Ice Cube on Declining ‘Verzuz’ Offers for LL Cool J and Scarface Showdowns

Ice Cube again shares his thoughts on the 'Verzuz' format, reiterating his past comments about changing up the approach to be more about "love" between artists.

Ice Cube is seen holding a mic
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Image via Getty/Randy Shropshire/SiriusXM

Ice Cube is seen holding a mic

Ice Cube says he turned down would-be Verzuz battles against LL Cool J and Scarface.

In a new interview, Cube—who appeared on Bootleg Kev’s show alongside his Mount Westmore collaborators this week—detailed an alternate idea he had for such would-be pairings.

“I think they was talking LL at one point. They was talking Scarface at one point,” Cube said when asked about being approached for the series a little after the 34-minute mark in the video below. “Yeah, I said no. Verzuz is good but my concept would have been, ‘Yo, I’m a fan. You do this song for me.’ Like, okay, I get to have LL do my favorite LL songs and he gon’ have me do his favorite Ice Cube songs.”

According to the 53-year-old, this approach is more about “love” than simple competition.

“That would have been my concept,” he added. “I can’t go against, you know, people I admire. LL’s an OG to me in the game so I can’t see it.”

As for Scarface, per Ice Cube, they “don’t communicate enough” to square off in a Verzuz setting.

See more below via Bootleg Kev.

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Cube has made similar comments about Verzuz in the past, including in a Breakfast Club interview last year.

“My version of Verzuz would have been, I pull somebody out there like Chuck D of Public Enemy or something and I play all the songs I love from him and he plays all the songs he loves from me,” he said at the time. “It’s a love fest. But it’s not something that I’m thinking about doing.”

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