Though Verzuz battles are largely meant to be a healthy competition in the name of good fun, this recent match-up between Gucci Mane and Jeezy is overshadowed by a looming and tumultuous history. Though the pair of Atlanta trap music innovators originally met as collaborators on Gucci Mane's 2005 Trap House single "Icy," they ultimately found themselves embroiled in a heated beef, one that found brutal-diss tracks exchanged and worse. Before long, years had passed and the animosity showed no sign of slowing -- that is, not until recently.
Jeezy: Who Is Winning The Verzuz Battle?">Theo Wargo/Getty Images, Paras Griffin/Getty Images
With the battle set to transpire this coming Thursday, both Gucci and Jeezy have already kicked off some pre-game trash talk. And while some are cautiously optimistic that this opportunity will present room for personal growth between the former foes, others are fearful that tensions will rise as old wounds flare-up. Either way, it's sure to be a passionate tilt, one that feels destined to draw in more viewers than ever before no matter how things play out.
Yet beyond the sordid backstory lies an undeniable truth. Both parties have since assembled legendary discographies, with Gucci and Jeezy boasting fourteen and soon-to-be-ten studio albums respectively. And that's not even factoring in the myriad mixtapes and compilation albums, both of which will likely be represented in each rapper's setlist. With that in mind, we're curious as to who the HNHH community believes will emerge victoriously. Of course, Verzuz winners tend to be rather subjective, though seeing a clear narrative emerging on social media would certainly go a long way in validating one party over the other.
In one corner is Jeezy, standing on the eve of his tenth studio album The Recession 2. In the other, Gucci Mane, the East Atlanta Santa himself, poised for another fruitful holiday season. Who do you feel will emerge victorious when the dust settles and the viewers unleash a collective exhale of relief?