Diddy and Jermaine Dupri have agreed to face off in a Verzuz-like event after almost a year of going back-and-forth over a potential battle.
Puff went on Instagram Live on Thursday night (August 18) and decided to invite Dupri into the session. Feeling confident about his chances in a head-to-head, Diddy said: “JD, if you want that smoke, you can get that smoke anytime.”
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Jermaine Dupri, who was sat beside his production partner Bryan-Michael Cox, told Diddy to “relax” before agreeing to set up an event in Atlanta. But instead of battling, they want to showcase the history of their respective labels, Bad Boy Records and So So Def Recordings, by simply playing all of their hits with no drama.
“Since we ain’t fucking with Verzuz no more since ’cause they fucking around with our boys, we don’t need to be going against each other,” Diddy said. “Let’s come together and do that Bad Boy, So So Def in Atlanta. It ain’t no Verzuz, it’s just hit for hit.”
Dupri replied: “Let’s do it.”
Diddy’s comments about “fucking around with our boys” references the $28 million lawsuit Swizz Beatz and Timbaland recently filed against Triller over their Verzuz platform. According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ, they claim the video-sharing service failed to pay them the full amount for Verzuz after agreeing to buy it in January 2021.
Jermaine Dupri first challenged Diddy to a Verzuz battle in September 2021. Diddy quickly responded by claiming Dr. Dre was his only worthy oppponent while telling Dupri: “Your arms too short to box with God.”
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Following the exchange, the pair got into a shouting match on Instagram Live, with Diddy playing some of his biggest records including Biggie‘s “One More Chance” in order to prove his dominance.
During a visit to Atlanta’s V-103 radio station, Jermaine Dupri responded by bragging about being a Hall of Fame Songwriter.
“I am in the Songwriters Hall of Fame,” he said. “Puff Daddy’s not in the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Steve Stoute and the Trackmasters are not in the Hall of Fame. I shouldn’t have to play nothing. I am in a seat that Puff Daddy can’t pay for.”
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When Jermaine Dupri appeared on the New Rory & Mal podcast in January, he said a Verzuz battle between him and Diddy was unlikely to happen.
“I feel like it’s a performance-based thing now and the majority of Puff’s records, who’s gonna perform?” he questioned at the time. “Yeah, [you can bring out] The LOX, but you can’t have nobody do Big’s verses! And I don’t know that Ma$e would come out with him no more, so I don’t think that it would happen based on that. All my people, we rockin’ and we coming’ with a whole lot of energy!”
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Despite his doubts about it happening, Dupri was confident So So Def would top Bad Boy’s catalog.
“Puff — and anybody else that thinks about this battle — they try to downplay the Bow Wow era,” he said. “When we get into the 2001, 2002, 2003 era of So So Def, I don’t know that Bad Boy was even in existence… I never seen a Bad Boy record No. 1 on 106 & Park.”
He added: “[The] Emancipation of Mimi came out in 2007. People be forgetting about that whole little patch of records. I’m telling you, I don’t give a fuck what nobody say; Puff Daddy ain’t got nothing for 2007 — not on Bad Boy!”
