In one of the more surprising moments of the night, Joe brought out 50 Cent to perform their 2003 collaboration “Wanna Get to Know You” during the VERZUZ battle against fellow R&B hitmaker Donell Jones.
In the rounds leading up to the surprise, Joe performed some of his high-profile collaborations with Mariah Carey, Nas, and Big Pun before answering Jones’ Round 14 pick, “I Hope It’s You,” with Fif. The rapper also brought Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda in tow.
50 Cent also performed “Big Rich Town” with Joe, which many fans would recognize as the theme for Power.
Jones also had a special guest of his own, bringing out 702 in Round 7 to perform their hit “Get It Together,” which he wrote and produced for their 1996 album, No Doubt.
Compared to some of the more fiery VERZUZ battles, Jones and Joe used the stage as a way to celebrate their extensive catalogs. "For me, it's not really a VERZUZ. It's a celebration," Jones said. "We're not going to do what the other guys did where it's beefing back and forth. We're grown-ass men. We both have two great catalogs. We're going to treat it as such."
Per the live voting, Joe had a strong start and won the first four rounds, performing songs like “Don’t Wanna Be a Player” and “If I Was Your Man.” Jones finally snagged his first win in the fifth round with “This Luv.” Ultimately, Joe made a near-clean sweep with audiences, coming out Verzuz winner 18-2.
Check out the Donell Jones vs. Joe VERZUZ and check out who won here.
