“So many talented people in Houston,” she said. Badu, of course, shouted out her hometown of Dallas before playing “Danger,” and Scott also showed love to Houston when she played “Calls” by Robert Glasper Experiment. She didn’t disappoint, playing hits like “On & On,” “Window Seat,” and “Bag Lady.” The night also gave me a deeper appreciation of Scott, who focused more on her deep cuts, but also played crowd favorites such as “A Long Walk” and “He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat).” After finally playing “Crown Royal,” which Instagram viewers had been begging for all night, Scott proudly said that she hadn’t uttered a “single vulgar thing” in the lyrics (even though the first verse alone is aggressively NSFW). Badu leapt off her stool, joyfully pointed at the camera, and said, “I love you, brother!” Behind the gentle teasing and jokes lay a palpable respect and appreciation the two have for each other: “I smell different when I leave,” Scott said about the effect Badu’s shows have on her.īecause I’m more familiar with her discography, I’m decidedly biased toward Badu. Most poignant were the moments when I could see how their love for each other expanded to their families: At one point Scott’s son, Jett, leaned into the video frame and waved. Their comments reminded me of the messages that I often exchange with my sisters and female friends: the personification of heart-eyed emojis of encouragement. Despite the fact that Badu had Bruce Lee fight scenes projected behind her the entire time, Badu and Scott rained compliments on each other, talked about how they missed touring, discussed their early inspirations, and promised to exchange poetry. That first round set the tone for the next three hours, becoming less a battle and more a warm, encouraging place for two legendary artists to trade stories, memories, and sounds. That night, Scott, her voice trembling with terror, sang the chorus live, a moment that she said changed everything for her and her career. Scott also reminisced about the twist of fate that happened during the Roots performance at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom in June 1999, when Badu had been stuck in traffic and unable to make it in time to sing the song at the show. Scott followed up with her live performance of the same song and an anecdote about how when the band approached her with the opportunity to write the song, she’d never written one before but decided to go for it anyway. (It felt like a timely conversation for the day before Mother’s Day, although Scott said she didn’t recognize “manmade holidays.”)īadu kicked off the battle at 6:30 p.m., with the Roots’ “You Got Me.” Both she and Scott were involved in the song’s creation: Scott wrote the verses for the chorus, and Badu sang it on the album. When the two artists connected at 6:20 p.m., they greeted each other warmly, asking each other how they were doing with social distancing and home-schooling their children. For a few minutes I sat alone in my room, together with 400,000 other viewers who had already tuned in we were content to stare at an empty chair as we waited, texting and tweeting through the preshow excitement. That Saturday night, as Scott waited for Badu to join her on Instagram Live, she played a recording of Nikki Giovanni poetry and wandered away from her seat. I’ve waited my whole life for this - jay May 1, 2020 They allow us to communally celebrate the rich musical discographies of some our most talented black creators through a digital medium-and, at times, the experience can feel even more intimate than a traditional live show. “It’s like musical chess.” With tours canceled and festivals postponed indefinitely, the Verzuz battles build community at a time when COVID-19 has forced us to keep our distance from one another. It’s a celebration,” Timbaland told Rolling Stone about Verzuz.
ERYKAH BADU TYRONE WILD N OUT SERIES
Since then, the battles have become a fixture of the growing digital live-music space during the pandemic the series has since included matches featuring Ne-Yo versus Johntá Austin, T-Pain versus Lil Jon, and Teddy Riley versus Babyface. In late March, producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland had kicked off the musical series with an impromptu competition in which participants went round for round playing songs they’ve produced, while Instagram viewers tuned in. Jilly from Philly) in the first Verzuz battle featuring women. I was one of about 700,000 viewers who spent the Saturday night before Mother’s Day glued to Instagram, watching as Badu, a Dallas native, faced off with Scott (a.k.a. Somehow, I hadn’t noticed several hours fly by either. “I have no conception of time,” Erykah Badu said, after Jill Scott pointed out that they’d been on Instagram Live for two hours on Saturday night, trading songs back and forth.