‘Poor people activity’: T.I. slams idea of ‘Verzuz,’ years after famously calling out 50 Cent for one
TheGrio...
The Atlanta rapper once held the idea of participating in a music celebration in high regard, but after his beef with 50 Cent, he’s ruling it out entirely.
T.I. is on a media blitz in promotion of his upcoming final album, “Kill The King,” which is due out on Friday. During a recent appearance on the “Joe Budden Podcast,” the Atlanta native revealed not only that he is not interested in a Verzuz, but also that he considers going back and forth in that sort of format “poor people activity.”
“I don’t want to indulge in that side of life no more,” Tip said. “I ain’t interested, bruh. Ain’t no money over there, bruh. That sh-t poor people activity. I’m 45, the f-ck I’m doing going back and forth with a n-gga, for what? To celebrate music? I can do that talking about me!”
The comments elicited groans from the entire panel, including Budden and Marc Lamont Hill. Budden suggested there might be money involved in a potential T.I. Verzuz, prompting the Atlanta rapper to partially walk back his statement and consider it if the right person and price were reached.
For years, Tip had promptly called out 50 Cent for a potential Verzuz, given their respective catalogs and history in hip-hop. In 2020, he issued the first challenge to 50 for a Verzuz, telling the “Power” mogul to pull his best 20 records and “get this work” shortly after wishing him a happy birthday. 50 would repeatedly brush aside T.I.’s request, ultimately passing on the Verzuz concept as COVID-19 restrictions began to loosen across the country in 2021.
Still, T.I. revived chatter of a potential Verzuz between the two in February, only for things to get personal between the two, culminating in a barrage of diss tracks from T.I. as well as his sons, King and Domani, not long after 50 made public memes and comments about T.I.’s wife, Tiny.
“It was really about celebrating each other’s catalog. Me and this n-gga talked about this,” T.I. told Gillie Da Kid and Wallo of the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast in February. “I just ain’t call him out of the blue. This ain’t come out of nowhere. We were moving around in Los Angeles, selling some shows together.”
He added, “It’s like, f-ck all of it. Now, I question your character. N-gga, just say you don’t want to do it. That shit ain’t going to happen. I don’t want to stand on stage with him. I don’t respect him.”
His slight toward “Verzuz” as a brand is an entirely different matter. The entity built by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz has seen a fair share of legends and iconic artists take the stage, both virtually and in person. From The Isley Brothers to Babyface, Earth, Wind & Fire, Brandy, Monica, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Riley, Bobby Brown, Gladys Knight, Keith Sweat, to Ashanti, Keyshia Cole, Ludacris, 2 Chainz, Jadakiss, Fat Joe and more.
The success of the brand has led to a revitalization with its new partnership with Complex. Last November, No Limit Records and Cash Money Records participated, eventually leading the two Southern rap labels to embark on a joint fall tour this year. And in lieu of BET Awards weekend, the brand is putting on another R&B-flavored event featuring Pretty Ricky and B2K.