verzuz
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Source: Timbaland, Elon Musk, Swizz Beatz / Verzuz
Swizz Beatz took to social media to respond to backlash after announcing the Verzuz partnership with Elon Musk and X, formerly Twitter.
On Friday (June 21), Swizz Beatz shared a set of photos in a post on his Instagram account showing himself attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with fellow star producer and artist Timbaland. It was at the festival on Wednesday where he and Timbaland made the surprise announcement of a deal with Elon Musk to release all future content through X, formerly Twitter. The first photo shows the two in t-shirts highlighting the move, with a phrase by Swizz emblazoned on it in cursive, saying, “We will show you better than tell you.” That was repeated in the caption of the post, with Swizz Beatz adding, “Blessings to all” with emojis.
The comments on the Instagram post weren’t as cheerful, as individuals called out the two mega-producers for striking a deal with a polarizing figure such as Musk and announcing the news on Juneteenth. “It’s cool to ‘show us’ but don’t play in our faces and act like folks don’t have a valid reason to question this partnership,” one commenter wrote. “But nobody said anything before we been on that platform since Verzuz started,” Swizz Beatz wrote in response.
Another commenter wasn’t as civil, writing: “It’s crazy how we always have to go and get the oppressor to help us. What did you need #verzuz to do, broadcast from the moon??? Y’all didn’t need that man. Owning something 100% & then having your oppressor have a say in your business is working backward.” Others also pointed out how Swizz needed to be more understanding since returning from the hajj with his family prior to the Cannes Lions Festival.
The post comes after the joint announcement with Timbaland, where the Ruff Ryders CEO spoke effusively about the partnership. “We are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz,” he said in the statement. “Not only are we excited to have Verzuz on X, we’re excited to help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world. I would like to thank Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Brett Weitz, Mitchell Smith and the entire X team for believing in the Verzuz vision. We can’t wait to get to work.”
They both also promised to build “Entertainment Businesses” on X in the future.
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Source: Linda Yaccarino, Timbaland, Elon Musk, Swizz Beatz / Verzuz
VERZUZ, the friendly but competitive music battle series created by Swizz Beat and Timbaland, announced that the platform has teamed with X. While the musicians touted that it remains Black-owned, the fact that it has essentially teamed with Phony Stark aka Elon Musk—with the announcement made on Juneteenth, no less—meant many people took to social media to comment on the move.
On Wednesday, June 19, VERZUZ announced it had entered into an “exclusive partnership” with X, formerly known as Twitter, for distribution. Swizz and Timbo broke the news themselves while in Cannes, France. Reportedly, the pair had reacquired VERZUZ from their previous partner, Triller. With full control, and touting they’re Black-owned along with equity from artists who participated, their desire for independent distribution has apparently put them in league with Musk.
Source: Timbaland, Elon Musk, Swizz Beatz / Verzuz
“We are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz,” said Swizz in a statement. “Not only are we excited to have Verzuz on X, we’re excited to help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world. I would like to thank Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Brett Weitz, Mitchell Smith and the entire X team for believing in the Verzuz vision. We can’t wait to get to work.”
Added Timbaland, :We are thrilled to partner with X, the most innovative platform globally. Our goal has always been to bring Verzuz to the world which we can now do bigger than ever.”
Swizz and Timbaland say they retain full ownership and creative control of VERZUZ while X will retain the exclusive distribution rights. The plan is that X will only expand VERZUZ’s viewership—touting an audience of over “550 million active users,” allegedly. Viewers will be able to watch the next VERZUZ, an announcement is forthcoming, for the price of Free.99 while being able to chat about the battle all in one location, X.
VERZUZ was beloved as it came to fruition during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had the world indoors looking for ways to interact with each other despite the circumstances. So the platform teaming with X, which is owned by Musk, is getting the side eye. The South African billionaire is known for spouting anit-woke conspiracy theories and allowing racists to run rampant on his platform, which is blatantly the antithesis of what VERZUZ is about.
Don’t take our word for it, check out some of the assorted reactions to VERZUZ partnering with Phony Stark in the gallery.
Multimedia platform Verzuz, co-founded by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, has secured a distribution partnership with Elon Musk’s X. The news was announced by Beatz and Timbaland during an activation in Cannes, France today (June 19).
Under the terms of the new partnership, the Verzuz co-founders maintain their full 100% ownership and creative control of the platform, while X has exclusive distribution rights. Now viewers will be able to watch the livestream series for free through X, which reaches an audience of more than 550 million active users.
Earlier this year, Beatz and Timbaland reacquired the Verzuz platform from previous partner Triller. At the same time, the pair retained their equity — along with the artists who participated in Verzuz — in Triller.
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In a release announcing the X alliance, Beatz said, “We are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz. Not only are we excited to have Verzuz on X, we’re excited to help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world. I would like to thank Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Brett Weitz, Mitchell Smith and the entire X team for believing in the Verzuz vision. We can’t wait to get to work.”
