Have y’all been feenin’ for Verzuz ever since it ended? As Netflix’s Strong Black Lead editorial and brand manager and 2020 The Root 100 honoree Jasmyn Lawson told us, “I’ve loved every moment that we, as a community, have been able to come together virtually, especially during moments like Verzuz.”
Word. Well, don’t fret because Season 2 is coming back soon!
I heard through the grapevine (heh) that T.I. and Jeezy will be kicking off Season 2 in a head-to-head battle of hits, but Timbaland came through this week with a big tease! Apparently, something involving Jodeci is in the works! On Monday, Timbaland tweeted a photo of a Vibe cover featuring the familiar faces of Donald “DeVanté Swing” DeGrate, Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate, Cedric “K-Ci” Hailey and Joel “JoJo” Hailey.
“This group changed R&B!!!!! Y’all will soon see,” the Verzuz co-founder tweeted with a bunch of cryptic looking-eye emojis.
Naturally, Black Twitter began to wonder who in the hell would brave that battle.
Groups such as Boyz II Men, Dru Hill and New Edition were among the most popular guesses. Also, each and all of the members better be present and accounted for, I know that much!
“We never broke up,” Dalvin once said in a 2015 interview with The Fader. “That was the misconception people had. Jodeci never broke up. We just stopped putting out records. We went through a transitional period where the business changed, music changed, and we just stepped back.”
From Timbaland’s tease, it does look like the group may be stepping forward into the hugely-popular Verzuz brand in some form. Regardless of who joins the anticipated battle, the ‘90s reminiscing and behind-the-scenes stories from Jodeci will be epic.
We’ll see! Season 2 of Verzuz debuts on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT and fans can watch via Instagram Live or Apple Music (the latter is in HD).