Thursday night's Verzuz battle was briefly put on pause after Gucci Mane decided to drop "Truth," his 2012 diss track that references the death of Jeezy's associate Pookie Loc.
Before Jeezy responded with a record, he took some time to speak his piece. He explained to Gucci—and the viewers—why he ultimately participated in the battle despite their years-long feud.
"I'll tell you what. See when I even called you and extended this invite, my n***a, I did it as a real man," he began. "It’s been 20 motherfucking years—"
"Fifteen years!" Gucci interjected.
"OK, however many. You still talking the same shit," Jeezy continued. "... Let me talk."
"I don't wanna talk. I'm through talkin," Gucci said. "It's your turn to do the song. Are we gon' do music?"
"Let me say my piece ... I extended my hand because I'm a real man," Jeezy said. "The shit we came from in the street, dawg, you see that we been through it ... Twenty years. And when I said I wanted to do this shit for the culture, that’s what I wanted to do. I brought you here to show you the world care about what the fuck we got going on 'cause we are the culture. You feel me? Me and you, where we came from, what we been through, n***a, us.
He continued: "All these kids out here doing what the fuck they do 'cause they saw what went on with us. This shit ain’t about me, it ain’t about you. This shit about King Von, this shit about Doe B, this shit about Nipsey Hussle, this shit about motherfucking Pop Smoke, Mo3. And I’m real enough to do that, n***a, because one thing about it, two things fo sho, three things for certain, n***a..."
At that moment, Jeezy's "Get Your Mind Right" began to play.
The moment received mixed reactions, with some viewers applauding Jeezy for appearing so honest and open. Others were more amused by the exchange, as it seemed Gucci was more interested in getting shots in rather than burying the hatchet.
At the end of the battle, Jeezy and Gucci squashed their beef with a performance of 2005's "Icy," the track that sparked their 15-year-old feud.
"We appreciate y'all tuning in," Gucci said before speaking directly to Jeezy. "Ay, man, listen. I respect, I appreciate you for throwing out the olive branch. I accept that. No disrespect, it's all love."