“We are thrilled to partner with X, the most innovative platform globally,” commented Timbaland. “Our goal has always been to bring Verzuz to the world, which we can now do bigger than ever.”
Added X CEO Yaccarino, “X is so proud to partner with trailblazing creators, artists and entrepreneurs Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. Our platform stands at the forefront of innovation, and Verzuz defines the essence of an innovative content experience. As we continue to work with the most exciting voices to bring premium content to X, there is no better fit than this series. Together we will redefine how consumers engage with their favorite entertainment, one Verzuz at a time.”
The last sing-off presented by Verzuz, whose president is Steve Pamon, was between R&B stars Omarion and Mario in Los Angeles in summer 2022. Also featuring a pre-show with Ray J, Bobby V, Pleasure P and Sammy, the battle drew over 5.1 million total viewers across Instagram, Fite TV, Triller, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch.
Under its partnership with Uncontained Media, headed by Christian Sarabia and Raymond Garcia, Verzuz has also produced such shows as the Emmy-winning Drive with Swizz Beatz. Uncontained Media will serve as the production company and executive producers of Verzuz.
Triller, a short-form video app in the style of TikTok, is planning to sell its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange through a direct listing under the ticker “ILLR,” according to the company’s S-1 filing released Wednesday (Aug. 2). The filing did not provide a date of the direct listing.
The direct listing — not an initial public offering, or IPO — will not have an underwriter that assumes the financial risk of selling the listed shares to institutional investors. Popularized by Spotify in 2018, a direct listing avoids the IPO’s road show and book-building process that establishes an initial selling price. Triller will not receive any proceeds from shares offered in the direct listing by its shareholders.
While TikTok had an estimated $9.4 billion in revenue in 2022 and is becoming an important source of royalties for record labels and music publishers, Triller is a far smaller affair. In the first quarter of 2023, the self-described “artificial intelligence powered technology platform” had revenue of $9.1 million and a net loss of $28.8 million. In calendar 2022, Triller had a net loss of $195.6 million on revenue of $47.7 million.
The S-1 paints a picture of a financially troubled company with numerous outstanding issues. Triller had just $2.2 million of cash and cash equivalents as of March 31. The company’s S-1 warns that Triller has incurred losses each year since its inception — not unusual for a high-growth tech startup — and has an accumulated deficit of $1.29 billion. Triller may incur additional costs related to outstanding litigation with Universal Music Publishing Group, as one example, and admits to not being in compliance with the payment obligations of “a significant number” of its music licensing contracts and “overdue on payments” to vendors that provide Triller with engineering, marketing and legal services, among other parties.
The S-1 also reveals that Triller entered into a confidential settlement agreement with Sony Music Entertainment on July 21, 2023, that requires it to make payments to SME for a breach of contract lawsuit brought by SME in 2022. On May 16, Triller was ordered to pay SME nearly $4.6 million. The settlement provided Triller with a payment plan. With 15 days of the direct listing, Triller will be obligated to pay SME under the settlement agreement.
Triller will have two classes of common stock: a Class A common stock with one vote per share and Class B common stock with ten votes per share. Upon completion of the reorganization, Proxima Media and Bobby Sarnevesht, Triller’s founding partners, will own about 15.4% of Triller’s common stock and have 60.6% of the company’s total voting power. In addition to Proxima Media, the other shareholders with greater than a 5% share of outstanding common stock are Paul Posner, CEO of Carnegie Technologies, and Tsai Ming Hsing. As of March 31, Triller had 282,017,038 shares of Class A common stock and 46,651,382 shares of our Class B common stock outstanding.
Triller claims to have over 550 million user accounts and had over 2.4 million creators as of March 31 — almost 100,000 more than it had two years earlier. It built its user base with acquisitions such as its 2021 purchase of Verzuz, the livestream platform created by of Swizz Beats and Timbaland that shot to fame during the pandemic. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland filed a $28 million lawsuit against Triller in August 2022 over unpaid monies promised in the deal. That lawsuit was settled out of court one month later.
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Source: Patrick McMullan / Getty
While some of your favorite rappers have ducked the smoke, Busta Rhymes says he will not battle Missy Elliot in a Verzuz.
As spotted on HipHopDX the Brooklyn, New York native recently paid a visit to the Apple Music studio and discussed his come up, his recent BET Hip-Hop Lifetime Achievement Award win and more. Midway during the conversation he was asked what the possibilities of a Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliot Verzuz battle and he made it clear it is not happening. “Never with Missy,” he explained. “The reason why I can’t ever do a Verzuz or even compete with Missy on a challenging level is ’cause that’s my twin … I’m Missy and she’s Busta Rhymes. I will never ever ever ever ever, because I love her so much, I can’t talk my sh*t the way I would want to in a Verzuz.” He went on to clarify that it would be a battle but more so a celebration.
