TUNE IN: VERZUZ TAPS SOUL ICONS

Swizz Beats and Timbaland's viral Instagram series Verzuz returns on Saturday evening with two R&B/Soul icons' catalogs going head to head: Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott. The showdown starts at 7pm ET on 5/9, and viewers are now able to watch on Instagram Live via desktops, tablets and, of course, mobile devices.

In a recent New York Times profile, they explained the genesis of Verzuz: "Verzuz emerged from an old idea Swizz and Timbaland had planned to develop, and possibly tour with, and that they’d already performed a version of once, at Hot 97’s Summer Jam in 2018. Now, it has become perhaps the most powerful quarantine-friendly entertainment franchise going, a yesterday-focused engagement using modern technology to help influence tomorrow’s music-making."

Previous battles during quarantine that generated hundreds of thousands of viewers watching live, along with endless memes on socials, include RZA vs. DJ Premier, T-Pain vs. Lil Jon and the Instagram-buckling Teddy Riley vs. Babyface.

The series has led to fans and heavyweights in the music community to ponder who they'd like to see next. Names like Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Pharrell, Dr. Dre and Diddy have been thrown around, but it's mostly wishful thinking for now; although Timbaland and Swizz did acknowledge stepping up production in the future for Verzuz.