Monica and Brandy
Prince Williams/Wireimage; Derek BlanksIf there’s one thing that has gotten hip-hop and R&B fans through the pandemic, it’s been Verzuz.
What started as a friendly face-off on Instagram Live between Swizz Beatz and Timbaland has steadily grown into a cultural phenomenon over the last two years, as Verzuz has brought together rivals and contemporaries of all kinds to put their discographies on the line and battle it out for bragging rights — from T-Pain vs. Lil Jon and Ryan Tedder vs. Benny Blanco to Nelly vs. Ludacris and Ashanti vs. Keyshia Cole.
So with Season 3 kicking off Tuesday (Feb. 15) with a battle between Anthony Hamilton and Musiq Soulchild, Billboard wants to know: Which Verzuz battle do you consider to be the all-time greatest?
Are you a fan of the early, Instagram-exclusive battles like The Dream vs. Sean Garrett or Teddy Riley vs. Babyface? Or do you prefer a Season 2 bout like Fat Joe vs. Ja Rule or Redman vs. Method Man?
Maybe you agree with Billboard‘s May 2020 ranking and place the clash between Erykah Badu and Jill Scott at the top of the list. Or you made sure to tune in with the 1.4 million other fans to see Brandy take on Monica and put the central question of “The Boy Is Mine” to rest once and for all.
Voice your opinion in Billboard‘s latest Verzuz poll below, and be sure to tune in to the battle between Hamilton and Soulchild on Tuesday night, which will indeed be available to stream for free on Instagram Live after Swizz Beatz walked back plans to host the show exclusively on Triller.
NEWS
There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
