RZA and DJ Premier to face-off in Instagram Live battle
Swizz Beatz has announced his next “Verzuz” throw down.
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s “Verzuz” Instagram Live battle series has provided hours of virtual entertainment for those in self-quarantine. Swizz has now announced his next star-studded throw down — between the legendary DJ Premier and Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA. The veteran producers are set to face-off on the ‘Gram this Saturday (April 11) at 9 pm EST on Preemo’s Live.
“That paperwork is in!!!!!!” Swizz announced on Wednesday (April 8). “#VERZUZ present [RZA] vs [DJ Premier] this sat 9pm est on [DJ Premier’s] live !!!!!! Quality over quantity let’s go [Timbaland] it’s that time again… who you got ???”
Premier and RZA both confirmed the battle on their own social media accounts, with Premier warning, “I brought matches.”
The battle is sure to be cut-throat, with both artists boasting a plethora of hip hop classics. As the de-facto leader of Wu-Tang, RZA has produced the majority of the legendary group’s albums, as well as affiliate and solo projects. He’s responsible for hits like “C.R.E.A.M.,” “Protect Ya Neck,” “Graval Pit” and more.
Premier, on the other hand, has worked with a variety of hip hop heavyweights throughout his 30-plus-year career, such as Gang Starr, Ice-T, Mobb Deep, KRS-One, Nas, M.O.P., The Notorious B.I.G., Rakim, JAY-Z and Common. A few of hits include Nas’ “N.Y. State Of Mind,” Group Home’s “Supa Star” and Gang Starr’s “Mass Appeal.”
The rules of the showdown are simple: both producers will be able to play 20 of their best tracks back-and-forth, with each trying to one-up the other based on their selection. Swizz and Timbaland first kicked off the Insta-series with their own beat battle last month. Since then, virtual competitions have become a growing trend, with the likes of Lil Jon, T-Pain, Ne-Yo, Johnta Austin, The-Dream, Sean Garrett and more facing-off.
Check out Swizz’s “Verzuz” poster and social media reactions to the upcoming battle below.