Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot for Okayplayer
Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot for Okayplayer
After weeks of buildup and admirable beat battles, two of Black music’s biggest names have agreed to face off. Early Friday morning, Swizz Beatz and Teddy Riley announced that the Harlem native would battle against Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid.
“This is one of the iconic moments me and Timbaland have been working on,” Swizz wrote on Instagram. “The Sunday will go down in the history books! Once again VERZUZ made it happen! See you Sunday [at] 6 pm est.”
The battle comes days after superproducers Scott Storch and Mannie Fresh squared off on Wednesday. Riley announced the battle while streaming with Blackstreet on Instagram Live Thursday. Together, the group won a Grammy award in 1998 for “No Diggity.” The song charted at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 decade-end for the 1990s.
Babyface has yet to comment. The two pioneered New Jack Swing in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Throughout his career, Babyface has written and produced 26 number-one songs and won 11 Grammy Awards. In 1989, he joined Antonio “L.A.” Reid to found LaFace Records. The label took off under the success of TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton. In 1993, the label made its first hip-hop signings by striking a deal with OutKast.
The battle is set for 6 PM, Eastern Standard Time on Teddy Riley’s Instagram page.
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