Photo Credit: Ben Rose/Getty Images for Radio One
Swizz Beatz Confirms Soulja Boy-Bow Wow Verzuz Battle
Soulja Boy announced the Verzuz battle on Twitter last week.
On Saturday (May 22nd), Soulja Boy caught the eye of millennials on social media by announcing he'd be facing off against fellow teen sensation Bow Wow in a Verzuz battle. As days went by, the battle had yet to be officially confirmed by Swizz Beatz or Timbaland. On Wednesday, however, Swizz said the official date announcement is on the way.
"We ain't get into the date yet," Swizz said in an interview with DJ Quick Silva and Dominique Da Diva's Quick Silva Show. "They got excited, which I'm happy [about]. I love to see when people get excited and it's organic. Everything don’t have to be formal all the time, you know? So, we’re gonna roll out a whole calendar that’s gonna show you the next five-plus Verzuz.”
After Soulja Boy's announcement, many questioned the optics of Verzuz spotlighting another artist with multiple allegations of abuse. Weeks ago, SWV and Xscape faced off in a battle while Tameka "Tiny" Harris of the latter group was reportedly under investigation for her involvement in dozens of assaults in different states. In June 2020, Fabolous squared off with Jadakiss leading many fans to mention his 2018 arrest for domestic violence after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend Emily Bustamante.
This past January, Soulja was sued by an unnamed former assistant who accused him of rape and false imprisonment. The assistant also says she wasn't paid during the 18 months she worked for him. The allegation was the third against Soulja Boy in the past few years. In an interview with TMZ's Van Lathan Nia Riley, Soulja's ex-girlfriend and daughter of Teddy Riley, detailed allegations of physical abuse. In February 2019, a woman named Kayla told Los Angeles police that Soulja Boy punched and kicked her, then tied her to a chair in his garage for hours.
Swizz Beatz and other Verzuz affiliates have yet to comment.