Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have announced the revival of Verzuz, their popular live performance platform, through a partnership with Elon Musk‘s social media app, X.
On Wednesday (June 19), the super producers announced the news of their alliance with Musk and X during the Cannes Lions conference in France. “LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE,” began a joint statement shared on Swizz and Timbo’s respective Instagram accounts. “IT’S OFFICIAL, VERZUZ IS BACK AND 100% BLACK OWNED AGAIN.”
The post saw the hitmakers expressing their desire to “give the people what’s been missing,” as well as their plans to create “new entertainment businesses” on X.
“NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS OR YOUR COMPANY,” Swizz and Timbaland added in conclusion, wishing their followers a Happy Juneteenth holiday. The boardsmens’ post was accompanied by a photo of the pair sharing a toast with Musk while on a yacht, seemingly in celebration of their new partnership.
News of Verzuz’s imminent return was met with excitement from a number of fans. However, Swizz and Timbaland’s dealings with Musk were heavily scrutinized, with some criticizing the founders for doing business with the polarizing billionaire.
In the post’s comments, one user deemed Musk’s success being a “direct lineage” of apartheid, while others noted that the announcement of Swizz and Timbo’s deal with Musk was made on Juneteenth, a federal holiday created to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.
It was also noted that Musk had seemingly expressed his agreement with a post on X that claimed the rate at which Black people have murdered white people has more than doubled over time. The post seemingly suggests that Black people are predatory and predisposed to violence against their white counterparts.
“It’s true that things have changed since the 1950s,” X user eyeslasho wrote. “1950s: Blacks killed about 600 more whites each year than whites killed blacks. Now: Blacks kill nearly 1,500 more whites each year than whites kill blacks.” Musk reacted to the post by responding with an exclamation point, a move that was taken note of by fellow users of the app.
Verzuz went on hiatus in 2022 amid a legal battle between its founders and Triller, which had previously acquired the platform the year prior. After Swizz and Timbaland filed a lawsuit against Triller due to missed payments, the two sides settled that same year, with Swizz and Timbo teasing the return of Verzuz in 2023.
However, Verzuz would remain dormant for the duration of the year, with Wednesday’s announcement marking the latest development in the platform’s return.
See Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Instagram post below.
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