Calling all the Roni’s to the floor!
We told you earlier this month that a particularly special Verzuz battle was coming soon. The music series previously alluded to a July 1 show in tandem with Essence back when they made the Eve vs.Trina and Bow Wow vs. Souljah Boy announcement. But what they didn’t tell you was who the lucky performers were going to be.
Thanks to a very smooth and low-key surprise announcement Tuesday night, we now know that legendary singers Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat will be going head to head. (And all the aunties swooned with glee. First CatDaddyCon and now this? Wow.)
“SURPRISE CELEBRATION! See y’all THURSDAY! @OGKeithSweat vs @KingBobbyBrown,” the Verzuz post captioned in their announcement on Instagram. “Honored to partner w/ @ESSENCE to bring you this special #VERZUZ. Thursday 7/1 5PM PT / 8PM ET. WATCH on @Triller, @FITETV, VERZUZ IG, ESSENCE IG, or //ESSENCE.COM. Drinks by @Ciroc #EssenceFest”
Yup, you read that right. “Mr. Telephone Man” will be facing off against Mr. “Make It Last Forever” to help kick off weekend two of this year’s EssenceFest. I don’t know about you but I can actually remember the last time that I saw Bobby Brown or Keith Sweat in concert. It was just a few years ago at Jazz in the Gardens down in Miami Gardens. But seeing as how 2020 felt like fourscore and seven years ago, I don’t really remember if I enjoyed it or not. (In actuality, it’s actually kinda hard to remember anything positive before or from 2020 because that year was long AF and I’m still low-key traumatized.)
But hey, we’re here now so maybe this Verzuz battle will help jog some fond memories! To catch Bobby Brown vs. Keith Sweat showdown, be sure to tune into Essence.com, Essence’s and Verzuz’s official Instagram, Triller or Fite TV.