It's here, ladies, it's here! After a few hiccups, reschedules, COVID, and other wild complications, the Ashanti and Keyshia Cole Verzuz has finally arrived! And we are ready to throw on our shirt belts and jersey dresses while ya'll hand us that mic, honey, because we know for sure that it is going allllllllll the way down.
As most of us know, the in-person battle was originally scheduled to take place on Dec. 12, but was delayed after Ashanti unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19. She fully recovered (hallelu) and the new date was set for Jan. 9. And then that makeup date was pushed back as well, with Verzuz announcing that the battles would go back to separate locations -- just as they had when the series initially took off at the start of quarantine, "as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase." A new date was not announced at the time. Well, third times a charm, as we officially are ready and set to happen tonight.
And there is SO MUCH that we cannot wait to see.
Style: What Will They Wear?
Now because this battle is no longer in-person, we're excited to see if the ladies still decide to bring it with the 'fits, or if they choose to keep it simple and classic in comfy chic. And because Ashanti is body-ody-ody-ody goals, and Keyshia's chameleon style changes up as much as she wants it to, I have a feeling that we won't be seeing sweatpants.
Ashanti & Keyshia Cole Verzuz Tracklist:
We cannot wait for them to bust out these classics, m'kay!
Personally for me, the Verzuz battles are never about winning or losing, but instead, appreciating both artists and what they've done for the culture. Choosing between Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, or our Aunties Gladys Knight or Patti Labelle is ludicrous. So, you can find me in the super loud, overly excited, sing-a-long section, where we are just enjoying the music.
The Energy:
Listen, I'm gonna need for Keyshia to get up and hit her Mary dance, and I'm going to need Ashanti to bust out the "Happy" choreo because if they are just as thrilled as I am, I'm going to be up and getting my 1-2 Step on.
Black Women Supporting Black Women:
If there is one thing Swizz and Timbaland have been brilliant about in terms of the Verzuz franchise, it's selecting accurate, engaging, and respectful battles. There's never malice or bad blood (well, except that one time), and the artists truly respect the other's craft in a competitive-but-I-love-your-music-too sort of way. They are there for the people, and they are looking to put on a show for the culture. And we, well we are just there to watch, reminisce, and have a good ass time.
The Set-Up:
Some of the awe (or comedy) of earlier Verzuz match-ups is seeing them make their own settings for the Verzuz to take place. Yes, things may happen or interesting events may hilariously arise, but that's the beauty of it. From Teddy Riley's full production, to Nelly not quite getting his WIFI right, we're excited to see how the ladies plan to bring it.
New Music & New Announcements:
Musically, we haven't heard from either of these queens as much as we have been used to in the past. And much like Monica/Brandy's battle, we can hopefully expect to hear what the two have been working on. Will they be releasing new music, is there any news that they will be updating us on? Maybe a future collaboration? Either way, we are looking forward to seeing what they have up their sleeves. *crosses fingers for a joint song*
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Viewers can tune in to the rescheduled Ashanti and Keyshia Cole face-off tonight, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the Verzuz Instagram page or via Apple Music.
Will you be tuning in?
Feature image by s_bukley / Shutterstock.com