Fat Joe is stepping into the Verzuz ring.
Weeks after delivering an epic recap of The LOX and Dipset music battle, Joe Crack confirmed he will participate in the next Verzuz event against former collaborator and fellow NYC native Ja Rule.
“The price just went ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️,” Fat Joe captioned the announcement.
The MCs previously expressed interest in doing a Verzuz battle, and eached named 50 Cent as a possible opponent. Fat Joe proposed the showdown during a February interview with The Morning Hustle, saying it would be exciting to go hit-for-hit against his former foe.
“I think the guys in the trap, I think the girls, I think everybody [would] be like, ‘Oh wow, we got a Verzuz 50 Cent [with] Fat Joe? Oh, I’m tuning into that joint.’… That’ll be the ideal one,” he said.
Ja also said that a Verzuz battle against 50 “would make the most sense,” but told hip-hop fans not to hold their collective breath.
“Listen, man. Everybody don’t want the smoke. Everybody don’t want this smoke. I got heat,” he told HipHopDX about a potential battle against Fif. “Let me tell you something, when I do my shows, I can rock. I’m telling you, it’s like an hour of straight hit records. No filler. All crab meat, n***a. … All meat in that motherfucking crab cake, n***a.”
Ja went on to say that he “loves” the Verzuz platform, and that if ever participated it would be more of a celebration rather than battle.
“I love to see artists getting in there and doing the shit—but if I did one, if I did do a Verzuz, I would want my Verzuz to be fun,” he said. “That’s what Verzuz is supposed to be about—the celebration of music and the art, and the artistry. So, I would want my Verzuz to be fun, and filled with love in the room and shit, and that sort of thing. I’m too old to be in Verzuz beef, and to be in with my team of n***as, all my team of n***as, we’re like, ‘Come on, man.’ I’m 44, dog. Just get a boxing ring and we get in there, and we do that. All this other funny nutty shit, we ain’t doing that, man.”
Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s Verzuz will take place at 9 p.m. ET, Sept. 14 in New York City. Fans can livestream the event on the Verzuz Instagram page as well as the Triller and FiteTV apps. Those who want to catch all the action in person can purchase tickets on Sept. 7.
