On Monday night, Teddy Riley (52) and Babyface (62) went head to head in the latest installment of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Verzuz series. It was originally set for three Sunday’s ago but was delayed by a combination of Babyface having tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and Teddy Riley taking issue with some elements of the series.
What We Know:
- The showdown was rescheduled for last Saturday, but that was postponed when Riley experienced technical difficulties which most bystanders blamed on his elaborate stage setup.
- The singer-producers played their classics from the 1980s and 90s they either performed or produced, including “Rock Steady” by The Whispers (produced by Babyface) and Guy’s “I Like” (produced by Riley).
- During the rematch, 500,000 fans – including former First Lady Michelle Obama tuned in to watch the iconic R&B songwriters play some of their biggest hits. The audience heard music from Bobby Brown, SWV, Toni Braxton, Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, Guy, Blackstreet, Tevin Campbell, and Babyface himself.
- Babyface even blessed the audience with a live rendition of “When Can I See You.” Some would say Babyface won after singing the acoustic of his hit song, but Monday’s battle wasn’t about determining a winner, but to bring people together to enjoy music as seen by the response on social media.
- There were also some mishaps Monday. It took a second for Riley and Babyface to figure out how to pin a post and Riley at one point said his battery on his phone was running low. Riley’s feed also kept freezing and ultimately went out.
It was a fun night for the most part but the internet still had plenty of jokes. Here are some of the funniest:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_OPCnsFZuG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“We broke the internet”
No Teddy, your internet is broken. #VERZUZ pic.twitter.com/FNZMmMuNSh
— Ariyanna Jasmere (@AJasmere) April 21, 2020
Teddy when BabyFace started singing live. #VERZUZ pic.twitter.com/ZSTLZEaade
— A Gent. (@AiYoNick) April 21, 2020
Babyface: "I didn't know remixes counted in this"
Teddy: "I thought you knew"
Babyface: "That's fine, I don't do remixes anyway, but that's fine"
THE SHADE!!! #verzuz pic.twitter.com/qNebEdV6DY
— TheMediaDiva (@mahoganimedia) April 21, 2020
Babyface: Was that a remix?
Teddy: yes
Babyface: oh ok, I didn't know we were doing remixes. But it's cool I don't do remixes.
Everbody :#VERZUZ pic.twitter.com/8oIy2AfzJs— Akilah (@kilahphil) April 21, 2020
Teddy: My AOL dial up is acting up.. and for some reason my android phone is fuzzy.. brb
Also Teddy when he got back on:#VERZUZ pic.twitter.com/iW88Tt7HIB
— Kai. (@NiikaiWells) April 21, 2020
https://twitter.com/Do_RaeeeMi/status/1252417055959089152
Babyface that last round #VERZUZ pic.twitter.com/ZsaWNX4YU9
— Threads/IG @ JLBarrow (@JLBarrow) April 21, 2020
Teddy Riley "Go to my website for more"
All of us.. #TeddyRileyVsBabyface #verzuz pic.twitter.com/NCTEi4H6WY
— Mike (@mike_h1990) April 21, 2020
