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?

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.

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?

Havoc has plenty of faith in his catalogue of hits, as he told Swizz Beatz he wouldn't be afraid of whichever producer they put him up against since nobody would be able to "destroy" him in a battle. The Mobb Deep rapper and producer reached out to Swizz in order to get involved with his and Timbaland's insanely popular Verzuz series, which has been keeping tons of people entertained during quarantine. The series, which has seen tons of legendary producers, songwriters, and rappers face off in a battle of their greatest hits, has been a source of joy for many hip hop and R&B fans during these dark times, and Havoc wants to get in on the action.

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“I just hit up Swizz, I sent him my list,” he revealed. “Now I said, ‘Swizz, I’ll battle anybody you put me against.’ He said, ‘I bet.’ I said, ‘I’ll be waiting,’ and he said, ‘I’m going to do it ASAP.’ So look for that.” He went on to explain why he's not afraid to take on any producer that's thrown his way, whether it be his longtime collaborator, Alchemist, previous Verzuz champion, RZA, or a newcomer like Metro Boomin.

“You could put me up against anybody and I’m not going to get destroyed," he explained. "I believe that in my heart. I could definitely hang in there with the best of them. And yeah, I was going to say [RZA] but I didn’t want to get beside myself, but I would take him on. I’m willing to lose just because.” Swizz seemingly implied that Havoc was already on the roster for a future battle with one of the aforementioned beatmakers during an Instagram live session on Saturday (April 18th) with Timbo. Swizz responded to Alchemist's lighthearted jab about Swizz in the comments by telling him, "you just focus on Havoc."

Timbaland and Swizz Beatz‘s “Verzuz” series has been the highlight of the coronavirus quarantine for so many people. Kicking off with the two super producers themselves going head to head, the series has given us battles between Boi-1da and Hit-Boy, The-Dream and Sean Garrett, Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch, T-Pain and Lil Jon, DJ Premier and RZA, and more. Most recently, we saw Teddy Riley and Babyface finally battle it out on Monday night, after several delays got in their way. Now that these battles have become such a crucial source of entertainment for folks in self-isolation, larger demands are being made, and Tim and Swizz are well aware. Timbo recently elaborated on how he and Swizz plan to expand the beloved series, and touched on the possibility of getting Dr. Dre and Diddy to go head to head, a face-off that many are dying to see.

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“Me and Swizz had this idea for quite some time,” Tim revealed. “And [Teddy Riley and Babyface’s battle] showed how powerful we are. So, Verzuz TV has to be now. Taking it to the next level.” Tim and Swizz recently trademarked “Verzuz TV,” which the former confirmed means that fans can expect the series to grace our television screens “this year.” It is not yet known on which platform it will debut, but they’ve had plenty of networks interested in picking up the series. However, Tim notes that, “right now we’re still strategizing” the premise of the show, “weighing all of our options, [and] making smart moves.” 

One battle that many hip hop fans feel is a must for the series is Dre vs. Diddy, but several signs point to Dre’s disinterest in participating. During the Teddy Riley and Babyface battle, Dre called Teddy and told him, “I don’t know if I’m interested in doing [it] but we’ll see what it is. I was going back and forth with Puff earlier today.” Tim echoed this uncertainty regarding what would be an exceptionally legendary battle, saying that “only time will tell” if it’s going to happen. “I want to see my musical idol, Dr. Dre,” he admits, though. “He [is] who I look up to.”

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He also addressed the desire many have vocalized to see female artists included in the Verzuz series. “We [are] working on the ladies. That takes some time,” he said. “Me and Swizz really work to put these celebrations together. And females have to be right. Being that we are in quarantine.” In the meantime, fans have been coming up with other hypothetical battles and deciding who would win, including Bow Wow vs. Romeo, and Jay-Z vs. Drake.

Who do you want to see go head to head in a Verzuz battle?

RZA and DJ Premier were the latest hitmakers to go up against each other over Instagram live for Timbaland and Swizz Beatz's "Verzuz" series. The legendary producers went head-head-head on Saturday night in an epic battle for the ages, continuing to keep fans entertained in quarantine. They started off the session by taking a trip down memory lane and recounting how they first met in 1990. Although the Wu Tang leader was experiencing some sound issues near the beginning, he eventually resolved them and proceeded to drop some more vintage heat.

Preemo kicked things off with Jay-Z's "A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More," prompting RZA to fire off GZA's "Liquid Swords." Premier decided to go with M.O.P.'s "Breakin' the Rules" for round two, to which RZA responded with Method Man's "Bring the Pain." Premier played Mos Def's "Mathematics" for the next round, which was met with RZA's pick, Cappadonna's "Maria."

The beat-makers started to up the ante by round four, with Premier bringing Big L's "The Enemy" into the mix. RZA then fired back with Raekwon's "Wu Gambinos." We got KRS One's "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" from Preemo for round five, followed by Ghostface and Jadakiss' "Run" from RZA. The battle went on for another 25 rounds, with RZA playing a snippet of an unreleased Joey Badass track near the end.