(CMR) Everyone was there from Barbadian singer Rihanna to rapper Fat Joe and everyone in between – including the police!
Saturday night’s Verzuz event reeled in a whopping 450,000 viewers for the highly-anticipated clash between dancehall icons Beenie Man and Bounty Killer.
The deejays did not disappoint, bringing dancehall lovers down memory lane into the genre’s glory days of the early 90’s with hits like “Romie” and “Look into my eyes”.
The entertainers also used the occasion to pay homage to and acknowledge one of dancehall and reggae's most successful music producers Robert “Bobby Digital” Dixon, who recently passed away.
What was Bobby Digital’s advice to Beenie Man?
According to Bounty Killer, it was that Beenie Man should stay out of “badness” and stick to feel-good tunes for the ladies- OUCH!
However, that didn’t stop Beenie Man from showing off his versatile catalog as he showcased his hits on the international scene, highlighting his collaboration with Guerilla Blacks on his 2004 hit “Compton”.
Then it was Killer’s turn and he equally showed that he had also dropped lines among hip-hop greats.
While the Hip Hop and R&B fraternity were out, it was clear that some of them had no idea what was going on as R&B singer Kerri Hilson shared that she was in need of subtitles.
Others more seasoned in the Jamaican style, like Erykah Bad, Ashanti, Fat Joe, Ja Rule and others seemed to have no difficulty understanding what was taking place.
Irrespective of the language barrier, one thing everyone understood is that Jamaican police aren’t star-struck, as they attempted to shut down the session.
Beenie Man was seen looking away from the live and was heard explaining that they were playing to an international audience.
The “King of the Dancehall” hit-maker could be heard asking, “Do you want to be that guy?”
“The police are here but we are not stopping, because before COVID-19 it was murderers killing people, It was people killing people,” said the entertainer.
Following the brief interruption from the cops, the party went on in true Jamaican style with plenty of dancing and commentary as the once feuding artiste traded light jabs.
Who won the clash? That depends on who you ask.
“Verzuz” is an online rap battle event put on by music producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland as a form of entertainment for music fans stuck indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The battle between the dancehall artistes is the first time two musicians competed physically, previous battles were exclusively virtual.
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