RZA and DJ Premier next to face off in VERZUZ online battle series
RZA and DJ Premier have been announced as the next two producers to go head to head as part of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland‘s VERZUZ series.
VERZUZ is the new go-to form of entertainment that pits producers, songwriters and artists against each other in a rap battle style format on Instagram Live.
Competitors take it in turns playing a song from a list of 20 from their discography as fans, friends and fellow artists watch on. A winner is later decided by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz.
Kicking off last month (March 25) after Timbaland and Swizz Beatz issued challenges to one another, matchups so far have included T-Pain vs Lil Jon, Scott Storch vs Mannie Fresh, and The-Dream vs Sean Garrett.
This weekend (April 11) will see legendary hip-hop producers RZA and DJ Premier face off in one of the most talked about matchups so far.
“That paperwork is in!!!!!! #VERZUZ present @rza vs @djpremier this sat 9pm est on @djpremier live !!!!!! Quality over quantity let’s go @timbaland it’s that time again,” Swizz Beatz said on Thursday (April 9), posting a flyer that depicts Godzilla and King Kong about to do battle.
DJ Premier is one of hip-hop’s most celebrated producers having produced for the likes of Jay-Z, Nas and Royce Da 5’9″. He is also one half of the duos Gang Starr and PRhyme.
“I Brought Matches,” Premier tweeted, sharing the flyer for the battle.
I Brought Matches ?@RZA vs. Premier pic.twitter.com/vhDTzUzkyB
— DJ Premier (@REALDJPREMIER) April 9, 2020
RZA is a rapper, producer, actor and film and TV scorer, but he’s best known for being the mastermind behind legendary rap group Wu-Tang Clan. He produced a large amount of the group’s albums as well as a number of the individual members’ solo projects.
Sharing news of the battle on his Instagram, RZA wrote: “The Wick is Lit.”
To watch the battle, log on to the Instagram accounts of DJ Premier (@djpremier) or RZA (@rza) on Saturday night at 9pm EST (2am GMT).
Earlier this year, RZA released ‘Guided Explorations’, an EP of meditation songs.
The five-track project was produced in collaboration with TAZO Tea and hears RZA instruct listeners to find a “chill environment” before finding spiritual peace.
Meanwhile, Gang Starr last year released their first album in 16 years, ‘One of the Best Yet’.
In a 3-star review, NME’s Will Lavin said the album reminded “fans why the duo’s name is mentioned amongst the hip-hop greats. Celebrating life, love and legacy, ‘One of the Best Yet’ is a win for everyone.”
