(Photo by John Lamparski/FilmMagic)
DMX and Snoop Dogg squared off during an energetic Verzuz battle yesterday evening. The two rap titans performed a lineup of their greatest hits and collaborations for a bit over three hours. The battle’s energy was infectious, both rappers were cordial throughout the event and even made numerous jokes throughout the night.
Over 500,000 fans tuned in via Instagram Live to take in the rappers and give them their flowers. At one point of the live event, Swizz Beatz commented that over 1 million viewers were watching, he included numbers from Apple Music where the battle was also streaming.
If there was an inkling that DMX and Snoop Dogg weren’t fans of each other’s music, last night proves that just simply isn’t true. As both artists shared some of their most popular songs, you could tell there was a genuine spirit of appreciation from them both.
Before we share a few highlights we wanted to add that during the Verzuz, Snoop had the easygoing energy of your favorite uncle at the BBQ who’s always dancing. While DMX had the energy of an elder who hails from New York that’s always speaking their mind no matter the setting.
When Snoop queued for whoever was assisting with the Verzuz battle to play this, he instantly perked up proudly. This 2000 track by C-Murder featuring Snoop and Magic is timeless and still goes off. It’s aggressive and get’s the job done.
The battle wouldn’t be a battle if DMX didn’t share “What These Bitches Want” featuring Sisqo. Once again, the energy was high as he recanted the intoxicating title of the track.
This is arguably one of the greatest crossover songs of all time since it features production by The Neptunes and vocals by Pharrell and Charlie Wilson. While this track played you could once again see the pride on Snoop’s face that this was one of the songs he had in his arsenal for the night.
This was honestly one of the tracks we were waiting to here all night. The Neptunes produced the hell out of this and it firmly stands the test of time. Snoop saved this for his second to last track.
When the battle wrapped Snoop and DMX hugged and this was a momentous moment. It was beautiful seeing them embrace and acknowledge each other in this way. This was honestly the highlight of the battle.
Overall, the Instagram Live battle was a joy to take in. DMX and Snoop Dogg’s catalogs could be slated to receive a streaming bump starting today. Recently after Verzuz live streams, numerous artists including Erykah Badu and Jill Scott have reportedly received tremendous increases in streams following their Verzuz which was titled a “celebration.”
Take a look at the entire Verzuz battle above.
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