Ashanti and Keyshia Cole’s Verzuz battle may have been canceled, but conversations about the virtual series still dominated the timeline this weekend. On Sunday evening (Dec. 13), fans turned their attention toward the next dream pairing for a hypothetical battle, leading to talks about legendary soul groups Earth, Wind & Fire and The Isley Brothers.
“A Verzuz I need in my life,” one fan tweeted along with a picture of both mega-bands, jumpstarting the debate. Things heated up when another Twitter user implied The Isley Brothers lacked the hits.
“20 Songs? Earth Wind and Fire getting them boys up outta here,” they wrote.
Fans of the Cincinnati group quickly pointed out their favorite tracks — like “Between The Sheets,” “It’s Your Thing” and “Contagious” — and their lasting influence. According to Rolling Stone, The Isley Brothers have released 60 hit singles throughout their career.
“The Isley Brothers got hits for you, your siblings, your parents and your grandparents,” one fan tweeted. “And if you knew better, your kids would know better.”
Others argued that Earth, Wind & Fire would claim the crown, with tracks like “September,” “Let’s Groove” and “Boogie Wonderland.”
“There’s no soul group beating Earth, Wine & Fire in a Verzuz,” one fan wrote.
Talks of the hypothetical mashup arrived after Keyshia Cole and Ashanti’s Verzuz battle was canceled due to the latter singer being diagnosed with Coronavirus. On Instagram, Ashanti revealed that she had been exposed to the novel disease from a family member.
“I actually got it from a family member when I came home,” she said. “I came home and I hugged a family member who ended up being positive. I didn’t know he was positive; he didn’t know he was positive, so when he went to get tested, I was like, ‘Oh fuck.’”
Thankfully, the “Foolish” star said she was “not in any pain” and a postponed date for the battle has already been set.
Although a hopeful showdown between The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire is still up in the air, Verzuz fans can get excited about the series’ next installment: E-40 and Too $hort. The two Bay Area legends will face-off in the last Verzuz of the year, scheduled for this Saturday (Dec. 19) at 8 p.m. EST.
See the funniest tweets from The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire debate below.