she said the police and military are "also US." Adding that, "they just confused right now."

"Sometimes we are more interested in CHOOSING A SIDE than critically thinking. But it is humility that brings us to a place where we can observe all sides and make an informed decision while simultaneously seeing what is RIGHT AND to speak on it even in fear," she said in a later tweet. 

Following her record-breaking Verzuz battle with Erykah Badu, Jill Scott is once again the talk of the town. The accomplished R&B-neo-soul singer hasn’t drifted from the spotlight since she stepped into the music scene, but Verzuz exposed both she and Ms. Badu to an audience who may not be familiar with their catalogs. As new life has been breathed into her old songs, Jill Scott is finding herself back on the charts. She took some time to speak with V103‘s Big Tigger about her recent battle, and during the conversation, Jill was asked about her steamy viral video that took social media by storm back in 2018.

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In case you missed it, during a live performance, Jill Scott was singing her freaky fan-favorite “Crown Royal” when she took a moment to display her fellatio skills on her microphone. A clip of the tongue-wagging incident quickly circulated online, and Tigger wanted to know if it was something that bothered her.

First, she stated that she was “in front of grown people, doing grown things.” Jill Scott said that she’d pulled the racy move on stage plenty of times, but someone decided to bring up old footage and it was something that rubbed her the wrong way. “Yeah. I didn’t expect it. I was really, really caught off guard,” she said. “That had been a part of my show off and on, depending on the audience and what I wanted to say that night. It had been a part of the show for maybe about five years, depending, you know. So, I was really surprised, but I know who did it and I know why they did it.”

Of course, Big Tigger wanted the who-what-why details about the situation, but Jill, being the lady that she is, kept her cards close to her chest. “I can’t. I won’t. Be gone. I will not,” she replied, speaking directly to the nameless individual who shared the video. “I see your work but you don’t. You just don’t know what’s in here. I’m talking to that person. They don’t know.” Watch a clip of Jill Scott’s interview with Big Tigger along with the infamous live performance video below.

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:

The Verzuz battles are the new wave, and artists are wanting their pie of the pie. From writers to producers to artists, millions of people have tuned into Instagram Live to watch Swizz Beatz & Timbaland‘s Verzuz series. This weekend (May 9) we’re all set to watch Erykah Badu and Jill Scott celebrate their hits with R&B-soul fans, and in a recent interview with Nick Cannon, John Legend hinted that he and Alicia Keys may have something cooking up, as well.

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“I think that would be the best thing,” he told Cannon. “Honestly, if we do it, like a dueling pianos—” Nick Cannon jumped in excitedly co-signing the idea. “That would be crazy! I would love to see that. I mean, obviously I’m a huge fan of both of you. Not just your songs and your artistry, but really, your musicianship,” Cannon said. “I feel like you guys don’t get the opportunity to show that off. Especially for this generation who needsd to understand musicality and the importance of theory and putting all of that together for people to be as successful as you and Alicia. We gotta see that.”

John Legend hinted that it actually may be in the works. “I think we will,” he replied. “What I do like with the way it’s been going so far is we’re seeing producers and writers, more than just artists. The producers and writers, what’s so cool about it is, maybe you didn’t know that they produced this song. For me and Alicia, you know it’s our songs ’cause we are the front person for them. We were on the radio singing them, but for all of these producers like Teddy [Riley], Babyface, and all these other producers, ‘Oh, I didn’t know they were behind that song.”‘ 

He added that the best part of the Verzuz series is the ability for audiences to learn about the music history behind the jams that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Watch John Legend chat with Nick Cannon below about his home life, quarantining, his forthcoming album, and new music.

The Verzuz trend is far from being over. What launched during COVID-19 quarantine has turned into a lucrative business for Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, and it’s expected to roll on even after these “Stay Home” ordinances are lifted. We’ve watched a number of our favorite hitmaking artists and producers face-off in Instagram Live Battles, but there are still a few favorites that we’re hoping will hop on the Verzuz train. While chatting with Nick Cannon recently, Ne-Yo—who went up against mega-producer Johnta Austin—shared that he’d like to see Usher and Justin Timberlake hop on a Live. Nick and Ne-Yo then debated who would come out on top.

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“I think Usher gon’ body him, just hit-for-hit wise,” Nick Cannon said. “If he can bring N’SYNC in then that’s a different…but if it’s just hit-for-hit…cause I mean, Usher just got more albums.” Ne-Yo wasn’t so quick to jump the gun and call Usher the victor. “I don’t know, though,” he said. “I feel like it would be an entertaining battle.” Nick enthusiastically agreed. 

With so many unexpected artists and producers agreeing to these battles, we just may see Usher and Justin Timberlake one day. Until then, we’ll be tuned in this weekend on May 9 to watch Erykah Badu and Jill Scott celebrate neo-soul for the culture. Get your incense and headwraps ready. Check out Ne-Yo speaking with Nick Cannon below.

