Five years ago, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland brought us one of the most iconic musical moments to ever hit social media: VERZUZ. And while nearly all of them were fun to watch, the battle between The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire will no doubt go down in history as the best one yet.
Suggested Reading
If you somehow weren’t around and on Instagram Live when this legendary showdown went down, then allow us to hold your hand and walk you down memory lane because trust us — this was a moment you just had to be there for!
Let’s kick things off with the person who was selected to host the virtual event: comedian and “Family Feud” host Steve Harvey. We all know Harvey is the king of old school swag and cool, but his aura was at an all-time high on this night as he was trying not to fan out over the two legendary musical groups just like we were at home.
While his excitement was apparent, it started spilling over into hilariously annoying territory when he kept telling stories about his fondest memories with their songs. In fact, it got so bad, people were starting to complain online, prompting Swizz and Timbaland to get him to tone it down as the night went on. (Funny enough, all the online chatter seemingly got back to Harvey who ended up scolding all the Twitter typists for talking about him.)
But aside from Harvey (and his purple, pimp-like suit which was apropos for the Easter Sunday night that this event was taking place on), the highlight of the night was undoubtedly the music. From classics we all know like “September,” “In Between the Sheets,” “Groove With You,” and “Reasons,” to ones you might have forgotten each group sang — this night felt like a cookout, a grown and sexy afterparty, and a family reunion all at the same time. (And we’ve got to take brief a moment to talk about how suave and sexy Ron Isley looked with his silver beard. He gave every bit of “zaddy,” as the young folks say and we’d have to agree!)
Speaking of Ron, when resident VERZUZ DJ D-Nice played four “sexy a**” love songs back to back, that’s when we all knew the night had reached a supreme level of taste and top notch musical prowess. No wonder why it lasted nearly four hours long and crashed Instagram Live. That kinda sonic superbness needs space to breathe for awhile!
After witnessing performances like that, it’s shocking to realize that there are only seven Grammy wins between the two groups because these songs are truly iconic and cultural anthems. Regardless of the Recording Academy’s lack of recognition, it was clear on this night that their musical contributions were beloved and put in their rightful place judging by the positive commentary online.
From Harvey’s jokes to the personal stories about the songs from the groups to the Isley Brothers’ “pimp gear” and changing outfits (that fur coat was insanely good) to Verdine (from EWF)’s silk press not coming undone after performing all those songs, this VERZUZ battle brought supreme entertainment from start to finish.
While words can only do this night so much justice, you’ve got to press play on the event to really feel the full effect. Fair warning though: your feet will get tired from dancing so much, so make sure you’ve got the right shoes on and a drink in your hand. You’re in for good-a**, Black-a** time!
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.