Soulja Boy Nearly Became The First Rapper To Cancel Verzuz

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Soulja Boy used his star power as leverage when the Verzuz staff refused backstage entry to his artists.

Soulja Boy and Bow Wow's Verzuz battle finally went down on Saturday. It was a celebration of two icons of the mid-2000s who provided anthems after anthems. The event was so monumental that Drake even said he would've pulled up if Soulja Boy hit him up. However, the show almost didn't go down, according to newly released footage. A new clip surfaced shortly after the event of Soulja Boy nearly calling it quits moments before Verzuz went live because his crew wasn't allowed inside of the venue.

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"I'll leave this shit right now. There won't be no live. There won't be no Verzuz," Soulja Boy mumbled before directly approaching a staff member who suggested that his crew would have to wait until doors open to enter the building. "Listen, listen, I don't know who you could tell but if they don't let my artists in, I'm 'bout to leave right now and there won't be no live or no event."

It seems that the leverage worked as one member of the staff asked whether they had any wristbands to gain access to the backstage area. "I don't know what they got but y'all finna let 'em in," he continued. A woman then told Soulja Boy that they would have to go to the front to which he responded, "Nah, they going to the back to the dressing room with me. These ain't no fans. These my artists. Yuh, so open this fuckin' gate."

After gaining entry, Soulja Boy's heard arguing with someone before he abruptly stated, "I'm leavin'! I'm gone!" 

Clearly, things ended up working with Soulja Boy and the SODMG crew as the rapper and Bow Wow successfully went hit-for-hit on Saturday evening. 

Who do you think won Saturday night's Verzuz? Let us know in the comment section below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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