Incense was burning, Crown Royal was ready for the sipping, and even our forever first lady Michelle Obama was tuning in for the Verzuz battle between Neo Soul queens Erykah Badu and Jill Scott last night on Instagram Live.
During the “battle”—which felt more like a celebration of blackness and sisterhood than anything—the two artists delved into their iconic catalogues and played joints like “You Got Me,” (a record which was written by Scott and performed by Badu alongside The Roots).
The story of how that came to be song mirrored the tone for the entire Verzuz session, which was brimming with mutual love and respect between the black women:
Around 700,000 viewers and the entirety of Black Twitter tuned in to enjoy the vibe that was communal, spiritual, and at times a little bit sexual (particularly when Scott pulled for “Crown Royal.”)
It was a reminder of the healing power of black music and black people gathering in community and felt like exactly what we needed. In short:
If you missed the live battle, you can still listen to the official Verzuz: Erykah Badu and Jill Scott playlist on Spotify.