If you believe what you read on Twitter, Soulja Boy and Bow Wow are taking the Verzuz stage this summer. On May 22, Souja Boy made the announcement, tweeting, “It’s official.” The battle has yet to receive a date or a proper promotional push by the Verzuz team, although Swizz Beatz did share Soulja’s tweet on his Instagram Story. Nevertheless, the pending battle has us reflecting on Bow Wow and Soulja Boy’s complicated relationship over the years.
The duo’s friendship has endured many highs and lows. At its best, the two have collaborated on hit songs, joined forces on a joint mixtape, and even hit the road together on massive arena tours. On the other hand, they have seen bad days, engaging in hostile back and forths online. But the old tensions seem to be behind them now. Speaking about the upcoming Verzuz battle, Bow Wow teased, “This shit gonna be bigger than life. Me and you brother, make so much sense.”
As we await the impending Verzuz battle, we put together a timeline of Soulja Boy and Bow Wow’s long history together.
July 2008: Bow Wow drops “Marco Polo” featuring Soulja Boy
December 2008: Soulja Boy says Nas killed hip-hop
January 2009: Bow Wow responds to Soulja Boy’s Nas comment
Feb. 1, 2009: Soulja Boy disses Bow Wow, challenges him to a race
Feb. 3, 2009: Bow Wow responds to Soulja Boy’s Lamborghini challenge
Feb. 6, 2009: Soulja drops diss track “F*ck Bow Wow”
Feb. 9, 2009: Bow Wow responds, drops “What I Think About You” diss track
Sept. 26, 2016: Soulja Boy says he and Bow Wow squashed their beef
Following their reconciliation, Soulja Boy released a video on his Instagram account challenging Bow Wow and Chief Keef to a game of NBA 2K. The prize for winning would be $20,000. In a separate video, Bow Wow responded by sipping a glass of wine nonchalantly and saying, “you know you never beat me in 2K.” Despite having beef over their cars years earlier, their feud over NBA 2K appeared to be a friendly rivalry.
October 2016: Soulja Boy and Bow Wow drop joint mixtape
November 2019: Bow Wow announces Millenium Tour 2020
March 2021: Bow Wow says Soulja Boy deserves his flowers
In May 2021, rumors began circulating that Bow Wow was in talks of doing a Verzuz battle with someone. While some fans suggested a battle between Bow Wow and Romeo, others thought Soulja Boy would be a better match. In an interview with Tampa Bay’s Wild 94.1, though, Soulja Boy claimed Bow wow was “scared of me, man.” He explained, “You see when Romeo said something, he jumped right on it. But soon as they said ‘Big Draco’ name, Bow Wow be quiet as hell making up all types of excuses, man. Bow Wow knows what’s up with me.” But it was all love. Soulja Boy later clarified that Bow Wow is “my friend in real life.”
May 19, 2021: Soulja Boy asks Timbaland to set up a ‘Verzuz’ battle with Bow Wow
On May 22, 2021, Soulja Boy confirmed his Verzuz battle with Bow Wow is happening. “It’s official,” he tweeted. Bow Wow also teased a June 26 date for the battle on social media, but the official date has not been confirmed on by the Verzuz platform or by Swizz Beatz or Timbaland. Shortly after the announcement, the two rappers hopped on Instagram Live where they discussed the matchup. “This shit gonna be bigger than life,” Bow Wow said to Soulja Boy. “Me and you brother, make so much sense. We’ve been on tour together. Me and you got a whole motherfucking mixtape together. Me and you got a hit record together. We on tour right now! And on top of that, you got a hot new record out. The day before we do Verzuz, my movie comes out. See how we lined this shit up?” Since then, the two have shared videos on their respective social media accounts, taking playful jabs at each other. “Soulja, I have so many No. 1s,” Bow Wow said in one video, pulling up a list of rappers with the most No. 1 singles to their name.