NEWS
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland had to address fans again about claims of selling out their popular brand Verzuz. During a livestream including the two superproducers, Jay-Z engineer Young Guru, and media personality 19Keys, Swizz refuted sold out remarks.
A fan claiming Swizz Beatz and Timbaland sold out when Verzuz sold to Triller, Swizz clarified the valuation. "We ain't sell out, we sold in," said Swizz. "I ain't never sold out a day in my life... Sold out for what? It ain't enough money to sell out... We sold into a idea. Verzuz didn't have an valuation because we gave it to the people for free... These are well thought out plans, not freestyles."
Swizz Beatz reveals that they should have better communicationn with fans about updates regarding Verzuz. "I don't expect people to understand what we doing," said Swizz Beatz. "That is the only thing I could have critique, we could have communicated it to the people better."
Verzuz kicked off in March 2020 when Timbaland and Swizz Beatz hopped on IG Live for a friendly beat battle. Quarantine had folks locked in, and this clash lit up the timeline. What started as two legends going hit-for-hit turned into a full-blown cultural moment.
Fans tuned in heavy to see icons face off—RZA vs. DJ Premier, Jill Scott vs. Erykah Badu, and more. It was nostalgia mixed with respect, straight from the culture.
As the buzz grew, Verzuz leveled up. They linked with Apple Music, then got scooped by Triller in 2021. Battles moved from phones to stages, with real crowds, crisp visuals, and brand deals rolling in. The Lox vs. Dipset and Jeezy vs. Gucci had streets and screens going wild, stamping Verzuz as a new era staple.
By 2022, the wave slowed, but the impact stayed. Timbo and Swizz took the reins back and are plotting the next move. Verzuz still stands as a love letter to Black music—raw, real, and unfiltered.
It flipped the game, showing how legends and fans can connect without middlemen. Legacy meets livestream, and the culture keeps winning.
NEWS
Oliver Tree’s team has provided a new update following the singer’s death in a helicopter crash on June 14, confirming that a new artist grant will soon be established in his memory to help creatives secure funding, a plan he had detailed in his will before his passing.
Accompanying a collection of photos highlighting Tree’s performances, travels and creative work through the years, a post shared Sunday (June 21) on his Instagram account revealed that the musician’s remains have been brought back to California, the state he called home and where he will be laid to rest. “His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named ‘Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses’ coming soon,” the caption reads. “This is something that Oliver had put together before his passing.”
“We will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world, that was his final wish,” the statement continued, adding that “the constant love, support and positivity” shown by fans throughout the past week has helped his “family, friends and collaborators make it through these extremely difficult times.”
Tree was among six people who lost their lives in a helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro. The musician was in Brazil for his The World’s First Tour run and had performed what would ultimately be his final concert on June 6 in São Paulo. The other victims of the crash were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves, along with pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Just months before his death, Tree discussed his plans to direct his fortune and future earnings from his music toward a grant program for artists during an appearance on the Zach Sang Show. “I take no credit for anything I’ve ever done,” he said during the April interview. “Furthermore, I don’t believe that any of the wealth or things that get made from it is mine. So when I die … my will is set up so that when I pass, my family, nobody is going to get a penny.”
“If I have a wife or kids or anything, they’re not getting a penny,” he added at the time, explaining that the initiative would focus on helping artists create work rather than funding education. “I’ll get my kids through college, that’s the agreement, but there’s not gonna be a silver spoon. All the money is going to go back to artists.”
