Ariel King January 9th, 2021 - 7:55 PM
The upcoming Verzuz battle, which was set to feature Ashanti and Keyshia Cole going head to head, has been postponed once again due to the unrest following the storming of the Capitol earlier this week, as well as rising COVID-19 numbers. The new date for the Verzuz battle has not yet been revealed.
The battle was initially supposed to occur in December, however was first postponed after Ashanti tested positive for the coronavirus. The battle had been scheduled for December 12, but was moved back to January 9 following Ashanti’s positive test.
In addition to the announcement that Verzuz has been postponed, the platform has also stated that they will be returning to having artists be at separate locations, so as not to continue the spread of COVID-19. Instead, Verzuz will follow a remote model in the coming months.
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“This has been an emotional week,” the official Verzuz Instagram account said in a post. “In addition, as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase, safety is a top priority for us. As much as we enjoy having everyone together in the same room, to protect the artists and everyone who works with us in putting the shows together, we’ll be going back to separate locations for a bit. We’re excited for the next few events, and looks toward to getting back to the show in the coming weeks.”
Verzuz started at the beginning of the pandemic as a platform to allow artists to share their music in a socially-distanced capacity. First formed by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, the platform has evolved to become a staple of the hip hop and R&B communities. Previous battles have included Alicia Keys going against John Legend, Ludacris taking on Nelly and many more.
