You may have been there to witness the birth and rise of Verzuz in real-time, but get ready to receive an intimate look at the development behind the scenes. At the launch of 2020's quarantine, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz took a great leap forward in pushing forward with their music brainchild. What began as artists at home going track-for-track as they played their favorite hits has turned into a full-blown movement, and it was recently announced that Lena Waithe will produce a documentary about the platform.
According to reports, the Hillman Grad Productions documentary, titled Gifted & Black—a nod to Nina Simone—will be available on Prime Video.
Deadline reports that there will be personal interviews with artists as well as a narrative that takes a look at the history of Black music.
“I’m grateful to Swizz and Tim for trusting us with something so historic,” said Waithe. “Verzuz is more than just two artists going song-for-song. It’s a testament to the power of Black people. It’s the joyful celebration of legacy that we all needed. With this documentary, we’re excited to take audiences behind the scenes of this global phenomenon, while also paying tribute to the artists that shaped us.”
Swizz added, “When we first started this mission the entire world had hit rock bottom. People were going through so much and Tim and I felt we should do something to help folks escape. The rest is history, we made the magical call to Hillman Grad because we only wanted people to see the best of the best.”
We'll keep you updated on the evolution of this documentary and its release date once more information is shared.