Verzuz’s Collaboration with X, Elon Musk Stirs Controversy on Juneteenth

Verzuz will soon return via Elon Musk’s controversial X social media platform.

Over the last few years, Elon Musk and Verzuz has often gotten a rise (negative vs. positive) out of many in the Black community.

And although “Verzuz,” which rose to prominence during the pandemic has been inactive recently, music legends Timbaland and Swizz Beatz received much scrutiny for announcing a distribution deal with Musk’s X social media platform because of the billionaire’s controversial remarks on race and politics.

“We are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz. Not only are we excited to have Verzuz on X, we’re excited to help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world,” said music producer Swizz Beatz. “I would like to thank Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Brett Weitz, Mitchell Smith and the entire X team for believing in the Verzuz vision. We can’t wait to get to work.”

Despite Swizz’s excitement, many in the Black community have criticized Musk for allowing hate speech to run rampant since purchasing the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Additionally, Musk has created a ruckus for some of his political views and for supporting debunked conspiracy theories surrounding American elections.

Furthermore, Musk’s car company Tesla has a history of alleged racism and discrimination against its African-American employees.

Moreover, the tech entrepreneur has been a vocal opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, which often mitigate the racism that minorities endure in the American workforce and in schools.

As a result of Musk’s past comments about race, many in the African-American community were offended that the trio would pick the Juneteenth holiday to announce and celebrate the collaboration.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas found out that the Emancipation Proclamation had freed them from bondage in 1863.

Many critics of the partnership between Verzuz and X believe the African-American owned social media platform Fanbase would have been the better home for “Verzuz,” which is a staple in the African-American community.

On social media, journalist Roland Martin said, “Verzuz, which is all about #TheCulture, features Black people and Black artists celebrating Black culture is going to be distributed by a company owned by Musk, who consistently promotes, retweets & responds to racist content.”

In January, David Ingram of NBC News reported that, “Musk claimed in a series of posts on X that efforts to diversify workforces at (airline) companies have made air travel less safe. He offered no evidence for this claim, and one of his replies directed attention to a post by someone else speculating about the IQ of Black airline employees.”

Musk said it would take a plane crashing and killing hundreds of people for people to change diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

He asked via X, “Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritize DEI hiring over your safety? That is actually happening.”

Musk’s post received 14 million views in just a few hours.

Nevertheless, many Verzuz fans are just happy to see the musical “competition” return after a long hiatus.

And despite the controversy, the distribution deal with X allows Verzuz to become 100 percent African-American owned again.

Celebrities like actor Michael Rainey (“Power Book II: Ghost”) accused Verzuz of selling out when they signed their first deal with Triller.

“Verzuz” is a musical “competition” which pits artists from the same genre and same era “against each other” as they perform songs from their celebrated catalogs.

One artist will perform one of their hits.

Then, the other artist will perform one of their hits.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the competition began on Instagram Live before transitioning to a live in-person audience and Triller for those watching online.

Previous “Verzuz” battles include Patti LaBelle vs. Gladys Knight, Snoop Dogg vs. DMX, The Isley Brothers vs. Earth, Wind & Fire, Fat Joe vs. Ja Rule, UGK vs. Eightball and MJG and Kirk Franklin vs. Fred Hammond.

Timbaland added, “We are thrilled to partner with X, the most innovative platform globally. Our goal has always been to bring Verzuz to the world which we can now do bigger than ever.”

The schedule for the next season of Verzuz will be announced soon.

Yaccarino said, “X is so proud to partner with trailblazing creators, artists, and entrepreneurs Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. Our platform stands at the forefront of innovation, and Verzuz defines the essence of an innovative content experience. As we continue to work with the most exciting voices to bring premium content to X, there is no better fit than this series. Together we will redefine how consumers engage with their favorite entertainment, one Verzuz at a time.”

During the Verzuz hiatus, fans have speculated about potential matchups and even some crossover battles like Chris Brown vs. Usher, Justin Timberlake vs. Usher, Jon B. vs. Robin Thicke, The Jacksons vs. New Edition, The Jacksons vs. DeBarge, New Kids on the Block vs. New Edition and even Stevie Wonder vs. Lionel Richie or Smokey Robinson vs. Stevie Wonder.

However, Verzuz crossing over into more pop music might create even more hostility within its core fanbase considering how many have responded negatively to the X partnership.

The last Verzuz occurred on June 23, 2022, and featured R&B crooners Omarion and Mario.

Verzuz initially launched in March 2020.

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