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Let's rank the Instagram Verzuz battles | Reese's Final Thought

There have been 17 Verzuz battles since the pandemic began. Let's rank them.

WASHINGTON — One of the best things to come from the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing quarantine has been the Verzuz music battles on Instagram Live, pitting hit makers against other hit makers in a friendly song-by-song competition for all the world to see. 

Thursday night, we had another great Verzuz battle for the ages with Rick Ross going up against 2 Chainz. It was everything you’d expect from those two. Great beats, opulence, and “essential workers.” If you listen to 2 Chainz you can figure out who “essential workers” are.

It got me thinking; I should rank all of the Verzuz battles from best to worst. Then I realized that there have been 17 Verzuz battles so far. There’s not enough show left, so let's hit the highlights and the lowlights.

Let’s start at the bottom. Nelly vs Ludacris and 112 vs Jagged Edge are tied for last place because they were all in Atlanta or St. Louis but their WiFi acted like they were in Uganda. Step up your router games, fellas. 

Teddy Riley and Babyface needed two tries, inspired a million memes and had a hype man. No amount of great music can make us forget about that. Sorry, legends.

Some of the underrated Verzuz gems included Alicia Keys vs John Legend, NeYo vs Johnta Austin, and Kirk Franklin vs Fred Hammond. That’s dueling pianos, amazing songwriters, and turning up in the name of the Lord. All three done exceptionally well. Plus, the two battles that absolutely set the tone for the rest: Swizz Beats vs Timbaland and The Rza vs DJ Premier.

Now, on to the crème de la crème. 

Jill Scott and Erykah Badu killed it. They killed it softly, but it’s killed all the same. It was lit, like incense and sage. A mellow masterpiece.  

Beenie Man and Bounty Killer was incredible. I felt like I was in the building slapping on furnaces and daggering. If you don’t know what daggering is, Google it for hours of entertainment. 

My pick for the best one was Snoop Dogg and DMX. The energy was like no other and it felt like a party. Hard to go wrong with those two. Musically, that is. Legally, that’s another story.

You can see past battles on the VerzuzTV Instagram feed. You know what I want to see? other music genres going head to head. Like Christina vs Britney. Or Ozzy Osbourne vs Alice Cooper. How about a posthumous pairing, Mozart Vs Beethoven. Don’t judge me for being cultured! I even have a disgraced bracket: Ja Rule Vs Kid Rock, the has been brawl for it all. The possibilities are endless. 

And yes, I'll be appearing Verzuz local product, comedian Jamel Johnson this weekend on the Barbershop, 11 a.m. Saturday on my Facebook and Youtube wall. I'll see you then.

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