The interview landed on Missy’s radar and she posted to her Instagram account confirming Busta’s commentary. “To my Twin @bustarhymes, we have been glued at the hip for 26 years & my LOVE & ADMIRATION for you still grows. I am still in aww over your ART & your MUSIC, but most of all, your HEART is at the TOP of any chart,” she wrote. Missy went on to congratulate him for his recent win. “Love you, bro, and CONGRATULATIONS on your Lifetime Achievement award & many more to come thank you for the TIMELESS MUSIC & CLASSIC VISUALS you’ve shared with the WORLD”.
You can see the Busta Rhymes interview below.
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Verzuz will reportedly make its return to Madison Square Garden in late summer where Jermaine Dupri and Sean “Diddy’ Combs will face off. Diddy confirmed the showdown with Busta Rhymes according to video footage, and Verzuz co-founder Swizz Beatz confirmed the news via social media.
Verzuz, now in its third season reportedly, which last took place in July 2022, is still one of the most anticipated music events of its sort. Dupri and Diddy were long positioned to square off with one another and the two mega-producers have both egged on the battle with some lighthearted chatter.
It would be a fitting battle to witness considering both men have dozens upon dozens of hits between them and have worked with some of the biggest names in the business on the production front. They’ve also been front-facing artists and are no strangers to performing in front of a large crowd.
With the Verzuz happening at MSG, it isn’t exactly neutral ground as Diddy was raised just up the way in Mount Vernon, N.Y. That said, Dupri made his mark early on as a background dancer for the legendary Hip-Hop trio, Whodini, and isn’t the type to back down from a challenge.
According to Diddy and Swizz, the battle will take place on Sept. 8 but more details are certain to emerge as the months roll on.
The only question that remains is, who will you be rooting for? Sound off in the comments section.
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Photo: Getty
After years of competitive banter and cold feet, a date has reportedly been set for the epic Verzuz battle between music legends Diddy and Jermaine Dupri.
In a video shared over the weekend, Diddy confirms to Busta Rhymes that the show will take place on Sept. 8, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. “We gon’ have you out the rafters flying out the sky,” he excitedly added.
While fans have been murmuring about a potential battle between the Atlanta mainstay and Bad Boy CEO since 2020, the two legends joined the conversation in 2021, after Dupri challenged Diddy in a tweet. Initially, Diddy turned his proposition down, declaring that Dupri didn’t have enough hits. “I’ll smash you with just Biggie n Mary [J. Blige]. But I do have the utmost respect on you as a musical legend,” he said, adding, “[Dr.] Dre the only one can get in the ring w me.”
The two even playfully argued during an Instagram Live with Fat Joe and Snoop Dogg about who would win, but in 2022 they said they’d go head-to-head in a “non-Verzuz” battle, after co-founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland filed a $28 million lawsuit against Verzuz parent company Triller. “We’re not f—ing with Triller until they take care of Timb and Swizz,” Diddy said in a now-deleted video. In September 2022, Swizz and Tim settled their lawsuit with Triller, now owning a larger share of the company.
While neither Timbaland nor Verzuz have yet to comment on the scheduled date, Swizz shared a number of posts to his Instagram Story confirming the battle. A number of memorable Verzuz battles have already taken place at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, including The LOX vs. Dipset and Ja Rule vs. Fat Joe.
While many fans think Diddy will come out on top, others note that Dupri’s pen is untouchable, and that the So So Def founder is individually responsible for a number of diamond hits, while Diddy often collaborated with a team. Come September, all that will matter is the court of public opinion, as Verzuz does not declare an official winner to their battles.
Dupri has reached RIAA-certified diamond success thanks to his work on Usher’s Confessions and has achieved 11 career Hot 100 No. 1 records. Diddy boasts his own set of impressive achievements as a producer and artist, playing a pivotal role in the careers of icons including Mary J Blige and Biggie Smalls.
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Source: Bernard Beanz Smalls / Bernard Beanz Smalls,
The LOX and Dipset Verzuz was one of the most memorable moments in Hip-Hop ever. Jim Jones is requesting both groups do a round two.
As spotted on Vibe Magazine the Harlem, New York native recently did an interview with AllHipHop.com. While he discussed a variety of topics include his new album Back In My Prime the hosts got him to speak about the iconic night at Madison Square Garden. Surprisingly the “We Fly High” rapper revealed he thinks a rematch is in order. “I don’t think that energy will ever be duplicated outside of New York unless we go for the rematch, you heard?” explained. “The way I’m thinking about it is last time, there was a lot going on. The venue was way too small. There were people on my back. There were people on people’s shoulders in there.”
Jim Jones also went to say only one venue can really host an event of this magnitude. “I think we need proper respect of doing it in the Garden, the big Garden, with proper security, set up right so everybody have breathing room. Not using it as no excuse, but we need a rematch for the city. I’m putting it out there. I’m putting it out there like Rocky after he lost to Apollo Creed. And we gonna be ready like hot spaghetti.”
Swizz Beatz and Timberland have to comment on exploring a rematch. You can see Jim discuss his dreams for a round two below.
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Photo: Bernard Beanz Smalls
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