Legendary Jamaican dancehall artists Beenie Man and Bounty Killer put on a historical show for the first reggae/dancehall Verzuz battle.
The battle took place in person in Jamaica and was everything one could have hoped for as representation for dancehall culture.
The two came ready with coordinated outfits, each with their own DJs and a dancer.
Jamaicans popularized, if not invented the musical sound clash, contributing to the authenticity of last night’s event. In true Jamaican bashment vibes, the police showed up around the midpoint seemingly in an effort to shutdown the party but the vibes continued on as the two artists traded songs and wits in good jest all night.
The Verzuz battle gave us many funny moments like Bounty Killer shooting his shot at Rihanna and Beenie Man’s energetic dances.
Never let this historical moment die.
Bounty Killa long side Beenie 🇯🇲#VERZUZ pic.twitter.com/TS1sEoxZUY
— Wendy Wu 🇯🇲🦄 (@WendyyXoxo_) May 24, 2020
The entertainment factor took another notch up once Bounty Killer spun his pre-recorded dub plates aimed at Beenie Man, in true sound clash fashion. Not to be outdone, Beenie jumped on the EDM style beat of one of the dubs and produced a live freestyle for viewers to enjoy.
“There is no question or doubt, Jamaica’s music is the most powerful music in the world. That was proven again tonight with how many celebrities, both local and international, tuned in to the clash,” said Jamaica’s press secretary Naomi Francis.
The Verzuz battle, which was organized by American producer Swizz Beatz and Timbaland was streamed live on Instagram, with people also pushing the show to YouTube channels and their personal social media accounts.
Entertainers DJ Khaled, Erykah Badu, Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Konshens, Buju Banton, Sean Paul and Damian Marley were among the nearly 500,000 viewers who logged on.
