Busta Rhymes Says He'd Give T.I. An "Uncivil Ass-Beating" In "Verzuz"

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Despite T.I. turning down the offer, Busta Rhymes insists that he'd give the King Of The South a run for his money on "Verzuz."

It's funny how T.I. went on a rampage throughout the entire of 2020 demanding someone face him in Verzuz. He went after both Jay and 50 Cent, who both declined, and continued his crusade harboring similar feelings to Outkast at the 1995 Source Awards. T.I. truly wanted to face off someone from the East Coast to prove Atlanta's weight in the rap game.

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Ultimately, it came down to Busta Rhymes extending an invitation on The Fat Joe Show, delivering an extremely rare Joprah moment. "T.I., it is intriguing to me that you have such a concern with New York MCs," Busta said. "I wanna understand what that's about. But, from one brother that loves you to my brother that knows I love him, I'm begging you to step in the ring with me. I'ma bust yo ass."

T.I. has since declined, citing a "generational gap" between the two before accepting to go against Jeezy. T.I. still remains the only artist who's offered to do two battles. And Busta Rhymes still wants all the smoke.

"Let's be clear. You said that you didn't think me and T.I. would be a good Verzuz," Busta told Ebro. "Direct response to that: Neither do I. It would be uncivil, that ass-beating. But what I'm saying is, I never asked to do a Verzuz with T.I. That's my brother and I love him, but I never asked to do a Verzuz with him. Joe Crack was telling me that I see what was going on between him and 50. And when 50, you know, kind of brushed him off, did I also hear this thing that T.I. was expressing about his issues with New York MCs."

Busta Rhymes was among the names Swizz Beatz and Timbaland said was interested in doing a Verzuz battle. Looks like we'll have to wait and see. Peep the clip below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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