Swizz Beatz has hinted at Verzuz’ imminent return after striking a controversial deal with Elon Musk’s X over the summer.
On Wednesday (November 6), Swizz to his Instagram Story with a photo of what appears to be new merch for the beloved battle series he launched with Timbaland in the 2020 pandemic.
Over the pic, he added: “2025 Loading.”
You can view the hoodie below.
Swizz Beatz hints at Verzuz return after striking deal with Elon Musk’s X 👀 pic.twitter.com/0HjgCymRE1
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) November 8, 2024
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz made their original announcement in a joint social media post in June.
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“We are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz,” the Ruff Ryders beatmaker said. “Not only are we excited to have Verzuz on X, we’re excited to help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world. 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.”
Timbo 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 duo also stated that they plan on building new “Entertainment Businesses” on the platform.
About the alliance, X chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino said: “X is so proud to partner with trailblazing creators, artists, and entrepreneurs Swizz Beatz & Timbaland. Our platform stands at the forefront of innovation, and Verzuz defines the essence of an innovative content experience.
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“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.”
Unfortunately, many took to the comments to call the pair out for “selling out;” while others suggested they should have partnered with any other social media platform.
“It’s cool to ‘show us’ but don’t play in our faces and act like folks don’t have a valid reason to question this partnership,” wrote one commenter.
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To which Swizzy replied: “But nobody said anything before we been on that platform since Verzuz started.”