Everybody has been living for these Verzuz battles on Instagram Live. A definite source of entertainment during quarantine, some of the most iconic recording artists of all time have gone head-to-head in a celebration of the culture. We recently saw Teddy Riley go up against Babyface and battles have been proposed between Dr. Dre and Diddy and Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Even 50 Cent is being called upon to decide once and for all who has the better hits between himself and Ja Rule.

The next battle will take place this weekend, marking the first time two women will be participating on Verzuz. Erykah Badu v. Jill Scott was announced last week and 50 Cent came up with a hilarious name for their face-off.

“The Magic Box battle,” wrote the rapper on Instagram, joking about both artists. “Don’t ask me what this is about, stay out of grown folk’s business,” he continued in the caption.

The battle between Badu and Scott was announced by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, who have been doing a masterful job of organizing the Verzuz challenges. It will take place on May 9, which just so happens to be the day before Mother’s Day.

Who do you have coming out on top?

It has been one of the only things keeping us entertained during the quarantine and, thankfully, the next installment has just been announced. It was a long time overdue but, finally, the first all-female Verzuz battle will be taking place in a matter of days as the ever-talented Erykah Badu and Jill Scott go head-to-head in a celebration of the culture.

An announcement was made this morning by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, who have carefully been organizing each Verzuz battle. 

“It’s time for the Queens to represent,” wrote Swizz. “@erykahbadu vs @missjillscott the paper work is in @timbaland.”

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The battle will officially take place on May 9 and the timing was strategic from the organizers. That is the day before Mother’s Day and what’s a better way to celebrate black feminity in music than by having Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, two absolute greats, duke it out for our enjoyment. The culture doesn’t deserve this.

This is just the latest in a string of head-to-heads that have taken place on Verzuz. The first saw Timbaland and Swizz Beatz match-up, which inspired them to get everybody else involved. One of the biggest rumors is that Diddy and Dr. Dre will eventually meet on Instagram Live, but that is yet to be confirmed.

Are you excited about Badu v. Scott?

Has there been a hip hop-R&B-neo soul battle yet? We've watched artists and producers go toe-to-toe, and fans are calling for Verzuz to give the ladies their time to shine. We've seen a number of musicians pair up on Instagram Live, including the most recent Verzuz match involving Babyface and Teddy Riley that pulled in over 4 million viewers in total. Instagram even reportedly malfunctioned for a bit because they weren't prepared for that sort of response.

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Recently, a side-by-side photo of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill began to circulate asking who would win between the two. A Twitter user wrote, "I’m riding with my girl fat belly! ... What y’all think!?" The post caught the attention of Ms. Badu who humbly recognized that her sister-in-music would take the crown. "I’ll be pulverized...," she responded.

After weeding through the jokes about Lauryn Hill being late, there were fans of both women who debated who they believed would take the title. Erykah Badu obviously has a bigger catalog, considering that Lauryn just released one solo studio album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and had two records with The Fugees. However, both ladies are deeply respected as artists and have worked with various others in the industry over the years, creating hitmaking music. Would you tune into this one?

As we're all making the most of these days under quarantine, celebrities have been offering up free home concerts to help pass the time. John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen hosted an Instagram Concert from their living room, as did Anthony Hamilton, Keith Urban, and DJ D-Nice. Music icon Erykah Badu wanted to give back to her adoring fans, so she offered up an online concert for $1.

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On Monday (March 23), Erykah streamed her inexpensive live show on her BaduWorld Market website. “I got a house full of masked engineers, musicians, techs, who are all out of work... We have a few band members that’s stuck in other states." the singer said, according to Page Six. "I called them earlier and told them today, y’all still on the payroll even though y’all not here,” she said.

Not only did Erykah bless fans with all of their favorites hits from the award-winning singer, she took time out to educate her viewers on how things work behind the scenes for musicians. “How [the music industry] works is, the artists get about 8 to 20 percent [of record sales], but it’s not paid until the record label recoups the money they loaned to you in the form of an advance."

"It’s really not designed for us to become wealthy," she explained. "That’s why we rely on our live shows. We’re not rich people. We just play rich people on TV. This is how we make our living and some of us only have one form of income and that’s shows. I wanted to create another revenue of income and you’re helping me do that in a big way.” Check out a few clips below

Erykah Badu responded to a fan's comment on Twitter suggesting that she drop an album. While the First Lady of Neo-Soul might have been joking due to the circumstances of citizens around the globe self-quarantining for their own safety and the consideration of others, new music from the four-time Grammy Award-winning artist might be exactly what the culture needs during such troubling times. However, with the success of Erykah Badu's vagina-scented incense selling out in minutes last month, would the singer/songwriter turned entrepreneur be willing to endure the artistic pressure of curating a new project at this very moment? Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

A Twitter enthusiast with a handle by the name of @TheSuperNegro directly asked Erykah Badu on the social media platform, "Can we get a new album @fatbellybella?" this past Monday (March 16). Later that evening the mother of three Retweeted the inquiry with a somewhat jokingly response, stating:

"Shit .. look like I got time now," which sent her mentions into a frenzy with fans of her art pleading for her to head back into her appropriately titled creative space, The Badudio.