Swizz Beatz has confirmed that Verzuz is going to return soon now that he and Timbaland have regained control of the brand.
The 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards were broadcast on Tuesday (October 10), during which both producers were honored with the Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award. During their acceptance speech, they announced that their joint effort will be back in action.
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“Me and my brother created something special, and it ain’t over,” Timbo said. “Black-owned Verzuz, me and Swizz Beatz. I’m glad to share this with my brother.”
The Ruff Ryders veteran then added: “Like Tim said, we own Verzuz again. We got quiet for a minute, but we’re gonna come back strong and show you what it is. That wasn’t just something for the pandemic; that’s something for the world.”
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland merged Verzuz in a lucrative deal with Triller, with which they became large shareholders in 2021. However, trouble arose when the pair filed a $28million lawsuit against the company in August 2022.
The two Hip Hop titans claimed that the video-sharing social networking service failed to hold up the financial end of the bargain. Court documents obtained regarding the matter state that Triller defaulted on its agreement after just two payments. The duo later settled after the initial default, but alleged that the company continued to make one installment and then failed to pay the remaining balance.
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Last month, Timbaland promised to bring back the battle platform while teasing that fans are going to be delighted with the new lineup of the much-lauded concert series. In an interview with AllHipHop, the producer promised to give the people what they want, and a lot sooner than they may think.
“Verzuz is still a baby,” he said. “It was something that was built in the pandemic that’s now a household name. Look how you saying it. Now we back open. To make it have the longevity that we need it to have, we have to reorganize the ship.”
He continued: “I believe that we’re gonna drop some good ones before the end of the year. We’re trying to get at least one good one before the end of the year to recalibrate what Verzuz is going to be in the future.”
Back in February, Swizz Beatz teased an epic return for Season 3 that will apparently be well worth the wait. He explained that the infrastructure of the Verzuz platform will be evolving for 2023 and that there’s a “fantastic lineup” in store for upcoming battles.
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“We’ve been changing the infrastructure because when we started, it happened in the garage and then moved to a significant platform,” Swizz relayed to REVOLT. “Now, we changed the whole way we’re moving but not entirely, so people won’t feel like it’s not the same.
“We have a fantastic lineup with people they wanted to see and even battles they think wouldn’t happen. Announcements will be coming soon.”
