Verzuz is back and people have questions. On Wednesday, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland announced a distribution partnership with Elon Musk’s X (formerly known as Twitter) at a Cannes Lions conference in France.
As Variety reported, both Swizz and Timbaland maintain full ownership of Verzuz (the pair had previously had Triller as a partner) and will have creative control of the music platform. X maintains distribution rights.
To no surprise, the internet had plenty to say about this confounding collaboration from the moment the news hit the internet, with many questioning the decision to collaborate with such a controversial figure like Musk.
One user straight up questioned the marketing decision to release this news on Juneteenth: “This is insane that their marketing team or whoever thought this would be a good look and on THIS day. Verzuz has ran its course and did what it needed to do for the time it was needed. This is lame sellout energy.”
Musk quickly became a controversial figure when he purchased the social media giant in 2022; as The Root previously reported, he’s been taken to task for platforming white supremacists and racists on his platform. Even the White House stepped in to condemn his rhetoric.
The announcement and rollout is another prime example of completely misreading the room. Black ownership, especially in media, is always something to celebrate, but collaborating with Musk and announcing it on a day like Juneteenth was not on our 2024 bingo cards, and it’s shocking that the decision wasn’t reconsidered from a marketing perspective
Others online referred to the announcement as “Psychotic,” and left many to say that they should “throw the whole Verzuz away” at this point.
When it debuted in 2020, Verzuz was an exciting moment in pop culture, bringing together storied rivals in Hip-Hop and R&B to celebrate their discography and connect with fans in an isolating time. Babyface vs. Teddy Riley, Nelly vs. Ludacris, Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott, Brandy vs. Monica, and many more are countless examples of Verzuz editions that popped through the zeitgeist.
Since the early pandemic daysm though, the platform has yet to reach that success, suffering through various legal woes, as Variety points out. Will millions will once again tune into Verzuz when it relaunches on X, or is it operating well past its expiration date?