Swizz Beatz Dismisses Backlash To His & Timbaland's "Verzuz" Deal With Elon Musk

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1287 Views
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10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 13: Swizz Beatz attends the 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
A lot of folks thought that Swizz Beatz and Timbaland made a mistake by aligning with a tech tycoon with accusations of racism against him.

The announcement of a new exclusive Verzuz distribution partnership with Twitter had many fans calling series heads Swizz Beatz and Timbaland out for allegedly "selling out." Moreover, this new initiative became news on Juneteenth, and followed much controversy after Musk supported a tweet on his platform that provided false comparative data of Black-on-white murder. However, Swizz took to Instagram on Friday morning (June 21) to double down on his support and on his belief that he and Timbo are doing what's right and best for them and the series without compromising on their values. He included a couple of other pictures of the meeting in which they apparently sealed the deal.

"We will show you better than tell you. Blessings to all," Swizz Beatz captioned the social media post. In the comments section of that post (which you can find below), he addressed some specific concerns. "But nobody said anything before we been on that platform since Verzuz started," the producer replied to a comment stating that folks have valid reason to be skeptical about this. "Verzuz been on this platform since day one !" he responded to a complaint that suggested they do this with another social media site. "People want to talk with out doing the homework . The convo always been on that platform King bless up!! and we're 100% black owned that's not enough we own 100% of the IP and company!"

Swizz Beatz's Latest IG Post: See Comments For His Retorts

However, Swizz Beatz did agree with a bizarre comment about his new Instagram post being what they should've posted on Juneteenth. In addition, he had this to say about someone that criticized him and Timbaland for apparently selling out and doing something that the people aren't feeling. "Trust me that was the last thing we did was sell out [crying-laughing emoji] relax you will understand in 1min."

Meanwhile, Swizz Beatz teased a lot when it came to the reunion of Tha Dogg Pound that landed earlier this year. Hopefully this means that there's much more new music on the way as well, regardless of what happens with Verzuz. It'll be exciting to see how it develops, even with these grievances and concerns in mind. All we can hope for is that he and Timbaland got a much better understanding of a hopefully beneficiary deal than we did.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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