Alicia Keys and John Legend to go head-to-head in Juneteeth Verzuz battle
It’s official. Grammy award-winning R&B legends Alicia Keys and John Legend are slated for the next Verzuz battle!
It’s official. Grammy award-winning R&B legends Alicia Keys and John Legend are slated to go key-to-key in the next Verzuz battle on June 19 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT in celebration of Juneteenth — a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Ironically, it was just in May that Legend indicated during an interview with Power 106 that he would be down for a piano-duel with Keys on the Verzuz platform.
“I think that’d probably be the best thing,” Legend told host Nick Cannon. “And honestly I think we would do it.”
Legend and Keys previously worked together on 2003’s The Diary of Alicia Keys’ hit “You Don’t Know My Name” and even appeared in an episode of “Carpool Karaoke” back in 2017, so it’s going to be nice to see the two come together during a time like this.
Verzuz is the brainchild of hit-making luminaries Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, Keys’ husband, originally launched to help entertain fans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Instagram Live series has been a great source of community for the culture, and has procured plenty of unforgettable moments that include watching our legends take on personal battles with technology and an onslaught of hilarious memes.
Legend also expressed his appreciation of Verzuz for the value in the historical knowledge it provides and how it also shines a light on the contributions our beloved musicians have made.
Among the Verzuz battles that have taken place so far have been Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, 112 and Jagged Edge, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, Ludacris and Nelly, as well as Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch, among many others. A battle between Keys and Legend was at first just an idea like the aforementioned and Verzuz is delivering on what the people want, as always.
Verzuz is proving itself to be a prominent cultural staple outside of the pandemic by providing comfort, as the fight against police brutality carries on, with an IG Live battle on a day important to the Black community.