Babyface Vs. Teddy Riley IG Battle Was A Massive Fail

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Babyface and Teddy Riley were expected to go song-for-song but technical issues prevented that from happening.

Babyface and Teddy Riley's long-awaited IG Live battle was the furthest thing from smooth sailing. Since the quarantine began, many artists have been organizing battles on Instagram Live where they would go song-for-song to determine who has the better catalog. Babyface and Teddy Riley should've had a battle for the books. However, sound issues prevented it from going down as planned.

The whole point of these IG battles is to simplify entertainment without having to a major production behind you. Babyface, who recently recovered from COVID-19, was spotted in the studio as he played songs. Riley, on the other hand, was clearly planning for a grandiose performance rather than a simple song-for-song format. Riley had a band behind him that no one was able to hear. This went on for about half-an-hour before both parties decided to pull the plug over the audio failure.

"Tonight was really special," Babyface said. "It's only right that we postpone this thing and do it at a time when there aren't any technical difficulties and everybody can hear the music the way it needs to be heard."

Teddy Riley has since agreed to postpone the battle to a later date, saying, "Just like a boxing match, something goes wrong we gotta do it again."

We'll keep you posted on the new date. Peep a few reactions 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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