Diddy & Jermaine Dupri Set A Date & Venue For "Verzuz" Battle

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P. Diddy Hosts XS Lounge
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 01: Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jermaine Dupri attend XS Lounge on May 1, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage)
Bad Boy vs. So So Def at the Garden.

It’s been a long time coming but it looks like we could expect two of hip-hop’s most prolific hitmakers will face off against each other at Verzuz. Diddy and Jermaine Dupri confirmed that they will go hit-for-hit in an announcement shared on Busta Rhymes’ Instagram page. “September 8th at the Garden, n***a,” Diddy tells Busta and Fabolous. “We’re gon’ have you out the rafters flying out the sky.” Busta added in the caption, “Sounds like we have an official date for @diddy @verzuztv @jermainedupri,” he wrote in his Instagram caption. 

Despite Diddy’s confirmation, there hasn’t been a formal announcement from Swizz Beatz or Timbaland. In fact, Jermaine Dupri hasn’t even chimed in to address whether this date is set in stone. However, this is one of the Verzuz battles that fans have been waiting for since the inception of the series. Both Jermaine Dupri and Diddy have expressed interest in facing off against each other, although there haven’t been any concrete plans until now.

Diddy Confirms Jermaine Dupri Verzuz

As Diddy and JD made plans to battle each other on Instagram Live last year, they later stated that they wanted to use that moment to showcase their respective labels. Both So So Def and Bad Boy’s influence on hip-hop and R&B as a whole remains evident these days, so they wanted to celebrate their history rather than compete. “Let’s come together and do that Bad Boy, So So Def in Atlanta. It ain’t no Verzuz, it’s just hit for hit,” Diddy said last summer.

During JD’s appearance at I Am Athlete, he said that the two would be going hit-for-hit in 2023. The producer hyped up the upcoming event, comparing it to the Super Bowl. Overall, Verzuz has been rather lowkey since last summer, so we could imagine Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have been setting up some big battles for the return of the iconic live stream series. We’ll keep you posted on anymore details surrounding their battle. Check out Puff’s announcement above and let us know who you think will win. Are you Team So So Def or Team Bad Boy? 

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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