Ladies and gentlemen, the latest Verzuz battle has been officially announced. And in what should probably come as a surprise to absolutely none of us at this point, it will feature—cue shock and awe—two legends from New York City yet again.
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On Tuesday, the webcast concert series took to Instagram to reveal that icons KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane will go to war on Oct. 17 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
“BIG DADDY KANE vs KRS-ONE!!” Verzuz posted from its official account. “I hope you’re ready!!! This one is for Hip-Hop!!! See you on the 17th.”
While I can’t wait to hear personal favs like “1, 2 Pass It,” “Heartbeat,” and “MCs Act Like They Don’t Know” from KRS, and joints like “Symphony” and “Raw” from BDK, I need Verzuz to show a little more love to other regions (and genres) that have each made their own contributions to the rich history of Black music. This is the third consecutive event to celebrate East Coast rappers (and about the 742nd overall), meanwhile we’ve barely seen any artists take the stage from the West Coast (y’all need to make DJ Quik vs. Daz Dillinger a reality ASAP) or the South, and we’ve been treated to a grand total of exactly zero artists from the Midwest. And despite the fact that R&B artists have easily provided some of the most memorable moments in Verzuz history—Brandy spilling the tea on Monica putting hands on her, Steve Harvey tormenting us with childhood stories nobody asked for, Ashanti putting Keyshia Cole in her place—they’ve barely graced the stage as well.
While I’m incredibly grateful and proud of everything Verzuz represents for the culture, and what it’s done for so many legendary artists who never quite get their due, I’ma need Swizz and Timbaland to diversify their playbook. Because this constant deluge of New York City artists and New York City artists only not only comes off a bit masturbatory, but it feeds in the superiority complex that so many East Coast artists claim they don’t have.
Oh, and Diddy stop ducking that smoke. Please and thanks in advance.
If you’re a dancehall head, Verzuz will also be premiering an additional concert series that same weekend. Dubbed Iconz, it appears to provide some of our favorite artists from yesteryear the opportunity to showcase their catalog without a competitive angle.
“Kicking off our ICONZ concert series with the icon himself SUPER CAT!!” Verzuz announced on Instagram. “His first headlined show in Brooklyn since Biltmore Ballroom days!!! 10/16 Barclays Center!!!”
For more info on how you can partake in either of these events or both if your heart desires, check out Verzuz on Instagram.
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