It’s no secret. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have been working hard to pair up some of hip-hop and R&B’s biggest stars for their Verzuz celebratory battles. To date, the duo has successfully hosted 24 of these events on Instagram Live and their streaming partner, Apple Music. Now, what you rarely hear about are the matches that could have been. In a live conversation following D’Angelo’s damn-near-solo set—that many R&B lovers didn’t know they needed—Swizz Beatz and Timbaland revealed how the soulful crooner was originally scheduled to take part in Verzuz alongside fellow “neo-soul” singer Maxwell.
“I’m not gonna lie. That sh*t took very long. Let’s give people the story,” starts Swizz. “What was supposed to happen was D’Angelo versus Maxwell on Valentine’s Day. That didn’t work out, but the fact that D’Angelo was still ready to go and still motivated, we had to celebrate him— matter who was on stage with him. We had to celebrate that king because, as you can see, those songs that he played tonight, man, that’s real music.”
He continues: “This is a celebrational stage and we couldn’t play around with him. We had to let him get his garden because he showed up and showed out. That man pulled up to Verzuz three hours early. D’Angelo was the earliest person in Verzuz history tonight so don’t get him showing up [at] the time he did mixed up with the pre-show which was by DJ Scratch.”
Message received, but could you imagine how many more ladies would’ve gotten their lives on that night of love? Can you imagine the attempted falsetto singing done by viewers on that special and rare night? It would’ve been nice to see D’Angelo and Maxwell on the same bill, that’s for sure.
Watch Swizz and Timbo talk about the match that could have been while clearing the air about D’Angelo’s start-time at around the 4-minute and 20-second mark of the video below.
Taylor Swift believes Nashville has a music scene that stands apart from anywhere else.
The 36 year old singer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was young to chase her dream of becoming a country music star. After being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Monday (26.10.26), Taylor took the opportunity to recognise the city and the talented writers who have helped shape its music scene.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor said: "I believe you really get to master a craft by doing it again and again. That's exactly what the incredible songwriters in this wonderful town do every day."
Taylor also spoke about what makes Nashville such a special place for musicians.
The award winning singer, who ranks among the best selling music artists of all time, said: "You won't find another music community quite like this one. Trust me, I've checked them all."
Taylor also shared how being part of Nashville's songwriting scene had taught her valuable lessons about life and working with others.
She joked: "I've learned to be flexible when your co writer turns up with a hangover, or when they need to spend ages talking about their divorce before we can even get started on a song."
Taylor previously spoke about how Faith Hill and Shania Twain inspired her decision to move to Nashville.
Speaking to Time magazine, the singer said: "I couldn't get enough of watching TV biographies about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I realised they had both moved to Nashville to get their careers started. After that, I kept asking, pleading and begging my parents to take me there.
"When I was 11, my mum took my brother and me to Nashville during spring break, and we spent the trip driving around Music Row. She stayed in the car while I rushed into record companies one after another, giving my demo CD to the receptionists. I found it fascinating that so many major record labels were gathered along a single street, often inside little buildings and old houses.
"What really stayed with me was how welcoming people were to newcomers and complete strangers like us. We started visiting Nashville more often, and when I was 13, I received an offer for a development deal from a major record label. That was when my parents finally agreed to leave Pennsylvania and move with me."
