Super producers Swizz Beatz and Timberland made the most of the COVID lockdown and have teamed up to launch a new webcast series called Verzuz. 

Verzuz's started its debut when the icons joined forces in March 2020 to virtual DJ battle during an Instagram Live broadcast. The series caught the attention of music lovers across the globe. 

From there, the series calls on two iconic artists, primarily from the hip - hop and R&B genres, to go to toe in a battle from the artists performing two 10-song rounds from their top hits spanning over a three-hour session. Swizz and Timberland have gone on to host battles between music juggernauts such as Ludacris vs. Nelly, Babyface vs. Teddy Riley, Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott, and Jeezy vs. Gucci Mane.

The battle between Jeezy and Gucci Mane grossed Verzuz's highest viewed battle with more than 5.5 Million across multiple streaming platforms.

While Verzuz's may sound like an unexpected overnight success, the producers first created the idea of live battles back in 2017, which led to a 'producer clash' battle during a Hot 97 Summer Jam concert in 2018.

With Verzuz's being the hottest music trend hitting digital screens worldwide, the brand has taken on partnerships with Apple Streaming and social media platform Twitter allowing Apple's audiovisual capabilities to interact with Twitter's social-engagement design. Alongside these epic partnerships, Verzuz's is officially sponsored by Diddy's Ciroc, which is dubbed the official adult beverage for the celebration. 

You can catch the next Verzuz's battle this Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, between R&B singers Ashanti vs. Keyshia Cole at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. This battle was initially scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, but postponed when Ashanti announced that she had tested positive for COVID -19. 

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For more music news and trends, don't forget to take a look at the 20th Anniversary of Outkast's 'Stanknoia.'

Images: Verzuz

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